History of RATS

In 1970 there were very few two-meter repeaters in Virginia. Of these few, only the W4NJE 146.94 repeater served the Richmond area. Unfortunately, there were several rather severe operational limitations on this repeater. One of these was a three minute key down "QSO timer," with a one minute reset period between QSOs. Also, since W4NJE and his wife were the sole control operators, the repeater was normally shut down between 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. With these restrictions, it is no small wonder that, at the time, there were no more than 10-15 amateurs in Richmond enjoying the utility of two-meter repeater operation.

Sometime between the latter part of 1970 and the early part of 1971, the late John Alford, WA4VOS, started toying with the idea of putting his own repeater on the air. John put some GE ProgLine equipment together, and the WA4VOS 146.88 repeater went on the air from Alford's Radio Communications, then located in the vicinity of Lombardy Street and Overbrook Road. Coverage was very limited due to the antenna being only 80 feet above ground. Shortly after the repeater went on the air, John had two other amateurs, Fred Towers, WB4KXS, and Jerry Williams, WA4GPJ (now KJ4IT), join him in keeping Richmond's second repeater on the air. Realizing that some form of infrastructure was needed, these three amateurs decided the time was right to form a group of two-meter enthusiasts in the Richmond area.

In February 1972, eight people banded together, and recognizing the unlimited potential for growth and experimentation using repeaters, formed the Richmond Amateur Telecommunications Society. The founders of RATS were:

• John Alford, WA4VOS (SK), and Sally Talmadge (later Mrs. John Alford)
• Ralph Spring, WB4WMQ, and Joyce Spring
• Allan Thorn (then not licensed, ex-WA4ADX, now N4NLQ)
• Fred Towers, WB4KXS, and Judy Towers (then not licensed, now WA4MSH)
• Jerry Williams, ex-WA4GPJ, now KJ4IT

The purpose of the group was to provide unlimited access to a fully open repeater 24 hours a day, provide autopatch capability, and above all, put amateur radio into the forefront of emergency communications in the Richmond area. The first officers were: John Alford, President; Jerry Williams, Vice President; Allan Thorn, Treasurer; and Sally Talmadge, Secretary.

One of the first orders of business was to choose a name for the group. First, a name was wanted that had a pronounceable acronym. Also, the geographic location had to be included, as well as the word "amateur." As other amateur groups in town already had the words "club" and "association" in their titles, these words were to be avoided.

The name "Richmond Amateur Telecommunications Society" was authored by Jerry Williams, and came about from several brain-storming sessions where different names were discussed and thrown out. The acronym "RATS" does not refer to rodents, but is simply a word used when ones efforts are hindered by other situations; i.e., driving all the way out the repeater site to make repairs and realizing "Rats! I left my tools at home!". The club's logo also refers to these small hassles that always seem to come up.

The R.A.T.S. logo was designed on the kitchen table by John Alford, who was a talented cartoonist as well as an electronics designer. The little fellow all the way up his tower, expressing his regrets at having forgotten his tools, ties our name into the frustrations hams the world over have faced trying to better the hobby.

Today the Richmond Amateur Telecommunication Society is one of the largest amateur club in the Tri-Cities area, boasting over 100 members. R.A.T.S. members are kept up to date on meetings and amateur news via the club's newsletter, Solid Copy.

Since 1978, R.A.T.S. has sponsored Richmond's largest annual hamfest, the Frostfest, which is normally held in January.
RATS currently operates two FM repeaters. First is the 146.88 repeater which has operated since 1975 from a tower at WCVE Channel 23, just southwest of Richmond in Bon Air. Also, in March 1996, a 442.55 MHz repeater took to the airwaves from the top of the NationsBank Building in Henrico County's West End.

In 1994, RATS started operating a board system (BBS) where members can discuss radio topics, easily converse and exchange ideas with club members and other enthusiasts, place "for sale" ads for their equipment, and also pick up ham, SWL and other news items. Various programs and files were also available for download. Libby Glover and Jim Stallings maintained and operated the site.

In 1995, member KD4ZOT (Jim Stallings) converted the BBS over to the Internet to provide information freely to be freely shared with the community. The site was upgrade to provide Member Forums, On-Line Membership Database, Frostfest on-line reservations and payments as well as many other features to support the club.

In 2003 the RATS Logo was updated to bring it up-to-date and help provide a more professional look that helps dictate what the club stands for.

Membership dues rates are currently $20.00 per year (prorated by quarter), and $10.00 per year (also prorated) for any additional family members, those 65 years of age or older, or for those under 18 years of age. New members also must pay a one-time $5.00 fee, which covers various administration and printing costs incurred with a setting up a new membership. Dues are renewed on the first of October each year. Prospective members must be voted into the club by the members present at a meeting. Information about joining can be found here.

Meetings are normally held at 7:30 p.m. on the third Friday of a month, although the schedule, which is set by the Board of Directors, can vary (though it hasn't in a long time). Our current meeting site is at the West End Volunteer Rescue Squad Headquarters is at 1802 Chantilly Street in Richmond. Please do not call the Rescue Squad for meeting details (as they do not have them), but check our web site, or send an e-mail to the for the latest meeting information.

RATS PURPOSE & OBJECTIVE

The following are the purposes and objectives of RATS as written in our Articles of Incorporation from September 1974:

• To further the art and science of Amateur Radio;
• To encourage those interested in electronics and communications to further their knowledge in those fields;
• To promote the utilization of the higher frequency bands allotted to Amateur Radio, and to explore their practical uses;
• To voluntarily offer the use of our communications systems and services to any duly authorized agency of the legal governing bodies of this country or their assigns and to the public service.

A neat piece on Why "HAMS" are called "Hams"!