Welcome to the 
Rideau Lakes
Amateur Radio Club 
Incorporated
(formerly the Smiths Falls Amateur Radio Club)"

Address:
Please send Email to:
ve3rlr@yahoo.ca


The next  meeting of the Rideau Lakes ARC will be 
held on Thursday the 18th of September at 7:30 PM, at the 
RCAF Association, 44 Abbott Street North in Smiths Falls.


Based in Smiths Falls, Ontario, the Rideau Lakes Amateur Radio Club Inc. has members throughout the Region, and is active in amateur radio and public-service activities in the area. The Club Station Callsign is VE3SFR.

The first organized amateur activity in the area arose in 1977 with the founding of the Rideau Lakes Repeater Association, which was established to build and install the repeater VE3RLR in Smiths Falls. The objective of the repeater was to cover the area between Ottawa and Kingston that repeaters in those centers could not reach, and also to serve boaters and cottagers in the central Rideau Canal System area.

In 1982, co-incident with the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Rideau Canal, the idea arose to have a special events station set up to advertise the occasion and promote amateur radio activity. To this end, in January of that year several amateurs from around Eastern Ontario gathered to form the Smiths Falls Amateur Radio Club. Permission was subsequently obtained for the station to be installed at the Detached Locks in Smiths Falls under the callsign VE3SFR. Permission was also granted for the use of the special callsign CZ3SFR, for a two week period. Later, due to dwindling resources, the Rideau Lakes Repeater Association amalgamated with the Smiths Falls Amateur Radio Club. In 1995, the club name was changed to the Rideau Lakes Amateur Radio Club and in July 1996 the Club was incorporated under the laws of Ontario as a non-profit charitable organization.

Photo of members at the February 2007 meeting, celebrating the 30th anniversary of our repeater, VE3RLR, and the 25th anniversary of the Club.


Voice Repeater VE3RLR, APRS, Packet, and the RLARC BBS:
The club operates and maintains voice Repeater VE3RLR, which covers Highways 15, 29 and 43 in the region of Smiths Falls and Perth, and the central Rideau Canal System and local lakes, popular with recreational boaters and cottagers. The Repeater is on 147.210 MHz (input + : 147.810 MHz). VE3RLR has the full capabilities of an ACC RC-96 repeater controller including autopatch, emergency and abbreviated dialing and emergency power backup.  

The club operates an APRS digipeater, VA3RLR, on 144.390 MHz.
A Packet Digipeater VA3RLR-1 is also in operation on 145.010 Mhz.  This is a simple Packet Digi and no connection can be made to this Digi. The Digipeater can be used to make a connection to the RLARC BBS VE3UIL-3 by using the command string "c VE3UIL-3 v VA3RLR-1"

The RLARC BBS is operating on 145.070 Mhz using the call VE3UIL-3. The system uses the FBB software.  The RLARC BBS is part of a Packet network connected to Ogdensburg NY and Kingston, ON.  [ More Information on Packet Facilities]

Club Meetings:
The Club has regular meetings in Smiths Falls on the third Thursday of each month, except in
 July and August.  If you would like to attend, please join us at the Royal Canadian Air Force Association, 44 Abbott Street North at 7:30 PM.

Club Executive:
The club operating year is from July 1 to June 30.

 -The Executive of the Rideau Lakes Amateur Radio Club -

 

2007-2008

2008-2009

President: John Aikman VA3JHA Richard Burroughs VE3CDO
Vice-President: Richard Burroughs VE3CDO Stephen Mayne VE3LWX
Secretary: Mike Ligeza VE3UIL Mike Ligeza VE3UIL
Treasurer: Bud Kern VE3CAE Bud Kern VE3CAE

 

See the story by Mike, VE3UIL, on our 
Special Events Station
July 6 - 8, 2007

Members of the RLARC

Links to Amateur Radio and other Sites

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