Welcome to RATS
Membership meeting Friday 2/21 at 7:30 PM. This month's featured presenter is Lauren Ware W4LEW, on the topic of Logbook of the World. Join us via Zoom.
The Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K is Saturday, April 12. We're looking for around 20 volunteers to assist with communications along the race course. For more information or to get on the list, contact Jim Rubin W4PKR.
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 2025 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.
Winter Field Day 2025
We would like to thank everyone who joined us at Pocahontas State Park for Winter Field Day! We are processing the logs and will share our score as soon as it's available.
If you visited our Winter Field Day, the RATS Board would like your feedback. Did you have a good time? Were you bored out of your mind? Somewhere in between? Tell us how we can make next year's WFD even better.
Members who took photos at WFD can upload them to our photo gallery here.