By Barry MacDonald, VA3FCQ
The Repeater Modernization Project Team (The Team) has been working since late 2025 to develop a plan to replace the repeater infrastructure under the Club’s control with modern, sustainable equipment. This effort is proceeding apace and this SITREP will provide the membership with the current status of our work.
- First, the Team has developed a Business Requirements Document (BRD) that documents both the current state of our infrastructure and codifies the actual Business Requirements that will govern our design, costing, procurement and fielding. The BRD was approved by the Team at a meeting on 16 July and will be presented to the Board at its meeting on 22 July to seek their approval.
- Once the BRD has been approved by the Board, the Team will proceed to the analysis phase of the work where designs will be developed and appropriate equipment selected. The Board will then be approached to approve the necessary funding.
- The priority of our effort will be to address the 2m/70cm repeaters at Camp Fortune in Quebec. The goal is to have that effort completed by late September of 2026. Once that goal has been achieved, the Team will then look at validating our effective coverage from Camp Fortune and determine if we still need the other repeaters that the Club currently maintains and whether we need additional repeaters to achieve our desired coverage.
- The Team will look at what additional services should be added to our infrastructure such as digital modes, etc. Our first move in this area has already taken place. We are pleased to advise the membership that, as of July 2026, a Digital Smart Technology for Amateur Radio (DStar) repeater has been configured, installed and tested at Camp Fortune. This repeater is now operational and available for use.
- If you happen to have a DStar capable radio, you can access the repeater as follows. Tune your D-STAR radio to 444.400 MHz (+5.0 MHz offset) to access our new local digital repeater and gateway! You can view live check-ins and repeater link statuses by clicking here to view the VE2CRA D-STAR Dashboard.
- Mondays at 8:00 PM – Northern Ontario Net (XRF103B): A welcoming provincial tech and open-forum net hosted by the Manitoulin club. (Auto-connects at 7:45 PM).
- Tuesdays at 8:40 PM – Almonte D-STAR MiniNet (XLX196B): Our local default hub and the primary check-in for Eastern Ontario and the Ottawa Valley.
- Fridays at 9:00 PM – National CAN-Net (XRF103A): A massive coast-to-coast digital net connecting operators across Canada and beyond. (Auto-connects at 8:45 PM).
- In addition to the DStar repeater, the Club will soon have a Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) repeater also located at Camp Fortune. This capability was previously in service and is currently being restored to service under the leadership of Harrie Jones VE3HYS. Further information will be shared as it is available
This concludes the first SITREP on the OARC Repeater Modernization Project. Updates will be issued periodically to keep the membership informed as we progress with our various projects. Should anyone have questions with respect to the above information, please click here to Contact Us.
Last Updated on 2026-07-22 by Joannadanna