The Moore County Amateur Radio Society is an essential part of the communications community of Moore County. Beginning over 30 years ago, MOCARS has been able to help broadcast emergency messages through their Amateur Radio Emergency Services membership.
When hurricane Florence made landfall in September of 2018, MOCARS made it their mission to assist and provide radio broadcast updates and messages to Moore County through their radio system.
“Due to loss of both landline and cell phone connectivity, Moore County EMS asked MOCARS to provide emergency communication capability between the EMS Command Center and shelters at North Moore High School and the Agricultural Center,” said James Johnson, who has been a vital leader for the MOCARS community.
Along with providing assistance to the public through their relaying information for Emergency Services, MOCARS has been involved in several community activities and annual events throughout Moore County and the surrounding area.
Events include providing communications and verbal updates via radio capacity throughout the checkpoints of the Uwharrie Mountain Run. The list of events they actively participate in includes the Carthage Buggy Festival, the Baden Bomber Festival, the Amateur Radio Relay League Field Day, the Moore County Fair, and the Aberdeen Sardine Festival. They also host a Christmas luncheon for their members in December.
To be able to operate a HAM radio, each individual operator must be licensed. More information about the resources and the testing to pass and acquire a license can be found on the MOCARS website.
“When the cell phones don’t work then the HAM radio sets a very needed role,” said Johnson, “every HAM has a radio, a power supply and a antenna and that’s all they need to talk to other HAMs.”
MOCARS meets monthly on the third Thursday of every month except December. They meet at the Moore County Health Department, which is at 705 Pinehurst Ave, Carthage. All are welcome to attend, and being a HAM radio operator is not necessary.
MOCARS is open to receiving new members and they are happy to include people who are not living in Moore County as members as well. “Right now we have about 40 active members,” said Johnson.
To find out more information or to ask questions, you can visit their website at https://mocars.org/. You can also go on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/NC4ML/.
