As of today, the VE1BM 147.120 repeater in Fredericton has been upgraded to full CTCSS - (PL tones) on transmit and receive. Users will need to set their radios to transmit a sub-audible tone of 151.4 to access the repeater.
The Fredericton VE1BM repeater joins those in Elmtree, Campobello, Maces Bay, and the new UHF repeaters as requiring a PL tone. For an up-to-date list of all new repeaters and PL tones, go to https://ve9irg.net/revamp/ctcss_chart
You don't need to set a PL tone to hear the repeater. However, if you are troubled by local interference on your local repeater frequency, you can set your radio to only open squelch when it hears the repeater. Some radios refer to this as TSQL or "tone squelch". All repeaters in the IRG system are now transmitting a PL tone, 151.4 on VHF repeaters, and 141.3 on UHF repeaters.
And another important reminder: We urge you to program all your radios to send the PL tone now, even before your local repeaters are upgraded. That way, you won't find yourself suddenly unable to work the repeater, as there will be very little advance notice of when a particular zone or repeater is upgraded to require CTCSS. Get out your radio manual and do it now, before you are caught without being able to transmit into a repeater when you most need it.
The phase-in of CTCSS is part of the ongoing upgrade of the IRG system underway. For more information:
IRG system upgrade and changes coming | Up-to-date chart of upgraded repeaters | The future is sub-audible tones