Get radio active with us!
Get involved in Ottawa Amateur Radio Club (OARC) activities, and in opportunities to provide radio-communications support to community events organized by our served agencies and partners.
OARC Activities
All Amateur Radio enthusiasts are welcome at OARC Activities. This includes OARC members and non-members, certified and not-yet-certified Amateur Radio operators, veteran operators and new hams, friends and family.
OARC Monthly Meetings
Join us on the 2nd Wednesday of each month (except July and August) from 6:45 PM to 9:15 PM Eastern Time. Enjoy presentations, group discussions, technical demonstrations, and coffee and snacks. The June meeting is the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the members.
All amateur radio enthusiasts are welcome: OARC members and non-members, licensed and not-yet-licensed hams, friends and family. We do ask everyone to register in advance because this allows us to:
– Have enough chairs and refreshments for everyone, and
– Send you a reminder closer to the meeting.
The in-person meeting venue is Scouts Headquarters, 1345 Baseline Road in Ottawa. Parking is free. Most monthly meetings will be hybrid (in-person and Zoom). Zoom link will be included in the newsletter prior to the meeting. Photos may be taken. Portions of the meeting may be recorded.
Read reports from past OARC Monthly Meetings. Visit the OARC Calendar to find the next Monthly Meeting.
Winter Field Day (January)
Get involved with Winter Field Day, an opportunity to practice portable emergency communications in winter environments, where freezing temperatures, snow, ice, and other hazards pose unique operational challenges. Hams normally set up field operations in remote locations and try to connect with other participants worldwide. You may choose to participate solo, to get your friends and family involved, or to join an OARC group activity.
Winter Field Day is organized by the Winter Field Day Association. Learn more by visiting the Winter Field Day website.
Read reports from past Winter Field Day events. Visit the OARC Calendar to find the next Winter Field Day activity.
Homebrew Night (April)
Every April, the OARC hosts its annual Homebrew Night, our show-and-tell evening of your home-made projects. Every year, presenters show off their “homebrewed” projects, the crowd celebrates their accomplishments, and there are awards!
Visit the Homebrew Night page for more details on what to present and how, and information on the awards and the judges’ criteria.
Read reports from past Homebrew Nights. Visit the OARC Calendar to find the next Homebrew Night.
World Amateur Radio Day (April 18th)
Come out and celebrate World Amateur Radio Day every year on April 18th by taking to the airwaves and participating in community engagement events. This day marks the formation of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) on April 18, 1925.
To mark the IARU’s 100th anniversary in 2025,, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutclifffe proclaimed April 18, 2025 as World Amateur Radio Day in Ottawa. To celebrate, the OARC collaborated with West Carleton Disaster Relief to operate portable Amateur Radio stations at several locations in West Carleton to help demonstrate how Amateur Radio can be used to connect communities together, especially during an emergency or natural disaster.
Read reports from past World Amateur Radio Day activities. Visit the OARC Calendar to find the next World Amateur Radio Day.
OARC Field Day (June)
Get involved with OARC Field Day, an annual Amateur Radio exercise encouraging emergency communications preparedness among Amateur Radio operators. Field Day is always on the Saturday and Sunday of the 4th full weekend in June.
Field Day has been an annual event since 1933. It remains the most popular event in ham radio with more than 31,000 operators throughout North America setting up temporary transmitting stations in public places to demonstrate how Amateur Radio combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach, and technical skills all in a single event.
Field Day involves setting up temporary transmitting stations to demonstrate ham radio’s science, skill and service to our communities. One objective of Field Day is to contact as many stations as possible and to learn to operate in abnormal situations in less than optimal conditions. OARC Field Day attracts lots of experienced Amateur Radio operators from across the region. We also have a Get On The Air (GOTA) station for new hams, where an experienced ham will guide the newly certified through the process. And the OARC gets Field Day points for any new hams who make contacts on that station.
Field Day is sponsored overall by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and, in Canada, by Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC). Explore full details and rules on ARRL Field Day webpage more about the RAC Field Day webpage
Read reports from past OARC Field Day events. Visit the OARC Calendar to find the next Field Day.
RAC Canada Day Contest (July 1st)
July 1, 2025 – 0000 UTC to 2359 UTC
Each year on July 1st, the anniversary of Canada’s Confederation, Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) sponsors the RAC Canada Day Contest and Amateurs all over the world are invited to Canada’s Birthday Party on the air. Read more about the RAC Contest Rules for Canada Day 2025.
Visit the OARC Calendar to find the next RAC Canada Day Contest.
OARC Carp Hamfest (September)
Get involved with OARC Carp Hamfest, the OARC’s annual flagship event and the region’s largest Amateur Radio trade show and flea market! It features most of the big ham radio retailers, fellow hams selling radio goodies at unbelievable prices, and major door prizes. You can also write your Amateur Radio exam on site.
OARC Carp Hamfest is held on the first Saturday in September. The location is the W. Erskine Johnston Arena, 3832 Carp Road.
Starting in the spring each year, the OARC needs longer-term volunteers to help coordinate vendor and exhibitor relations, to plan and manage venue logistics, and to recruit, train and coordinate a small army of volunteers on the day itself.
Read reports from past OARC Carp Hamfests. Visit the OARC Calendar to find the next OARC Carp Hamfest.
Radio in the Park (September)
Get involved with Radio in the Park, an annual OARC activity aimed at demonstrating Amateur Radio equipment and communications ability to other hams and the general public in an outdoor setting. Amateur Radio operators along with friends and family set up portable stations in a local park. With a little help from local hams, passers by can participate in “fox hunts” (using radio direction finding techniques to locate one or more radio transmitters hidden within a designated search area) and can “Get on the Air” under the supervision of a certified ham.
Radio in the Park is held on the second Saturday in September (the Saturday after OARC Carp Hamfest). The location has been Walter Baker Park in recent years. The Club is exploring making this event qualify as Parks on the Air (POTA) event and, for that to happen, we would need to move it to a national, provincial, territorial park, a nature reserve, or a historical site.
Read reports from past Radio in the Park activities. Visit the OARC Calendar to find the next Radio in the Park.
RAC Canada Winter Contest (December)
Get involved with the Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) Canada Winter Contest, held in December each year. Amateurs all over the world are invited to participate. In Ottawa, you can participate from RAC Headquarters (VE3RHQ) #217 – 720 Belfast Road, Ottawa, Ontario K1G 0Z5.
Bring your own portable radio set up or use one provided by RAC or OARC to Get on the Air that day. There’s normally food and drink throughout the day. Visit the RAC Canada Winter Contest webpage for full details on contest rules and procedures.
Visit the OARC Calendar to find the next RAC Canada Winter Context.
Community Events
OARC helps connect you with opportunities to provide radio-communications support to community events organized by our served agencies and partners. The OARC now offers Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) training to help ensure that you are prepared for complexities of communicating at this type of event. New hams can be paired with more experienced operators to help ensure their success in providing support to these events.
Canadian Ski Marathon (February)
Get involved in providing radio-communications support for the annual Canadian Ski Marathon (CSM). Every year, Amateur Radio operators are needed at one or both days of this two-day event to pass traffic relating to checkpoint supply levels, expected numbers of skiers, skier transport, skier extractions, start and end times for the checkpoints, chip-and-loop concerns, and the all-important count of hotdog buns! It’s a great opportunity to learn how to operate at a community event in an outdoor environment, to connect with fellow Amateur Radio operators, and to get some fresh air!
The Canadian Ski Marathon (CSM) is North America’s longest and oldest Nordic ski tour. It is a two-day, 160-kilometer ski event centred around Montebello, Québec. The marathon is divided into 5 sections each day, with an average of 16 kms per section. There are feed stations, first aid and toilets available at the end of each section, as well as shuttle buses that run between accommodation and checkpoints throughout each day.
Read the report from the 2025 Canadian Ski Marathon. Visit the OARC Calendar to find the next Canadian Ski Marathon.
CN Cycle for CHEO (May)
Get involved in providing radio-communications support for the annual CN Cycle for CHEO. Every year, Amateur Radio operators are needed for some bicycle mobiles, some walking mobiles, some fixed stations along the route, and a few people for the command post.
Now in its 18th year, the CN Cycle for CHEO features 15 km, 35 km, 70 km or 100 km cycling routes, along with two km and five km walking routes for people of all ages. In 2024, the event saw over 7,000 participants and raised over $2.1 million raised for childhood cancer research.
Read reports from past CN Cycle for CHEO events. Visit the OARC Calendar to find the CN Cycle for CHEO.
Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour (June, 2-day event)
Get involved in providing radio communications support to the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour! Amateur Radio operators are needed for this two-day event every August. We need some bicycle mobiles, some walking mobiles, some fixed stations along the route, and a few people for the command post
Organized by the Ottawa Bicycle Club, this is one of the country’s longest-running cycling events. The two-day ride goes from goes from Ottawa, through picturesque towns and villages along the Rideau Lakes waterway, to Kingston on the shores of Lake Ontario. Learn more about the Ottawa Bicycle Club’s Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour (RLCT)
Read reports from past Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour events. Visit the OARC Calendar to find the next Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour.
MS Bike Tour (August, 2-day event)
Get involved in providing radio-communications support to MS Bike – Ottawa to Cornwall! Amateur Radio operators are needed for one or both days of this two-day community event. Some bicycle mobiles are needed, along with some walking mobiles, some fixed stations along the route, and a few people for the command post.
Any hams interested in volunteering for this community event should contact Nicole Boivin of the Ottawa Valley Mobile Radio Club (OVMRC) at membership@ovmrc.ca. To cover the full length of the cycling route, Nicole is also looking for volunteers from the Seaway Valley Amateur Radio Club and the Brockville Amateur Radio Club.
The two-day bicycle ride from Ottawa (the Kars Recreation Centre) to Brockville covers 85km or 100km each day (rider’s choice). The route is filled with beautiful views of the Rideau River with stops in many quaint towns on the way to St. Lawrence College in Brockville. The money raised by participants ensures that people affected by MS receive quality access and support that they need in whichever community they live. Learn more about MS Bike – Ottawa to Cornwall.
Read reports from past MS Bike events. Visit the OARC Calendar to find the next MS Bike.
Last Updated on 2025-06-15 by Joannadanna