Richmond Amateur Telecommunications Society

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OLD MEGAWATT

Ham 1 -- Hey I hear Old Megawatt is retiring from Ham Radio
Ham 2 -- Yeah I heard him say that before
Ham 1 -- I know, but this time the FCC said it!

2008 "Emergency Preparedness" Fundraiser

RATS is raising funds for the backup antennas and APRS node at Channel 23. Please click here to find out more and to donate!

The Richmond Amateur Telecommunications Society, club callsign W4RAT, is based in the Virginia capitol city of Richmond. RATS is a Central Virignia ARRL- and SERA-affiliated radio club with VHF and UHF repeaters in service. We hold monthly meetings, open to members and guests.

Our repeaters and IRLP Nodes are open to all amateur radio operators holding the appropriate license class to operate on 2 meters (146.88MHz -600KHz offset) and 70 centimeters (442.55MHz +5MHz offset). Both repeaters use full CTCSS encoding/decoding at 74.4Hz (formerly called PL). Full use of the autopatch and telemetry functions requires RATS membership. We are also adding APRS digipeaters around the Richmond metro area. More information on W4RAT APRS is here.

RATS was founded in 1972 to further the art and science of radio communications. We invite you to join us at our meetings, to utilize our repeaters, and to become part of our organization!

Important Information!

RATS Is in the APRS Business!

Volunteers are needed for groundskeeping at 3 APRS sites. Visit the APRS Forum for more info!

Election Carried Out!

The elections for the 07/08 Officers and Directors of RATS are over. We would like to congratulate Robert Marshall, KI4MCW; he is our new President. MANY, MANY, THANKS to Jerry WIlliams, KJ4IT, a founding member of RATS who has served for many, many years! Robert Orndorf, W4BNO, is our new Vice President. Thanks to Marie Long, K4KML for her service! Roy Davis, WK4Y, has also retired from service. His contributions are countless. All of these people deserve our deepest thanks for putting the club's interests so high on their own priority lists. Two new members join our Board: Lee Horton, W5IAV, and Lee Ann Horton, W4CQO. Thanks to both of you for volunteering to help our club run its operations! We do have one space open on the Board, due to Rob Marshall being elected President. Please consider volunteering for this position. Contact if you are interested.

Field Day Score Submitted!

For more info, click here!