RATS RF System Status

This information does not update in real-time, but any known system issues will be posted here when practical.  For fastest updates, sign up for e-mail notifications.  Scroll down for more information.

To report a technical issue with a RATS system please contact the Technical Committee.

Updated 2024-04-14 8:00P by Steve Crow KG4PEQ

System/Component	Status	Detail
VHF FM Repeater 146.880 MHz (-) PL 74.4 W4RAT/R	Operating Normally	C4FM input is recommended for improved audio quality and reliability during periods of mild to moderate noise.  [More Info] The W4RAT 146.88 MHz repeater will be in use as a backup repeater for amateur radio volunteers supporting the Sports Backers/Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K on Saturday, April 20.  This repeater will remain open for regular amateur radio use.  Stations are asked to please keep transmissions short, leave extra space between transmissions, and yield to 10K race traffic.
UHF C4FM+FM Dual Mode Repeater 442.550 MHz (+) PL 74.4 W4RAT/R	Operating Normally	The W4RAT 442.55 MHz repeater will be in use by amateur radio volunteers supporting the Sports Backers/Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K on Saturday, April 20.  The KG4MRA 145.43 MHz repeater will also be a primary repeater for this event.  Amateurs not officially enrolled as communications volunteers are asked to please stay clear of these two repeaters while 10K race traffic is in progress.  The W4RAT WIRES-X system will be offline and C4FM input will be repeated as analog during this time.
UHF DMR C-Bridge Repeater 443.5875 MHz (+) CC1 W4RAT/R	Operating Normally
W4RAT-2 Coatesville APRS Digipeater 144.390 MHz WIDE1/2 · Sponsor: Peter K2VIZ	Operating Normally
W4RAT-4 West End APRS Digipeater 144.390 MHz WIDE1/2 · Sponsor: Peter K2VIZ	Operating Normally
W4RAT-5 Prince George APRS Digipeater 144.390 MHz WIDE1/2 · Sponsor: Jay KD4BPZ	Operating Normally
Midlothian AREDN - 3-Sector Node W4RAT-MIDL-W 5.8 GHz 120° W4RAT-MIDL-NE 5.8 GHz 120° W4RAT-MIDL-SE 5.8 GHz 120° View connected nodes and services	Operating Normally
AREDN Experimental Winlink RMS Relay W4RAT-VPM-GW.local.mesh port 8772	Operating Normally	Currently handling local traffic only;  not connected to the Winlink network.
AREDN Tunnel Services (inbound)	Operating Normally

Standard Maintenance Windows

Outages associated with the following recurring maintenance activities will not be specifically mentioned in front page bulletins or in the system status table below.

• Routine updates to the RATS IT network will be applied between 12 AM and 2 AM Saturday mornings.  When updates are required, this will result in one or more (usually two) brief outages to network connectivity on the DMR, WIRES-X, and AREDN systems.  These updates are typically needed around once a month.  Updates for critical security vulnerabilities may be performed at any time.
  
  
• The WIRES-X PC at the repeater site reboots every Saturday evening at 6 PM.  This will result in a brief (less than five minutes) outage to WIRES-X and AREDN Winlink RMS-Relay services.

System Announcement E-mail Lists

We have established announcement-only e-mail lists for notifications of system outages, special events, configuration updates, and other news regarding the RATS repeater and digital data systems.  These lists are open to the public.

1. Send a blank e-mail to:
   • rats-repeater-announce+subscribe@listserv.rats.net for announcements regarding our analog and digital repeater systems
   • rats-digital-data-announce+subscribe@listserv.rats.net for announcements regarding AREDN, APRS, Winlink, and other club-owned digital data systems
     
2. You'll receive an automated message asking you to reply or click a link to join the group.
3. Reply to that e-mail -- don't click the link, it doesn't seem to work reliably at the moment.
   

Major announcements will still be posted to the front page of our web site.  These e-mail lists are updated frequently while outages are in progress and will likely contain more up-to-date and detailed information than you'll find on this web site.

No subscription is required to view the message history:  rats-repeater-announce, rats-digital-data-announce