In this issue: A few pre-summer thoughts, preparing for the Annual General Meeting (AGM), updates on Club goals including Education, Equipment (the VE2CRA Repeater-Modernization Project, in particular), and Activities.
A few pre-summer thoughts
As we head towards the summer break (there are no OARC Monthly Meetings in July or August), we can reflect on what has been a busy and energetic year for the Club. We have more than doubled in size! At last count, we have 196 active members, and up from just 80 members in the fall of 2025. It has also been a year of increasing stability in Club operations, which supports our ability to deliver on our commitments to you under our four goals: education, equipment, activities and partnerships.
It continues to be a pleasure to serve as one of the Club’s directors. I am very grateful to Harrie, Ryan, Daniel and Ed for their hard work and commitment to their roles on the board since I started. Daniel will be stepping down as a director and also as our treasurer. Ryan would like to stay on the board as director and has expressed an interest in taking over as treasurer since he has performed this role in other organizations. Harrie stepped down as vice president in December 2025 but wants to continue to serve as a director. As many of you know, Harrie is our repeater coordinator and is working as part of the team to modernize our VE2CRA repeater over the summer and into the fall of 2026. He will also be teaching our basic Amateur Radio course with Thane again this fall. And Ed would like to continue as director at Large. So that leaves one director spot open as we approach the AGM and also we will need to appoint a new secretary to replace Ryan once the board is approved at our AGM. A little board turnover is a good thing, as new directors bring new ideas and fresh energy (helps keep me on my toes!)
We are very grateful all of you for joining and renewing your memberships and making this the vibrant club it is today! Now, as we all take a break with our loved ones during Ottawa’s all-too-short summer, let’s get outside and on the air from local parks, our back deck, cottages, and camp sites!
Preparing for the Annual General Meeting
The official Notice of the Annual General Meeting has been up for months in the online calendar, but I mention it here because our web statistics tell me that lots of you look at my column! Click here to learn more about the OARC AGM; to read the annual report, including financial statements; to review the agenda; and, of course, to register in advance.
In the second part of Wednesday’s meeting, we will hear from the organizers of some upcoming activities and about fall courses and workshops.
Education Update
The Club is already receiving lots of inquiries about the fall Basic Course, which normally starts in October. We hope to have more information and a link to register in late-August so please keep your eye on the online calendar.
Click on the soldering skills workshop report for Wayne’s excellent presentations from all three sessions, which include photos and video links.
The End-Fed Half Wave Antenna Build workshop has just passed and a report with pictures will be up on the website shortly. I was there and I can tell you that everyone had a lot of fun. The UHF/VHF Ground Plane Antenna-Building Workshop is also coming up on June 14.
Equipment Update
As you know, the Club’s repeater system (VE2CRA) is undergoing a modernization. This is taking us some time because we really want to get it right!
The current analog system is more than 40 years old and, although it has proven to be very robust over these many years, a failure now could mean a long outage which we can avoid by moving to current solutions. To ensure that we design and build the most flexible, commercial grade repeater system that we can afford, a working group has been created to first capture the business, functional, and technical requirements.
A phased approach will then be followed to evaluate possible technology solutions from leading vendors. It is anticipated that this new repeater system will have both analog and digital modes on VHF and UHF. This new repeater system will also be connected to the internet for flexibility and global connectivity, as well as for remote configuration and management.
Currently, there is a new D-STAR digital repeater system that went on the air in May 2026. This repeater is still in the development phase as we explore the best way to connect to the internet. It can be reached on 444.400/449.400 and serves the Ottawa area. Once this repeater is connected to the internet, we will update the OARC Equipment page. There will be workshops to help our members learn more about D-STAR, what radios are available, and how to configure your D-STAR radio to use this new repeater system.
The DMR digital repeater has been temporarily taken off the air so that we could use the same feedline and cavity filters for the D-STAR repeater. Again, we will update the OARC Equipment page when this repeater returns to the air.
Activities Update
Click on the following links for more information on OARC Field Day 2026 (June 27-28), Carp Hamfest (Sept 9), and Radio in the Park (Sept 12)
And don’t forget about the RAC Canada Day Contest 2026 (July. 1) Join amateurs from all over the world and celebrate Canada’s Birthday Party on the air.
I hope to see many of you at the AGM and Field Day and then again in September at Carp Hamfest and Radio in the Park. Remember you can always reach me by clicking Contact the Prez with any questions or comments.
Have a terrific summer!
All my best and 73,
Roger Egan, VA3EGY
The Prez
Last Updated on 2026-06-04 by Joannadanna