Discover Amateur Radio

On Sunday, November 12th, the Richmond Amateur Radio Club (RARC) will be hosting, for its second year, a day of presentations and panel discussions on topics of interest for radio Amateurs and (non-licensed) individuals to learn more about the Amateur radio hobby. The informal seminar will take place at the Steveston Community Centre in Steveston Village, Richmond at 4111 Moncton Street (near No. 1 Rd.) with sessions running from 9 AM to 4 PM. Admission is five dollars to cover room rentals and beverages.

The ‘Discover Amateur Radio’ seminar introduces attendees to a broad range of interesting topics in the world of Amateur radio with presentations by subject experts on activities like ARDF (Amateur Radio Direction Finding, or fox hunting), SOTA (Summit on the Air), APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System), and digital radio. There will also be discussions on how to purchase your first (or second) radio, setting up a radio station, antenna design and location, building a radio go-kit, and emergency communications. Visit the club's event Web page for Radio Seminar agenda details and updates at: www.richmondarc.ca

The Richmond Amateur Radio Club (RARC) is a registered BC Society of volunteers to promote the interests of Amateur Radio, assist in the provision of communication services in the event of an emergency, and provide commu-nications for public service events as requested. RARC is a supporter of Emergency Management BC and Richmond Emergency Programs, and an affiliated club with Radio Amateurs of Canada. Programs for RARC are partially funded by grants from City of Richmond and Province of BC. Visit 'About RARC' for more info about the club and RARC's history.

Amateur radio is a technical hobby as well as a community service. One can contact the International Space Station using a homebuilt antenna or vol-unteer to provide radio communication support for a local emergency program. The fascination of Amateur radio has led skilled hobbyists to develop cutting edge technologies like APRS using the GPS to turn your radio into a location tracker. Amateur radio is hobbs that's regulated both nationally and inter-nationally. This is why your call sign can be used as your vehicle's licence plate. Visit club 'Activities' to see how Amateur radio supports local community events.