VE4MIL Node Recovery, VE4WPG Upgrade, and LoRa APRS Trials

VE4MIL Milner Ridge Node Restoration

On Tuesday, February 24th, the Milner Ridge node failed to come back online after a system reboot, taking down the VE4MIL Milner Ridge and VE4FAL Falcon Lake repeaters from the network.

On Friday, February 28th, VE4KL Andrew and VE4POH Erica drove out to the Milner Ridge site and performed a power cycle, successfully bringing the node back online. During this visit, they installed a WiFi-enabled smart plug to allow for remote power cycles in the future. This improvement will enable the team to power cycle without requiring site visits, significantly reducing downtime during future incidents. A QSO with VE4TQ Scott confirmed the repeater and all network links were operational and performing well.

VE4EMB Hadashville Investigation

While en route to the Milner Ridge site, the team heard net reports of potential issues with VE4EMB Hadashville. After completing work at Milner Ridge, they detoured to investigate the concerns.

Upon arrival, they monitored the VE4EMB frequency from Milner Ridge all the way to Hadashville to perform a thorough coverage and performance assessment. The only observation was intermittent courtesy tones with no ident coming through the VE4ACX repeater. Investigation determined that these tones were caused by kerchunking rather than an actual repeater malfunction. The team suspects a Baofeng type “roger beep” from a user on the network. Based on this finding, we recommend that all users disable this roger beep feature on the network. This automated response, while useful in simplex operation, creates unnecessary traffic and confusion in linked repeater systems.

The Hadashville repeater was power cycled for good measure. A QSO with VE4DRK Dan in Winnipeg confirmed the repeater and network links were functioning with good audio in both directions, with clear reception and strong signal propagation. The repeater was monitored from Hadashville to Ste Anne with no further issues observed throughout the monitoring period.

VE4WPG Richardson Centre Upgrade

On March 2nd, VE4WDZ Wyatt and VA4SPT Stephane conducted maintenance on VE4WPG at Richardson Centre to address interference issues that have emerged as a result of recent RF environment changes. A new FM broadcast station was recently installed on the Richardson Centre, and the combination of three transmit frequencies on site (VE4WPG and two FM broadcast stations) creates a problematic interference scenario. During the squelch tail of the repeater’s transmit, when no audio is present, the interaction of these three transmit frequencies allows the FM broadcast stations to bleed through on the VE4WPG receive side, producing an audible screech noise during transmission pauses. The team installed a cavity filter on the transmit side of the repeater to mitigate this RF interference and protect receiver performance.

Through an SDR connected to the receiver side, they confirmed an reduction in interference following the filter installation. VE4WPG has been reconnected to the AllStar network and will be monitored closely by the technical team over the coming weeks. If any residual interference is observed, additional filtering measures will be evaluated and implemented.

LoRa APRS Experimentation

The technical team is experimenting with LoRa-based APRS to evaluate real-world performance characteristics, coverage capabilities, and operational reliability within Winnipeg. This new digital mode offers exciting possibilities for position reporting, messaging, and situational awareness during emergency and community events.

With iGates mounted at 30 to 40 feet above ground level in various neighborhoods throughout the area, the team is observing excellent range and reliability. The LoRa technology demonstrates impressive performance characteristics.

Building on these initial successes, the team is planning to mount an additional iGate at the VE4WRS Osborne repeater site in the coming months. This strategic location will allow the team to assess performance and range in a key area of the city and determine reliability metrics to support the Manitoba Marathon and other upcoming community events. The Osborne site location will also provide valuable data on iGate performance when installed at a repeater facility. Further updates, including coverage maps and performance statistics, will follow as the project progresses and additional data is collected.