Columnists VA3EGY

2025-06-07 The Prez Sez – June

2025-06-06
Roger VA3EGY

In this issue: Last month at the OARC, Upcoming activities, OARC new hams news, Volunteer updates, Club business

It finally feels like summer in the Nation’s Capital, a great time to get outside and enjoy operating in our many beautiful green spaces.  I look forward to seeing you at Scout Headquarters on June 11th at our in-person-only Annual General Meeting. And, again on June 28th during OARC Field Day, and for our “Come meet the new hams” BBQ and group photo. Please visit the OARC online calendar to read the details for each activity, to register, and to buy your $5 ticket for the BBQ. Proceeds from the BBQ will go to Scouts to show our appreciation for their generosity in allowing us to use their facilities as part of our growing partnership.

Last Month at the OARC

It’s been another busy month since my last column. You can read the activities reports with these links:

Upcoming OARC activities

We are now looking ahead to these June events and I sincerely hope you have registered for them (if not, please click the links to register):

And please note there is no OARC monthly meeting in July or August so the next one will be September 10. The Newsletter will continue in July and August and the Board will still meet throughout the summer.

The OARC Annual General Meeting June 11

Everyone is welcome at the OARC Annual General Meeting (AGM): OARC members and non-members, licensed and not-yet-licensed hams, friends and family.

The AGM will be an IN-PERSON ONLY meeting. The complexity of having members attend by zoom and managing their voting was simply too much for the volunteers we have running the meeting.

Please join us in person for the AGM and CLICK HERE to register in advance. This allows us to have enough chairs and refreshments for everyone, and to send you a reminder closer to the meeting. 

The AGM is your chance to:

  • Look back at the past year of Club progress,
  • Review the financial statements,
  • Vote (members only) to elect the Board for next year, and
  • Look ahead at next year’s plans and budget.

I’m happy to report that all of last year’s Directors have agreed to stand again for this year. (This means there will be no awkward silences while we pressure you to run for vacant positions!)

All the documents for the meeting were made available on the website inside the official OARC AGM 2025 notice, including:

  • 2025 OARC AGM – meeting agenda,
  • OARC Annual Report 2024-25, including financial statements, and
  • Minutes from the last OARC Special Members Meeting.

I look forward to hearing from members what they think of the progress and changes we’ve made in the past year and what they think of our plans for next year.

OARC new hams news

Congratulations to the new hams that took the spring 2025 OARC Basic Amateur Radio and passed their exam. A few more still have to write their exam but we’re optimistic they will be new hams in no time.

Once again, OARC was pleased to be able to offer these new hams a one-year OARC membership for just $1 and OARC New Hams Radio Bundle Deal for just $75. The bundle (value of $300) includes: a Retivis RT-95, 25-Watt VHF/UHF mobile radio, programming cable, and mag-mount antenna, and a DC cigarette lighter plug with power pole connection so they can operate in a vehicle or from battery virtually anywhere. These new hams also get a free Get on The Air (GOTA) workshop.

EVERYONE is invited to come out and meet our new hams and be part of the group photo on June 28th. Please CLICK HERE to get your $5 BBQ ticket and to learn more about the activity. Proceeds from the BBQ will go to the Scouts Canada National Museum. This BBQ coincides with OARC Field Day 2025 in the same location and promises to be a great day, rain or shine.

Volunteer updates

New “working group” opportunities

Our Volunteer webpage has three new volunteer working groups that we think will be of interest to many of you. These are:

  • OARC Equipment-upgrade working group, which will provide input to the VE2CRA repeater upgrade plan and also look at connecting the new DMR repeater to Internet. 
  • OARC Agility working group, which will explore how the Club can increase its ability to quickly and easily set up a radio stations (i.e., to be “agile”) for various club activities and community events, and
  • OARC New-hams equipment library working group, which will explore establishing a more systematic approach to the way in which the Club sometimes makes equipment available on a temporary basis to some new hams.

We are rapidly filling volunteer opportunities with OARC members who are keen to be part of a team that shares a passion for Amateur Radio and technical hobbies. Take a look at the Volunteer webpage and find a role for yourself and gain experience in a supportive, volunteer-driven environment. There are short-term roles, longer-term roles, and new roles as part of a working group.

OARC Carp Hamfest 2025 volunteers

I’m pleased to report that the urgent need for volunteers for OARC Carp Hamfest 2025 on September 6 has largely been addressed. Ed has almost all the volunteers he needs but there are a few spots still available so please CLICK HERE to volunteer to help out at Hamfest.

I just want to highlight one of our new longer-term volunteers, Shivang Jani, who is currently supporting Ed Sich in coordinating Hamfest volunteers. 

Shivang responded to a post that we put on Volunteer Ottawa. He is an energetic and highly organized Project Management graduate from Algonquin College with hands-on supervisory experience coordinating team schedules, optimizing workflows, and ensuring smooth execution of complex initiatives. He is eager to contribute leadership, coordination, and event planning expertise to a mission-driven organization that values structure and community impact. Welcome Shivang and thank you for your energy and effort! 

Club business

Change to newsletter frequency

Now that we have the new OARC online calendar, which displays all upcoming courses, workshops, Club activities, and community events, we feel a single monthly newsletter should be sufficient for you to know what’s going on. We all want less email, right? And this will allow us to focus our volunteer energy on making the one newsletter even better quality.

Starting in July, there will be one newsletter per month instead of two. It will come out on the Saturday before the OARC Monthly Meeting, which is on the second Wednesday of the month. In July and August, there are no monthly meetings, but the newsletter will still be issued on July 5 and August 9. During the fall when the Club is busier, we will appreciate your feedback if you find this reduced newsletter frequency makes you feel less connected to the OARC and its activities.

Membership update

I’m thrilled to report that OARC membership has jumped to 96 in recent months, and we have nearly triple that in newsletter subscribers. Much of our growth is coming from the graduates of our Basic Amateur Radio Courses. And, a surprising number have decided to join us after taking a break for, in some cases, more than a decade! Please help me welcome every one of our new and renewing members and find out what is important to them about being part of our Club.

For those of you who are not yet members but subscribe to our free newsletter and come out to our activities, I want to urge you to become an OARC member today. Every penny of your membership fee is badly needed! And larger membership numbers send an important message about the popularity of Amateur Radio as a hobby and the strength of our community.

See you at the AGM on June 11 and the BBQ on June 28th! Enjoy the summer!

All my best and 73,
Roger Egan VA3EGY
The Prez

Last Updated on 2025-07-31 by Joannadanna