Embedded Files
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 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 the Public Service Committee for more information.
Special Offer for New Hams: Qualifying new members can join RATS for FREE. 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.
Membership Meeting This Friday at 7:30 PM (ET)
Membership Meeting This Friday at 7:30 PM (ET)
Our monthly membership meeting will be held Friday night (September 18th) via Zoom.
Following the business portion of the meeting, We are excited to welcome Howard Waxman WZ4K (Newport News, VA) for a vital presentation on Skywarn. Skywarn is the National Weather Service's (NWS) volunteer severe weather spotting program.
As amateur radio operators, our community plays a critical role in this network. When severe storms strike, communication infrastructure can fail, but ham radio operators step up to provide real-time, ground-truth reports directly to NWS meteorologists. Howard will share insights on how our club can effectively participate in severe weather nets, the essentials of storm spotting, and how your station can help save lives when wild weather hits the region.
You’ll find last month’s meeting video and draft minutes under the Files and Video Library tabs of the upgraded RATS Member Services website.
2026 November Marathon Volunteers Needed
2026 November Marathon Volunteers Needed
Volunteer Registration is now open for the 2026 Allianz Richmond Marathon, coming up on November 14. 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.
Volunteer for 2026 Richmond Marathon
To sign up for future RATS Public Service event email updates click here.
RATS Resources for New and Existing Hams
RATS Resources for New and Existing Hams
Questions, need help or answers about anything radio? We have 20 Elmers ready to help.
Contact us at helpdesk@rats.net
Congratulations Election Winners!
Congratulations Election Winners!
The results are in! Congratulations to the winners of the 2026 RATS election:
President - Jeff Walton KN4SYE (Continuing)
Vice President - Rob Marshall KI4MCW
Director (Even) - Michael "Chevy" Chevalier KK4OWU (Continuing)
Director (Even) - Dave Kryniski KR4EYF
Thank you to these volunteers for stepping into a leadership role as well as the existing Board members. As always, RATS is forever grateful to anyone willing to help out and serving club and the broader RVA amateur radio community.
Seeking Public Service Committee Chair
Seeking Public Service Committee Chair
RATS is looking to fill the important position of Public Service Committee Chair. We are the radio club in the RVA community responsible for liaising with Sports Backers, the organization that coordinates the Richmond Marathon & Monument Ave 10k, among other sporting events. As ham radio operators, Sports Backers has entrusted us to serve as the primary method of communication for their events which includes coordination between Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to ensure safe and successful community fun.
We take this position seriously. If you have previous ham radio emergency coordinating experience and/or sporting type event equivalent, please contact RATS President Jeff Walton KN4SYE via email president@rats.net . The Board will be considering all qualified applicants and will reply to those interested.
Richmond Amateur Radio Club (RARC) Fall Class Schedule
Richmond Amateur Radio Club (RARC) Fall Class Schedule
The RARC proudly offers an assortment of both radio license and other special interest classes each semester. Their Fall 2026 Radio School schedule is now available here:
There's a class for everyone, and you may even be able to volunteer to help!
Contact Bruce MacAlister W4BRU, RARC Radio School Head, for more information: school@rarclub.net
Thank You, RATS Members!
Thank You, RATS Members!
It's a new era for RATS, and we couldn't have done it without the support of our members. Our club is growing, we're doing new things, and participation is at one of the highest levels we've seen in many years. Membership is up compared to the same time last year, and over 28% of RATS members are now involved in one of our committees, work groups, special projects, or on the Board of Directors! The members of our Elmer team and DMR Codeplug project have helped countless hams in the area with elmering and technical advice. Our Public Service Committee now organizes ham support for some of the largest events in our area. We've overhauled our meetings to focus more on the fun stuff our members want to see and less club business talk. And now, we've got a dedicated group organizing fun club activities and educational opportunities, with our new Activities Committee. We're thankful for the time, dedication, and financial support of our members and others in the community. Because of you, the future is bright at RATS. Thank you!
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