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The next time you hear a local radio station during emergency weather or a community event chances are you might be hearing the voice of a member of the Amateur Radio Club (ARC).

The Amateur Radio Club, initially established in Aug. of 1989, is a radio communication organization that acts as a resource for education, information and provides opportunities for up-and-coming radio operators.

Rob Momon of the LaGrange chapter of the ARC said the organization is made up of individuals that do amateur radio as a hobby and works to provide community service as part of that hobby within the amateur radio community.

“We volunteer our services as radio communicators to the community during public events, emergencies, and instances of severe weather,” Momon said.

The ARC is involved in many local community events, Momon said.

Some of the events the club has participated in are the Tour-De-Lake Bike Ride, the West Point Lake Triathlon, March-of-Dimes, and the MS 150 Mile Bike Ride.

In addition to providing the community with radio communication, Momon said they also provide trained operators in their radio-equipped vehicles to provide communication capability anywhere.

For those interested in joining the ARC, Momon said there is no age limit to join however, interested parties are required to study and pass a test, to which he said there are study guides available online.

“We provide testing once a month on the third Sunday of each month,’ Momon said. “Once you pass your test then you will be issued the license by the FCC.”

In his time in the organization, Momon said the biggest impact of being in the club came when Hurricane Irma hit Georgia in Sept. 2017.

“The assistance we gave the local emergency officials support team during Hurricane Irma was a big one,” Momon said. “We provided communications from the hospital and the Emergency Operations Center during Irma.”

He said it felt rewarding to be able to help the community during the hurricane.

For those interested in joining ARC, Momon said there is no age limit to join however, interested parties are required to study and pass a test, to which he said there are study guides available online.

“We provide testing once a month on the third Sunday of each month,’ Momon said. “Once you pass your test then you will be issued the license by the FCC.”

For more information, contact Rob Momon at N4VPI.RobGgmail.com