In this issue: October 2025 OARC Monthly Meeting changes (i. Thursday this month only, not Wednesday and ii. Teams not Zoom), Aux-Comm updates, Membership updates, Volunteer Coordinators still needed, Upcoming Activities, including Kit Building and Soldering Workshops.
October 2025 OARC Monthly Meeting CHANGES
IMPORTANT NOTE: The October OARC Monthly Meeting will take place on Thursday, October 9th (not Wednesday, October 8th). We apologize for the inconvenience of this change, but our room at Scouts Headquarters was not available for our usual evening. We’ll be back on Wednesdays next month and for the rest of the year.
Hybrid Meeting on Thursday, October 9th, 2025 @ 6:45 PM ET
In-person at Scouts HQ or …
For virtual participation, we are now using Microsoft Teams. You will be able to participate using this link through your web browser or using the Teams app. Here are the details:
Microsoft Teams Need help?
Click here to Join the meeting
Meeting ID: 284 070 075 621 1
Passcode: fd9aF2L9
2025-09-27 RAC Aux-Comm Course – Report
I’m pleased to announce that we graduated 17 new Auxiliary Communications (Aux-Comm) radio volunteers through the Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) Aux-Comm course held on Sept. 27-28. RAC is rolling out this course as part of a provincial initiative to build community emergency response teams. Starting in December 2024, the OARC negotiated with RAC to ensure our members would have access to this training. Learn more in 2025-09-27 RAC Aux-Comm Course – Report.
Repeater upgrade to support the unique needs of Aux-Comm
Related to emergency Amateur-Radio communications, we also recently initiated a major capital project to upgrade our VE2CRA repeater system and our plan factors in the unique needs of Aux-Comm, such as the need to be able to link repeater systems across the city, depending on the circumstances, and also to support digital modes.
Aux-Comm and our partnership with West Carleton Disaster Relief
Another expression of the Club’s commitment to supporting emergency Amateur-Radio communications is our partnership with West Carleton Disaster Relief (WCDR). You may recall that we did a proof-of-concept demonstration on World Amateur Radio Day, April 18, 2025, where we set up radio systems in three different communities within West Carleton and used the VE2CRA repeater to tie us all together.
The Club is also supporting WCDR in their meetings with the City Of Ottawa, Emergency and Protective Services (EPS), which is the organization responsible for the Municipal Emergency Plan and for mobilizing an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in the event of an incident. The EOC is where City staff and external partners coordinate resources, communications, and other response and recovery activities.
The City, like all municipalities, recommends residents have an emergency plan in place to ensure self-sufficiency for at least 72 hours (3 days) during an emergency because essential services like power, water, and transportation can be interrupted for an extended period. Being self-sufficient for the first 72 hours also allows emergency responders to focus on critical needs and those most in need.
Through the MOU we have with WCDR, the Club is training Amateur-Radio operators in West Carleton to help their community be more self-sufficient and resilient during the first 72 hours.
In a proposed pilot project, WCDR will work with the City to develop tabletop scenarios for different types of emergencies and in different communities across West Carleton. Amateur-Radio operators with Aux-Comm training in West Carleton will be a part of this and will go out to each of these communities to conduct live field exercises to develop and refine plans. By conducting regular exercises, WCDR and Amateur-Radio operators in the region will benefit from getting to know each other better, getting to know how to work together as a team and how best to use available equipment.
Membership – why join?
If you are not yet a member, now is a great time to join and your membership will be valid for 12 months from your date of payment. Please click on this link Join the OARC (after you finish reading our Newsletter!)
Why does your membership mean so much to us?
- We consider that your membership is your way of saying “Thank You” to the Club for our free newsletter, our many free activities, our maintenance of local Amateur Radio equipment and infrastructure (including the VE2CRA repeater) for everyone’s use, our arranging Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) insurance (with some conditions) to cover our members, and more.
- In addition, becoming an OARC member boosts our numbers, and this sends an important message about the growing popularity and importance of Amateur Radio to the broader community.
Membership renewal
The easiest and best way to renew your OARC membership is to wait for our membership-renewal reminder email, which you will receive 30 days before your membership expires. Then, just follow the instructions in that email.
Remember that there are new Membership FAQs on both the Membership page and the FAQs page. These include:
- Can I pay for my OARC membership online?
- How do I renew my membership?
- How will I know when my OARC membership expires?
- How can I see if I set up an automatic membership-renewal payment (auto renewal)? How can I change (e.g., update my credit card expiry date) or stop my auto renewal?
- If I have an auto renewal set and I donated to Zeffy when I paid for my membership previously, will that donation be included in my auto renewal?
- How do I get an OARC name tag?
Volunteer coordinators still missing
There are four long-term volunteer Coordinator roles that remain vacant: Education, Equipment, Activities, and Partnerships. These Coordinator roles help provide support to these four Goals in the Operational Plan. In most cases, this can be done in an hour or two a week and you would be asked to attend four meetings per year, as a member of our management team. We will provide you with lots of support and you will benefit by helping our vibrant little club deliver what we promised at a time when Amateur Radio is experiencing a resurgence in popularity and importance.
You will find more detail on all volunteer roles on the OARC Volunteer page or simply click on Contact the Prez to email me directly. We’ll set up a time to talk. Just talk. No obligation.
Upcoming activities
As always, visit the online calendar on the OARC website to see upcoming OARC activities. Two upcoming activities not covered on our site this year are Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) / Jamboree on the Internet (JOTI) 2025 and Rally of the Tall Pines 2025.
- JOTA-JOTI is the world’s largest digital and radio Scout event, using Amateur Radio and Internet-integrated Amateur Radio systems (e.g., Echolink) to connect Scouts around the world, across Canada, and in our own community. This year, it is taking place Oct. 17-19, 2025. Learn more on the global JOTA/JOTI webpage and Scouts Canada JOTA/JOTI webpage
- The annual Rally of the Tall Pines (ROTP) is a demanding car rally in Bancroft, Ontario that needs volunteer Amateur-Radio operators along the route. This year, it is taking place Nov. 21-22, 2025. Learn more on the ROTP website, which includes a volunteer registration page.
Kit Building and Soldering Workshops
I am pleased to announce that Wayne Getchell VE3CZO, with support from Thane Brown VA3TTM and myself, will be starting up a regular Kit Building session on Sunday mornings from 9:00am to noon at Scouts National Headquarters. This will be a series of workshops where Wayne will provide you with an overview of everything you will need in order to participate. Then he will deliver several workshops where you will have an opportunity to learn how to solder and use the tools for kit building. After that, we anticipate offering to make group purchases for kits that you want to build and then these sessions will continue through the winter months. More about this at our monthly meeting on October 9th.
All my best and 73,
Roger Egan, VA3EGY
The Prez
Last Updated on 2025-10-04 by Joannadanna