Orlando Amateur Radio Club Incorporated

SEE SCHEDULE O

HAMCATION IS SPONSORED EACH YEAR IN FEBRUARY BY THE OARC. THE THREE-DAY EVENT SERVES AS A GATHERING PLACE FOR AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS HAMS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THE EVENT IS TO PROVIDE A PLACE TO TEST EQUIPMENT PROVIDE INFORMATION ON THE LATEST EQUIPMENT MESSAGE HANDLING AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY INCLUDING ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF POWER. ACTIVITIES THAT TAKE PLACE AT HAMCATION ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1 TECHNICAL IDEAS AND NEWS ARE EXCHANGED AMONG ATTENDING HAMS 2 TECHNICAL FORUMS ARE HELD WHERE HAMS CAN LEARN NEW TECHNOLOGY AND RECEIVE FCC UPDATES PERTAINING TO RULES AND REGULATIONS 3 THE LATEST COMMERCIAL EQUIPMENT IS DISPLAYED BY VENDORS WHERE HAMS CAN SEE ACTUAL EQUIPMENT RECEIVE INFORMATION AND ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THE EQUIPMENT AND MAKE PURCHASES IF DESIRED 4 HAMS CAN TRADE OR PURCHASE USED EQUIPMENT AND PARTS FROM A HOST OF SMALL VENDORS 5 FCC EXAMINATIONS BY VOLUNTEER EXAMINERS ARE AVAILABLE WHERE NEW LICENSES AND LICENSE UPGRADES MAY BE EARNED.

COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM: THE ORLANDO AMATEUR RADIO CLUB OWNS AND OPERATES A TOTAL OF EIGHT REPEATERS STRATEGICALLY LOCATED THROUGHOUT THE ORLANDO AREA. OF THE TOTAL EIGHT REPEATERS ONE USES ANALOG FM TECHNOLOGY ONE USES A DIGITAL VOICE TECHNOLOGY CALLED FUSION FIVE USE DIGITAL VOICE AND DATA TECHNOLOGY CALLED DSTAR AND ONE IS DIGITAL-ONLY DSTAR TECHNOLOGY. THE BAND WAVELENGTHS FOR THESE REPEATERS ARE AS FOLLOWS: FOUR OPERATE ON 2 METERS TWO OPERATE ON 0.7 METERS AND TWO OPERATE ON 0.25 METERS. ALL LICENSED AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS ARE WELCOME TO USE THESE REPEATERS. MEMBERS OF OARC USE THESE REPEATERS TO OFFER PUBLIC ASSISTANCE IN THE FORM OF RADIO COMMUNICATIONS TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND DISASTER RELIEF ORGANIZATIONS. SERVICES ARE DONATED FREE OF CHARGE TO THE CITY OF ORLANDO AND SURROUNDING CITIES AND TOWNS FOR PUBLIC SERVICE EVENTS AND TRAINING EXERCISES. PUBLIC SAFETY DISASTER SERVICES GENERAL OTHER: AS IN THE FIVE PREVIOUS YEARS THE OARC JOINED THE RANKS WITH TWO OTHER LOCAL AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY ORGANIZATIONS - ORANGE COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS AUXILIARY AND THE COLLEGE PARK DISASTER TEAM. THE CLUB PROVIDES DONATIONS AND VOLUNTEERS TO SEVERAL AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICE ARES ORGANIZATIONS. COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAMS: OARC MEMBERS AND OTHER AREA HAMS WORK IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHER VOLUNTEER GROUPS SUCH AS THE MILITARY AFFILIATED RADIO STATIONS MARS AND AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICE ARES. OARC ALSO COORDINATES WITH THE ORANGE COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS AUXILIARY GROUPS THAT WORK WITH STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS TO COORDINATE COMMUNICATIONS DURING EMERGENCIES. THE HAM SITES AND REPEATER SITES RELAY INFORMATION USING VOICE OR DATA. MEMBERS SET UP COMMUNICATION CENTERS AT SHELTERS AND OTHER DESIGNATED AREAS DURING DISASTERS SUCH AS HURRICANES AND FLOODING. WE ALSO PROVIDE TRAINING AND TESTING TO INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN OBTAINING THEIR FIRST LICENSE. IN ADDITION WE ASSIST HAMS IN UPGRADING THEIR LICENSES TO A HIGHER CLASS. APPROXIMATELY 60 LICENSES AND UPGRADES WERE GRANTED BY THE FCC AS A RESULT OF THE OARC TRAINING AND TESTING PROGRAM. COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM: AS IN THE PREVIOUS FIVE YEARS THE ORLANDO AMATEUR RADIO CLUB JOINED RANKS WITH THREE OTHER LOCAL AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY ORGANIZATIONS - ORANGE COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS OSCEOLA COUNTY EMERGENCY SERVICE AND THE COLLEGE PARK DISASTER TEAM FOR THE ANNUAL FIELD DAY ACTIVITY IN JUNE. THE SITE ALONG WITH A DIESEL GENERATOR AND TWO PORTABLE SHELTERS WAS PROVIDED BY THE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS ORGANIZATION OF ORANGE COUNTY FLORIDA. FIELD DAY IS AN ANNUAL EVENT SPONSORED BY THE AMERICAN RADIO RELAY LEAGUE A NATIONAL ORGANIZATION. DURING THE EVENT HAM OPERATORS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA SPEND 24 HOURS DEMONSTRATING THEIR COMMUNICATIONS ABILITIES. ANTENNAS WERE ERECTED AND RADIO EQUIPMENT WAS SET UP TO PROVIDE TEN OPERATING-POSITIONS FOR VOICE MORSE CODE AND DIGITAL MODES COVERING HF VHF AND UHF FREQUENCIES. ALL OF THE EQUIPMENT WAS POWERED BY THE DIESEL GENERATOR. THE OBJECT IS TO PROVIDE COMMUNICATIONS DURING SIMULATED EMERGENCY CONDITIONS. OARC HAMS ESTABLISHED AS MANY CONTACTS AS POSSIBLE WITH OTHER HAMS PARTICIPATING IN FIELD DAY AT OTHER LOCATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD FOR A PERIOD OF 24 HOURS. FIELD DAY CREATES AN EMERGENCY TRAINING EXERCISE FOR CLUB HAMS. IT ALSO PROVIDES A SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT TO EXCHANGE IDEAS AND DEMONSTRATES TO THE COMMUNITY AND THE WORLD THE ABILITY OF AMATEUR RADIO TO PROVIDE COMMUNICATIONS UNDER EMERGENCY CONDITIONS.