Operating on the ITS
The ITS currently has 16 repeaters linked together. Although individual repeaters may be disconnected from the ITS, all repeaters are normally connected to the trunk. The ITS philosophy is to have an open and friendly system that is available to all licensed Amateur radio operators. Please contact the ITS group prior to using the system for any event or simulated emergency test.
Coverage
The primary coverage of the ITS is eastern Vancouver Island including the Lower mainland. Contacts have been made from Seattle/Tacoma in the south, to Egg Island in the north. Coverage is available on the west coast of Vancouver Island around Tofino, Ucluelet and Bamfield. Coverage plots of each repeater are being created and will be posted on the web page when they are completed.
Equipment
Most repeaters within the ITS use high quality commercial equipment. It has been a challenge over the years to acquire such equipment. Most repeaters are manufactured by Daniels Electronics, who produce high quality reliable repeaters. Daniels Electronics are located in Victoria B.C. Sinclair Technologies and Comprod Communications supply our duplexers and antennas. Link Communications repeater controllers provide the brains behind the repeaters. When originally designing the ITS our goal was to have continuous coverage on eastern Vancouver Island when using a mobile radio with 10 watts output. This goal has almost been reached.
Echo/IRLP
An echo/IRLP node has been installed on the ITS for the benefit of all users. The node numbers are 1755 for IRLP and 428436 for echolink. The nodes are open with no access codes and we encourage all users and visitors to use them. The echolink node has been configured so the automatic connect and disconnect announcements have been disabled. If you wish to monitor the ITS, log on to echolink and no one will know unless you ID. In regards to ID'ing...........Please ID before sending DTMF tones.
Operating Tips
When you want to use the ITS it is fairly simple. Use a repeater that has good coverage at your location. When you transmit, all stations listening to the ITS will hear you. If you are a visitor or new to the area it is probably a good idea to print a copy of the ITS diagram or make some notes. Make sure you press the PTT before you start talking and please wait for the courtesy tone. Courtesy tones accomplish at least two things. They allow stations with high priority traffic or emergencies to break in and they reset the timers on the repeaters. Timers are an important feature when there are more than 16 repeaters on the ITS.
