The fall 2025 OARC Basic Amateur Radio course ran from late October until the end of January, 2026. This hybrid course was 12 sessions of three hours each, taking place on Sunday afternoons. It covered all 100 Basic exam topics. The course itself was very well attended, despite students having to endure regular “dad jokes”!
So far, 26 of our students passed the ISED exam (most with honours). In addition, six of them also passed the Advanced. A hearty welcome to all these new hams!
A reminder that the OARC new hams program provides these new hams with a FREE one-year OARC membership. They also qualify for the OARC New Hams Radio Bundle Deal (value of $300) for just $100.00 and get a free Get On The Air (GOTA) workshop. Please Contact Us if you have any questions about the OARC new hams program.
Our instructors, Harrie VE3HYS and Thane VA3TTM, say that they teach the course because it is very rewarding to help people get their license and get on the air. This class was especially challenging because ISED changed 25% of the exam questions in July, 2025 and mid-way through the course Thane was sidelined with heart surgery. We will be back in the fall of 2026.
Here is a list of all the new hams. Please give them a warm welcome when you encounter them on the weekly New Hams Ottawa Net (Tuesdays at 8 pm) or when you meet them in person at Club activities and community events.
- Alexis, VA2RAQ
- Celeste, VA2CZL
- Karl, VA2XZQ
- Colin, VE3CTF
- Claude, VA3LND
- Guy, VE3GOI
- Ehren, VE3XEE
- William, VA3GBE
- Keely, VA3KXG
- Patrick, VA3PXF
- Aldous, VE3HUX
- Vera, VA3VMA
- Isabelle, VA3ISQ
- Eve, VE3QEV
- Serge, VA3SGE
- Marcel, VA3MQL
- BIN, VA3BYC
- Mike, VA3MXC
- Jo-Anne, VA3JLZ
- Bruno, VE2BMQ
- Jan, VA3EJP
- Mario, VA2MFO
- Rowan, VA3RCE
- Cameron, VA3CIT
- Remi, VE2AWQ
- Andrew, VA3MXT
Those who also passed the Advanced: Vera, Eve, Serge, Rowan, Guy, Claude and, from last spring’s class, Alastair VA3FHQ
Last Updated on 2026-03-07 by Joannadanna