RCI Tofino-Ucluelet Relay Stations

Target Area : Australia, NZ and Pacific Islands

Target Area : Eastern Indonesia, PNG and Pacific Islands

Target Area : Latin America

Esquimalt, BC was chosen as a transmitter site because VOAarea's city database lacks Tofino and Ucluelet. Esquimalt is the nearest city in the database to Tofino. Esquimalt is still suitable for targeting Australasia, but is not far enough North to avoid low angle HF transmission issues related to the Olympic Mountain chain in Washington State. Esquimalt has a military base.

Signal reception conditions [in the target areas] will not be substantially different because all of the desired target areas are at least 3 ionspheric hops away. The Western US and the North Pacific Ocean can be used as 'skip zones' with respect to broadcasting frequencies above 10 mhz.

There are many factors that will affect the final placement of the relay station. It is expected that a location near Tofino, Ucluelet or Kitimat.

Two sites along the coastal road between Tofino and Uucluelet ideally meets all the necessary location requirements. Kitimat is too far North. Coverage of China, Korea (DPRK, South Korea) and the Russian Far East are secondary issues for Canada at this time with respect to its external policy. Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) in Asian countries has increased to a point where relay stations 1 or 2 ionospheric hops (2500 kms) have become preferable to permit optimal shortwave reception.

• geography: an all sea path to the desired target areas, as this is a important requirement with respect to reducing long term transmitter output power requirements
• geology: wet sea-land  conditions (for high HF reflectivity)
• geology: near zero (1 in 750 years) tsunami risk
• geology: minimal earthquake, rockfall & land slippage or any other related geological risks
• geology: no tall mountains to interfere with groundwave signal transmission path to the sea
  
• electrical: electricity supply (a 500 kw transmitter needs ~ 1.25 megawatts to run at full power), avoidance of population centres (to comply with IEEE and EBU recommendations on exposure to EM fields)
• accessibility and defensibility of transmitter site (s) with respect to paved roads, useful for staff morale -- nearby urban centres have more services
• land: the site must be at least 500 m to 600 m above sea level, and not subject to any land claims disputes

This relay station should possess these curtain array configurations

• 1 x HRS 8 / 4 / 1 covering the (7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17-18, 21 mhz) frequency bands, for primary coverage of Eastern Indonesia, Indochina & Southern China.
  
• 2 x HRS 6 / 4 / 1 covering the (7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17-18, 21 mhz) frequency bands, for primary coverage of Latin America & Australia, NZ and Pacific Islands.
• 1 x HRS 4 / 3 / 1 covering the (7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17-18, 21 mhz) frequency bands for primary coverage of Australia, NZ and Pacific Islands
• Alternate configuration: 2 x ALLISS modules (6-26mhz coverage), separated by ~50 km.