Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (July 03/02) - A new weather-broadcasting service from Environment Canada went on the air this past week in Rankin Inlet and Arviat.

The service provides 24-hour broadcasts of current weather conditions, a five-day forecast, weather warnings and marine forecasts.

Hunters, fishers, boaters and land travellers will be able to get the latest conditions and forecasts via the radio signal.

The weather radio project is the result of a partnership between Environment Canada and the Nunavut government.

Yvonne Bilan-Wallace of Environment Canada says the frequency in Rankin and Arviat for the service will be 162.4 MHz.

She says the one drawback to the new service is that the frequency cannot be tuned in by regular radios.

"The broadcast can be picked up by a special weather radio that receives the frequency or some newer communication devices which can have their crystals reprogrammed to tune in that frequency," says Bilan-Wallace.

"A number of family service radios that broadcast over about a two-kilometre distance can also be programmed to the frequency."

Hamlet senior administrator Darren Flynn says the Arviat transmitter went live on June 27.

Environment Canada supplied the hamlet with a number of radios capable of picking up the signal, which will be dispersed in the community.

"We're going to give a few to search and rescue and a couple to the schools and the rest will be raffled off to the community," says Flynn.

"I've also taken three different radios that can pick up the signal and given them to the manager of the Northern store to be displayed on the counter there.

"Once they determine the most popular model with residents of the community, all three stores in town will start bringing the radios in to retail."

The antenna in Arviat has a range of about 32 kilometres.

Flynn says while that's not perfect, it is a step in the right direction.

"For years I've been taking the weather forecast off the Internet and having my secretary fax it around town.

"If just one person, as a result of this new service, packs the extra gear they need to return home safely when bad weather hits, then the weather radio program is well-justified."