[aprssig] Canada APRS?

[VE7GDH]

Brian KD8CDQ wrote on Jan 23 2006

> Will APRS work in Canada? I go up to Canada North of Sault Saint
> Marie and am wondering if my APRS will work or what to expect.

It will in most populated places in Canada, but I started watching the area 
you are interested in with UI-View after reading your message. After about 
an 1.5 hours (admittedly, it's election day and I started watching ~10 pm 
eastern time) I didn't see much activity north of Sault Sainte Marie. AB8CB 
is a few blocks from the water on the US side. The VE3SNT-3 digi is about 21 
km east in Echo Bay. I didn't see any mobile activity, but it is late night 
and everyone was at home watching the election results roll in. Looking at 
AB8CB at findu.com there was virtually no activity north of there for the 
last 10 days. Almost all activity near VE3SNT-3 (viewed at findu.com) was SW 
of there in the US. For some reason unknown to me, VE3SNE-3 digi didn't show 
up in UI-View (TCPIP feed) but it showed up at findu.com in the period that 
I was watching. Strange. Perhaps there will be more activity in the daytime. 
Perhaps it's the geography. I would suspect you won't see much there. 
However, if you have a good antenna and nudge the power upwards when you get 
north of the border, you might stand a chance of being heard by one of the 
two digis in the area. The W8EUP-15 digi is about 44 km south of AB8CB and 
the border.

Of course, it could be the intense cold that just blocks propagation on 
144.39 just north of the border! How about via the International Space 
Station for your outgoing beacons when it is overhead?

73 es cul - Keith VE7GDH
--
"I may be lost, but I know exactly where I am!"