Welcome to MIRA
MIRA (Mid Island Radio Association) is an amateur radio (Ham Radio) club located along the north shore (east shore to locals) of Vancouver Island, Canada in the vicinity of Parksville and Qualicum Beach.
We live in a beautiful region blessed with a mild (for Canada) climate between Georgia Strait to the east and mountains to the south. Our local landforms are both a boon and a bane. On one hand, mountains let us put our repeaters up high (Mount Arrowsmith is 5,968 ft. ASL) for great signal coverage. On the other hand, they block or cause multi-path interference for line-of-site VHF/UHF signals.
VE7RBB (VE7RPQ’s linked friend) is back!
Well, our intrepid repeater team has been back at it again. In the last week, the team visited the Errington Fire Hall #1 (just off the Port Alberni Highway) and installed the VE7RBB repeater pair in the radio room there. While VE7RPQ has a great coverage area, we also now have its twin brother operational as well. VE7RBB has an output frequency of 147.180 MHz, +600 KHz offset, and a 100 Hz tone. It is linked to the VE7RPQ repeater via UHF, so whatever is heard on RPQ is also heard on RBB and vice-versa.
Initial testing after setup showed some very strange, inconsistent results but Al M (VA7MP) was up at the radio room doing some power supply repairs and found a loose antenna connector. After it was tightened up, RBB returned to its usual clear self.
More changes are coming, so stay tuned!!!!
Extending the range of VE7RPQ!
Thanks to our Repeater Engineer Extrordinaire, Jeff Stanhope (VA7JPS), we now have more access to our Mt. Cokely repeater for our neighbours to the south!
A new simplex remote base has been added to the VE7RPQ repeater system — located on Mt. Benson, just north of Nanaimo. What this means is that hams in the far southern reaches of the Oceanside area (e.g. Nanoose Bay, Lantzville and North Nanaimo) now have a way to join us at the Breakfast Bunch each morning and our Sunday morning nets.
As stated above, the remote base link operates in simplex mode (no offset required) on a frequency of 147.400 MHz with a 100Hz tone. It is directly linked to VE7RPQ on Mt. Cokely, so whatever is broadcast by RPQ will automagically be rebroadcast on 147.400 MHz from Mt. Benson. And vice-versa — whatever Mt. Benson hears will automatically be rebroadcast on VE7RPQ!
It’s a great expansion of our coverage area and we are most grateful to Jeff and the Island Repeater Coordination group for letting us set this up. Enjoy!
Oceanside Emergency Communications Team (OECT) YouTube Links
The OECT operates as part of Emergency Management Oceanside. Below are two recently produced informational videos available on YouTube:
OECT Volunteer Radio Operators Provide Critical Support in an Emergency
72 Hours: Are You Prepared? With Emergency Management Oceanside
New MIRA Blog Posts
Access the newest Blog Posts via the RSS Feed list on the right side of every page. They are listed in order of newest to oldest. To see all Blog Posts, go to the MIRA Blog Page. Use Categories to choose an author or subject matter.
Join Us
We’re a friendly bunch, and we always provide a warm welcome to visitors and amateur radio operators moving to or residing in the area. If you or anyone you know is interested in joining our club, we have a member ready and willing to help you out. For more information, or to join a Saturday Coffee ZOOM, send an email to Dave (VA7QED):
contact@midislandradio.ca
“Built specifically for amateur radio operators by an amateur radio operator (VE7DXE) with input from several amateur radio operators in the Greater Victoria area,” “Ham Shack is a great alternative to on-site Ham Radio swap and shops.” While giving MIRA members an alternative to in-person equipment sales, Ham Shack increases MIRA’s exposure to the wider Pacific Northwest Amateur Radio Community.”