City Of Coquitlam
CARESS provides backup emergency radio communication services to the City Of Coquitlam. This is part of the Emergency Preparedness Response Programs.
Every month, the society’s members assist the EOC or Emergency Operations Centre at city hall.
We ensure that the emergency radio equipment is functioning properly on the 2m VHF and 80m HF bands using both voice and data traffic.
EMCR
Many of the society’s members are registered volunteers with Emergency Management and Climate Readiness of BC.
The EMCR includes the use of amateur radio operators as part of their emergency management plan.
BC Earthquake Immediate Response Plan
Click on BC’s Earthquake Immediate Response Plan to review its details.
RAC Radio Amateurs of Canada – National HF Emergency Communications Frequencies
Click here for the list of National HF Emergency Communication Frequencies.
Local Allocated Frequencies
Various simplex frequencies have been coordinated for Coquitlam for use in times of emergency.
| Description | Mode | Frequency |
| Coquitlam Channel 1 | Narrowband¹ FM simplex voice | 146.430 MHz |
| Coquitlam Channel 2 | Narrowband FM multi-use | 146.460 MHz |
| Intermunicipal Communications | Narrowband FM simplex voice | 146.490 MHz |
| South West Provincial Regional EOC | SSB simplex voice | 3735.0 kHz LSB |
Coquitlam Channel 1
Channel 1 is intended for city-wide narrowband FM simplex voice communication to avoid tying-up the VE7MFS repeater with long-duration radio traffic. Use of this frequency should be coordinated by Coquitlam net control.
Coquitlam Channel 2
Channel 2 is intended to be a multi-use channel. It can carry simplex phone and peer-to-peer Winlink. Use of this frequency should be coordinated by Coquitlam net control.
Intermunicipal Communications Channel
The intermunicipal simplex channel is intended to allow neighbouring municipalities to communicate with each other. Coquitlam radio operators should monitor this frequency for traffic and use it to communicate with other municipalities if other channels of communication are unavailable.
Provincial Regional EOC
Provincial Regional EOCs use a common HF frequency for communicating with local authorities. Coquitlam can use this to communicate with South West PREOC. If the South West PREOC is unavailable (e.g. affected by the same disaster as Coquitlam), other PREOCs should be reachable on this frequency.
Call Signs
Call signs have been allocated to operating facilities where stations are likely to be activated during an emergency.
Coquitlam Stations
| Description | Call Sign |
| Coquitlam City Hall (EOC) | VA7COQ |
| Austin Engineering and Public Works Yard | VA7AWY |
| Town Centre Fire Hall | VE7TCF |
| Austin Heights Fire Hall | VA7AHY |
| Mariner Fire Hall | VE7MFH |
| Burke Mountain Fire Hall | VA7BFX |
| Poirier Sport and Recreation Complex | VA7POI |
| Pinetree Community Centre | VA7PIN |
| Dogwood Pavilion | VA7DWP |
| Coquitlam Command Vehicle | VE7CQV |
| Riverview Station | VE7SCC |
| CARESS Satellite Trailer | VA7CQT |
Provincial stations
| Description | Call Sign |
| South West Provincial Regional EOC | VE7SWF |
| Central Provincial Regional EOC | VE7KAZ |
| Vancouver Island Provincial Regional EOC | VE7PEP |
Winlink Addresses
Winlink email addresses have been established to represent operating facilities where stations are likely to be activated during an emergency.
Coquitlam stations
| Description | Winlink address |
| Coquitlam City Hall (EOC) | VA7COQ@winlink.org |
| Austin Engineering and Public Works Yard | VA7AWY@winlink.org |
| Town Centre Fire Hall | VE7TCF@winlink.org |
| Austin Heights Fire Hall | VA7AHY@winlink.org |
| Mariner Fire Hall | VE7MFH@winlink.org |
| Burke Mountain Fire Hall | VA7BFX@winlink.org |
| Poirier Sport and Recreation Complex | VA7POI@winlink.org |
| Pinetree Community Centre | VA7PIN@winlink.org |
| Dogwood Pavilion | VA7DWP@winlink.org |
| Coquitlam Command Vehicle | VE7CQV@winlink.org |
| Riverview Station | VE7SCC@winlink.org |
| CARESS Satellite Trailer | VA7CQT@winlink.org |
Provincial stations
| Description | Winlink address |
| South West Provincial Regional EOC | VE7SWF@winlink.org |
| Central Provincial Regional EOC | VE7KAZ@winlink.org |
| Vancouver Island Provincial Regional EOC | VE7PEP@winlink.org |
Winlink Stations
This is not an exhaustive list of Winlink stations; it is a summary of those that are likely to work from locations in the Coquitlam area. Use the propagation tool built into Winlink Express to locate additional stations.
PACTOR via HF
| Description | Call sign | PACTOR | Frequency |
| South West Provincial Regional EOC (80m) | VE7SWF | 1, 2, 3 | 3613.5 kHz |
| South West Provincial Regional EOC (40m) | VE7SWF | 1, 2, 3 | 7089.5 kHz |
| Central Provincial Regional EOC (80m) | VE7KAZ | 3, 4 | 3590.0 kHz |
| Central Provincial Regional EOC (40m) | VE7KAZ | 3, 4 | 7068.0 kHz |
Packet via VHF/UHF
| Description | Call sign | Baud | Frequency |
| Blaine Auxiliary Communications Service | W7BPD-10 | 1200 | 145.630 MHz |
| Riverview Station | VE7SCC-10 | 1200 | 145.090 MHz |
| Coquitlam peer-to-peer on VHF narrowband FM | N/A | 1200 | 146.460 MHz |
VHF Simplex Frequency Plan
The following VHF simplex frequencies were coordinated between municipalities for use during emergencies. All frequencies are in MHz and shall use FM narrowband (12.5 kHz bandwidth). There are 3 allocated group frequencies for intermunicipal communications.
| Local Authority (Municipality) |
Primary (MHz) |
Secondary (MHz) |
Inter- Municipal |
| Abbotsford | 146.430 | 147.540 | 146.445 |
| Belcarra | 146.595 | – | 146.490 |
| Bowen Island | 146.550 | – | 146.565 |
| Burnaby | 147.510 | 146.595 | 146.565 |
| Chilliwack | 147.480 | – | 146.445 |
| Coquitlam | 146.430 | 146.460 | 146.490 |
| Delta | 147.540 | 147.570 | 146.565 |
| Harrison/Kent | 146.475 | – | 146.445 |
| Hope | 147.570 | – | 146.445 |
| Langley | 146.580 | – | 146.490 |
| Maple Ridge | 147.450 | – | 146.445 |
| Mission | 146.460 | – | 146.445 |
| New Westminster | 146.505 | – | 146.490 |
| North Shore | 146.535 | 147.480 | 146.565 |
| Pitt Meadows | 147.510 | – | 146.490 |
| Port Coquitlam | 146.535 | – | 146.490 |
| Port Moody | 146.595 | – | 146.490 |
| Richmond | 146.475 | 146.505 | 146.565 |
| Surrey | 146.550 | 147.420 | 146.490 |
| Vancouver | 146.580 | 146.460 | 146.565 |
| White Rock | 147.480 | – | 146.490 |
NOTES:
1 – Narrowband FM (12.5 kHz bandwidth)
Narrowband FM is recommended for use with ‘simplex’ operation in emergency situtations in order to reduce the dense use of allocated channels in highly populated urban regions.