Embedded Files
Volunteer registration is now open for the Allianz Richmond Marathon, coming up on November 15. Our Public Service Team is looking for volunteers to provide communications from various points along the route. You do not need to be experienced operating at events to participate. We will pair you up with someone that is. Operating at events is fun, it gives us skills useful for operating in emergency communications and it shows our local community what we are capable of as radio amateurs.
Register online to volunteer with RATS and sign up for other public service event updates via email.
► Coming soon: Better Field Days, more in-person activities: The Activities Committee kickoff meeting was held on September 16. Several club members volunteered to be a part of this group and one candidate for committee chair was identified. If formation is approved at the October Board meeting, this new team will get to work on spicing up our Field Days with more fun and educational programs, while improving promotion, public outreach, food & beverage, and other aspects of our club gatherings. They'll also work on organizing other opportunities for our members to see each other and do fun stuff throughout the year. Thank you all who volunteered!
► Membership Meeting Friday at 7:30 PM! Our presenter this month is Bruce MacAlister W4BRU. The presentation is titled "Group Mentoring, it’s different." Many of you are familiar with Bruce and his many years of devotion to teaching amateur radio classes and his desire to help hams succeed in their goals as head of the Richmond Amateur Radio Club (RARC) "Radio School." Bruce is a retired software engineer, project manager, instructor, and technical writer, and is a Life Senior Member of the Computer Society of the Institute of Electric and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Join us on Zoom.
► System issues and enhancements have delayed the processing of dues. Members who have been monitoring dues payment status in RMMS may also notice payments previously credited for August have disappeared. This data will return shortly. More information
► Annual Board of Directors Election Update: Ballots for round two of our BoD election were distributed at 7:30 AM Monday morning 9/8. Full members, check for an email from Election Runner with your Voter ID, Voter Key, and a link to the ballot. Voting closes 7:30 PM Friday 9/18. More information is on our Election page.
► You asked, we listened: More fun, less-business-y membership meetings and more efficient Board meetings are here. Learn more.
► Renewals for 2025-2026 are now being accepted! Payments are due by September 30 to avoid a lapse in membership. To begin the renewal process, click here. Many members have included extra donations along with their renewal payments this year. Thank you for your generosity!
► June 2025 Member Survey Results are now available.
Keep scrolling for more RATS news 👇
Founded in 1972, the Richmond Amateur Telecommunications Society is an ARRL Affiliated general-interest ham radio club serving the Richmond Metro area. We operate the W4RAT 146.88, 442.55, and 443.5875 MHz repeaters. Our club meets via Zoom on the third Friday of each month. Meetings are open to everyone -- you do not need to be a member of the club (or even a licensed ham) to join our meetings. Most of our activities are also open to the public. Our members participate in Field Day, the Virginia QSO Party, and a number of other activities in the area. We invite you to join us.
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on furthering the art and science of amateur radio by encouraging those interested in electronics and communications to further their knowledge in those fields, promoting the utilization of the higher frequency bands allotted to amateur radio, and offering the use of our communications systems during emergencies and for disaster response. Learn more about RATS.
Need a license? See our Get Licensed page. Our friends at the Catastrophic Amateur Tactical Squad (CATS) offer monthly VE testing in Powhatan County.
Organizing a charity bike ride, marathon, or other special event? Ham radio can help. Contact Jim Rubin W4PKR for more information.
Special Offer for New Hams: Qualifying new members can join RATS for only $1. Open to amateurs of any license class who submit a membership application within 180 days of their initial FCC Technician license grant. Renews in October 2026 at the regular rate (currently $35/year). Online application, electronic billing, and enrollment in automatic dues renewal are required. Click here and select the New Ham Rate. Contact info@rats.net for additional information.
Codeplug Conversion Service Now Available
Codeplug Conversion Service Now Available
The RATS Codeplug Project furnishes quality DMR codeplugs for a wide range of radios, and also provides basic troubleshooting assistance with radio programming. We offer DMRVA codeplugs for over 70 radio models from many popular manufacturers, and our 40+ best-supported models also have access to files for several surrounding DMR networks.
Unlike others in the area, we don't keep our codeplugs locked away, there's no lengthy wait for access approval, and we'll never charge you for files or support. All our files are built in-house to the same high quality standard, continuously updated as the DMRVA network evolves for a consistent user experience on every radio.
And now, if you're an active RATS member, you may be able to take advantage of our free conversion service. With your help, we'll translate our files to work with your radio, making it easier than ever to get on the air with RATS and DMRVA. Available for Motorola equipment and radios supported by the N0GSG DMR Contact Manager.
Wakefield SKYWARN DMR Trial Run on 31516 - VA Peninsula
Wakefield SKYWARN DMR Trial Run on 31516 - VA Peninsula
Wakefield SKYWARN is experimenting with activations on the VA Peninsula DMR talkgroup when severe weather is expected to cover a significant portion of the Wakefield County Warning Area. This DMR net supplements the team's existing FM operations and provides a route into SKYWARN in areas not covered by existing official SKYWARN nets. The VA Peninsula talkgroup is carried on most DMRVA network repeaters and on Brandmeister. It's included in all current RATS codeplugs.
DMR operations are shown as Area 11 in the SKYWARN activation bulletins.
When participating in SKYWARN nets over the RATS DMR repeater, spotters are asked to leave the Piedmont link active only as long as necessary to relay your report to SKYWARN. Make your report, and either drop the link with Clear Timeslot, or allow it to drop naturally after 15 minutes. This will help keep the timeslot available for other system users. If you wish to monitor the net for an extended period please use a hotspot or the Brandmeister Hoseline.
DMR Users: Beware of commercial radio dealers and other unscrupulous individuals offering expensive codeplug design and programming. RATS codeplugs and programming support are FREE! [More Information]
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