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M.o.F. RADIO OPERATIONS Our Mission Provide and maintain a reliable VHF radio communications service for Ministry of Forests personnel throughout the entire province of British Columbia. Overview The Ministry of Forests, Information Management Branch, Radio Operations, provides reliable two way VHF radio communications in the Province of British Columbia. Ministry of Forests staff use their handheld and vehicle mounted radios for "safety check-in's" when working in the forest, for passing information back to the District Office and other personnel working elsewhere in the district, and to call for assistance. The ruggedness of the Province of British Columbia presents a formidable challenge to provide reliable year round communications to people working in the field. At this time, approximately 80% of the Province is adequately covered by the MoF radio network. The network consists of about 325 mountain top repeater sites, arranged into 29 district systems and 6 Regional Fire Centers, each with multiple stations. As the network is always undergoing changes approximate figures are given. During Fire Season (April to October), the radio network is heavily used by Forest Protection Branch, to assist Firefighters in locating fires and directing equipment and personnel. It is also used to direct Air Tankers on the fire. The Ministry of Forests (B.C. Forest Service), Radio Operations, maintains all of
the MoF radio network equipment. The cost per user of this network,
is quite high and would probably not be financially viable in the Private
Sector, but is necessary for safety and exchange of information for MoF and
other Provincial Government Personnel. Occasionally nature destroys a
site, as happened to Kellough. See Photos in the Northern Interior Region, Prince Rupert. Repairing
or relocating a site also adds to the operating cost.
Narrowbanding
Ministry of Forests Radios Standard issue Forest Service radio is now the Icom F30GT. The Icom F3 is being reserved for Fire Stock. The TAD M8 mobile (truck) radio is being replaced by the Kenwood TK780 and TK 7180. The Forest Service issued radio equipment is serviced and maintained by Radio Operations staff. The Icom H12 (purchased in 1985) H16, H18 and H19 have been removed from service. For Radio Operator Training, see the
Power Point presentation on the index page. Other Ministries and Private Contractors, who provide services to
Ministry of Forests,
and have need, can apply to access the radio network by submitting the form FS
1109 (Application for Access to the MoF Radio System).
The completed for should be submitted to the Forest District Manager or Fire Center Manager for approval.
Radio Repeater Sites VHF radio is "line of site" communications. If the person that you want to contact is behind a hill or in the next valley then you need to transfer your radio signal through a repeater to contact him / her. Our repeaters are connected into Forest District systems. This works like a "Party Line" and anyone in the district can receive and return your call. We use "call signs" to connect with the correct person.
This is an aluminum housing that is used in some locations.
Sometimes we have to find it before we can fix it! This is a Comshel type repeater housing. The Radio Tech's are digging their way down to the door just to get inside to repair the radio equipment. Hard work at high altitude, plus the possibility of being stuck there if the weather closes in.
FIRE REPEATERS Fire Repeaters (designed and built by Radio Operations personnel) are quick deploy units that are used to temporarily enhance radio communications for fire fighters, where coverage in the area is poor, and can be linked into the MoF network; or when additional radio channels are required to work as a stand alone unit. It consists of the radio repeater (receiver, transmitter and duplexer [allows one antenna to transmit and receive at the same time]) in the orange box, magnetic mount antenna (on top of orange box), battery (in silver box) and solar panel (to charge the battery during the day). See photo of a Fire Repeater in operation near Westbank (August 2003) in the Southern Interior Region (Nelson).
A Victoria Headquarters radio technician hard at work tuning a duplexer. Maintenance and repair are vital to keep the system working reliably. This includes environmental testing of repeater equipment to confirm its operation between minus 40 degrees C. and plus 60 degrees C. (before installation or after repairs.) When you are working out in the back country, sometimes alone, and need to communicate or call for help, a fully functioning radio network is a must have service.
These are the people who service and maintain the B.C. Forest Service Radio Network. You can tell by the smiles that they are true professionals and proud of their work.
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