Radio Amateurs of Canada
Encyclopedia
Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC), known in French
as Radio Amateurs du Canada, is a member-based, non-profit organization
of amateur radio
enthusiasts in Canada
. The RAC represents the interests of amateur radio operator
s before Canadian government
al regulatory bodies, provides technical advice and assistance to amateur radio enthusiasts, and supports a number of educational programs throughout the country. The organization publishes a bimonthly magazine
distributed to members called The Canadian Amateur. Radio Amateurs of Canada is the national member society representing Canada in the International Amateur Radio Union
.
advocacy
. The RAC represents and acts as a liaison and coordinating body for amateur radio enthusiasts and local clubs throughout Canada. The RAC represents Canadian radio amateurs in policy decisions regarding international issues and regulation that affect amateur radio within the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and at meetings and conferences of the International Amateur Radio Union
. The organization also acts as a consultatory body to municipal
, provincial, and federal government bodies in matters concerning the Amateur Radio Service.
. Radio Amateurs of Canada also has a Youth Education Program to encourage use of amateur radio in school
s across Canada, as a way to promote science
and technology
education. RAC offers technical and some financial assistance through this program.
through the Amateur Radio Emergency Service
organized in Canada by the Radio Amateurs of Canada.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
as Radio Amateurs du Canada, is a member-based, non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
of amateur radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
enthusiasts in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The RAC represents the interests of amateur radio operator
Amateur radio operator
An amateur radio operator is an individual who typically uses equipment at an amateur radio station to engage in two-way personal communications with other similar individuals on radio frequencies assigned to the amateur radio service. Amateur radio operators have been granted an amateur radio...
s before Canadian government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
al regulatory bodies, provides technical advice and assistance to amateur radio enthusiasts, and supports a number of educational programs throughout the country. The organization publishes a bimonthly magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
distributed to members called The Canadian Amateur. Radio Amateurs of Canada is the national member society representing Canada in the International Amateur Radio Union
International Amateur Radio Union
The International Amateur Radio Union is an international confederation of national amateur radio organisations that allows a forum for common matters of concern and collectively represents matters to the International Telecommunication Union...
.
History
- 1967 — Canadian Amateur Radio Federation (CARF) formed
- 1979 — Canadian Radio Relay League (CRRL) formed out of the Canadian Division of the American Radio Relay LeagueAmerican Radio Relay LeagueThe American Radio Relay League is the largest membership association of amateur radio enthusiasts in the USA. ARRL is a non-profit organization, and was founded in May 1914 by Hiram Percy Maxim of Hartford, Connecticut...
. - 1993 — Merger of Canadian Radio Relay League with Canadian Amateur Radio Federation to form Radio Amateurs of Canada, Inc.
Regulatory advocacy
A primary purpose of the Radio Amateurs of Canada is regulatoryRegulation
Regulation is administrative legislation that constitutes or constrains rights and allocates responsibilities. It can be distinguished from primary legislation on the one hand and judge-made law on the other...
advocacy
Advocacy
Advocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...
. The RAC represents and acts as a liaison and coordinating body for amateur radio enthusiasts and local clubs throughout Canada. The RAC represents Canadian radio amateurs in policy decisions regarding international issues and regulation that affect amateur radio within the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and at meetings and conferences of the International Amateur Radio Union
International Amateur Radio Union
The International Amateur Radio Union is an international confederation of national amateur radio organisations that allows a forum for common matters of concern and collectively represents matters to the International Telecommunication Union...
. The organization also acts as a consultatory body to municipal
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
, provincial, and federal government bodies in matters concerning the Amateur Radio Service.
Services
The Radio Amateur of Canada offers programs and publications to "promote excellence, the state of the art, and the interests of amateur radio's many varied activities". The RAC maintains a Field Organization for public serviceCommunity service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
. Radio Amateurs of Canada also has a Youth Education Program to encourage use of amateur radio in school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s across Canada, as a way to promote science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
education. RAC offers technical and some financial assistance through this program.
Emergency services
Canadian amateur radio operators also provide emergency communicationsAmateur radio emergency communications
In times of crisis and natural disasters, amateur radio is often used as a means of emergency communication when wireline, cell phones and other conventional means of communications fail....
through the Amateur Radio Emergency Service
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
In the United States and Canada, the Amateur Radio Emergency Service is a corps of trained amateur radio operator volunteers organized to assist in public service and emergency communications...
organized in Canada by the Radio Amateurs of Canada.