The North Island Amateur Radio Society operates on the northern part of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Our primary purpose is to support amateur radio by maintaining repeater sites at the northern end of the Island Trunk System. Our linked repeater sites on the ITS in this area serve Port Alice, Port Hardy, Port McNeil, Woss and Sayward. These in turn provide access to Tahsis, the Alberni Valley and much of the back country around and in between those communities. We also provide the back ties to the repeaters at Campbell River and on Mount Washington near Courtenay.
Our main site on Newcastle Ridge (shown above) provides the primary link down island to Nanaimo which ties together the northern and southern parts of the ITS.
The system is used for emergency, hobby and recreational radio communications at the north end of Vancouver Island. As well coverage extends across the strait to the mainland to provide communications for recreational boaters.
These sites are primarily solar powered, with direct radio links designed to maintain service in the event of a major disaster. To see a map of the ITS click here: http://niars.ca/island-trunk-system-map-2019
Our membership includes not only amateur radio operators on northern Vancouver Island but people from all over BC who want to maintain and improve this real time, stand-alone trunk network.
Here’s a link for more information about the Island Trunk System as well as photos of the repeater sites
http://www.islandtrunksystem.org/cms/
http://www.ve7na.ca/activites/gallery/albums/its-repeaters
Vancouver Island Amateur Radio Discord Server
Email: niars.ve7rnc@gmail.com