In addition to personal interests, MOCARS is active throughout the year in community service and educational activities including continuing support of communication requirements for Moore County. The club assists the County’s Emergency Operations Services, the Moore County Health Department and American Red Cross during times of emergency and/or disaster through our Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) organization. Several members are also active SkyWarn volunteers.

MOCARS also participates in Boy and Girl Scout education through general presentations and mentoring Scouts working on radio related projects.

Some of MOCARS annual activities include:

• • Winter Field Day – An annual event held the last weekend in January. Emergencies just don’t happen during the summer months, winter months bring snow/ice storms that cause widespread power outages and amateurs need to be prepared. Similar to the ARRL Field Day in June, WFD gives amateur radio operators either individually or part of a club the ability to set up and operate indoors or outdoors.
     
  • Uwharrie Mountain Run – An annual event that is held on the first Saturday in February were hundreds of runners come to the Uwharrie National Forest to compete in the 8, 20 and 40-mile races. Together with the amateur radio club in Montgomery County, MOCARS helps provide communications between race headquarters and multiple checkpoints to track runner progress, help with emergencies/accidents, locate any lost runners and facilitate overall race efficiency. This is an all-day event and everyone’s participation is greatly appreciated by the runners. Information for volunteers.
     
  • Carthage Buggy Festival – An annual event held each Mother’s day weekend, the Carthage Buggy Festival is a celebration of the rich history of Carthage, North Carolina. The Buggy Festival is held each year to commemorate the famous Tyson and Jones Buggy Factory that, from the mid-1800’s to the 1920’s, produced the carriages that were essential to life in rural North Carolina.
    We hand out literature, answer questions, and demonstrate how we set up and operate during emergencies.
     
  • Badin Bomber Crash 1944 – An annual event that commemorates the loss of a WWII B-25 bomber that crashed into Badin Lake in 1944. MOCARS supports the Montgomery County Amateur Radio (MARS) Club with this event in June in Badin, NC. Operating on 14.250 under the club’s call NC4MC.
     
  • American Radio Relay League Field Day – An annual event which is open to the public to showcase the many activities of ham radio. A self-contained simulated disaster communications station is set up at a public location in Moore County complete with generator and solar power sources. The club operates two-way communications on several amateur bands establishing contacts with other groups and individuals throughout North America. This communications station is in operation for 24 hours.
     
  • Moore County Fair – An annual event open to the public. We set up a ham radio and antenna exhibit during the week of the fair. We are on the air from 5 to 8 PM. This gives us a good chance to introduce amateur radio to the public. About half of our members work the exhibit and hand out literature and answer questions. Come join us and sit a spell.
     
  • Sardine Festival – The Sardine Festival is held annually on the second Friday in October at the Aberdeen Lake Park shelter in Aberdeen, NC. The menu for the festival is quite simple: sardines, saltine crackers, moon pies, and sodas. The food is free but donations are accepted in support of a local youth organization, like the Boys & Girls club. Some of the highlights of the festival is the Sardine Queen parade, crowning of the new Queen, and local musical entertainment. Each year over 1,000 people come out and enjoy sardines, music, laughs, and fellowship! So put it on your calendar and join the fun! And don’t forget to bring a breath mint!
     
  • Simulated Emergency Training – MOCARS conducts a simulated emergency training (SET) exercise every October. In the world of Amateur Radio Emergency Services® (ARES), these exercises are both a competition to evaluate preparedness for disaster response and as training to enhance our radio communication skills; example, message handling. Amateur radio operators from around Moore County conduct an exercise in response to some simulated disaster in a major portion of North Carolina as a test scenario.
     
  • Christmas Luncheon – To close out the year, MOCARS members and their families gather together for a time of fellowship and good food.