At its May 1 meeting, the RATS Board of Directors voted to approve dues for the upcoming membership year.  There will be no changes to pricing for Full memberships:  Individual memberships will remain $35, and Family memberships will remain $55.  The next RATS membership year begins October 1 and renewals will be accepted beginning July 1.

The club will re-introduce Associate Memberships in 2024.  These memberships are available to non-hams, as well as licensed hams residing outside Virginia.  (This membership level exists in our bylaws but is not actively offered at this time.)  Beginning October 1, Associate Memberships will be available for $20 per year.  Associate members are ineligible to vote on club business or in our elections and cannot hold an office.

The Board also approved a reduced first-year membership rate for certain newly-licensed hams to compliment the club's enhanced new ham outreach efforts.  This special rate will be offered starting October 1.

The club's ability to keep dues reasonable is made possible by the generosity of its members and others in the community who make additional donations to the club throughout the year.  We appreciate your support!

It's finally happening!  RATS will be selling off a bunch of stuff that's been sitting in our storage unit for several years.  It's a mix of old club equipment and things that have been donated to us.  Among them, some old HF radio equipment, a handful of old books, the club's old MTR2000 repeaters, and the Icom 746 Pro radios we've used at Field Day for over 20 years.

We're working out a few of the administrative details but things are just about ready to go.  We are hoping to open the online store in mid-May and complete the bulk of the pickups by Field Day.  Look for more information coming soon.

Here's a list of stuff selected for sale and the related club inventory records.

The weekly C4FM net meets Saturday nights at 8 PM on the RATS 442.55 repeater and other Virginia Room member repeaters around the state.  They're looking for some additional net controls to insert into the rotation.  If you have a C4FM radio, a reliable link to one of the Virginia Room repeaters, and some interest in helping with this net, get in touch with Don DeLesDernier KQ4LEX.  You'll find his contact info on QRZ.

This is not a RATS-affiliated net and you do not need to be a RATS member to volunteer.

The RATS repeater site near Chesterfield Town Center experienced two brief power outages mid-day Thursday, April 18 due to utility work in the area.  Our backup power systems functioned as intended and none of the club's equipment missed a beat.

The club's repeaters, AREDN radios, network hardware, and other equipment are protected by dual 3 kVA uninterruptible power supplies, and since January 2018 we've been connected to our host TV station's large diesel generator.  The RATS systems are equipped to provide reliable service, and we were pleased to find this setup worked correctly when needed.  There were no disruptions to any RATS systems or services.  (Photo by W4MAF)

We are looking for additional Net Controls to help with the weekly RATS net, Wednesday nights at 8 PM on the 146.88 repeater.  If you're able to serve once or twice a month, or if you'd just like to try it out once and see how it goes, send a note to Robert Czyzewski KB2OYI via board@rats.net.  We'll provide a script.

The South Boston DMR repeater is being relocated and it's getting a new frequency and color code.  The RATS Master codeplugs for CS750, CS800D, and DJ-MD5 series radios have been updated to reflect this change in the SBO South Boston zone.

Get more details in this announcement from DMRVA.

Updated codeplugs are now available from https://rats.net/codeplugs.  These new files are dated 4/14/2024 and support 34 popular DMR radios either directly or though free conversion software.  Since this is a minor update, users of these radios who have made significant additions to their codeplug may find it easier to make a mass update to their existing SBO zone using the N0GSG Contact Manager software, or by manual updates to the 14 impacted channels using their CPS.

This change does not impact the Limited (LTD) series codeplugs on our web site, so those will not be re-generated.

RATS members can now easily find upcoming club activities from their mobile device using the Wild Apricot for Members app.  Download the app and sign in with an active RATS.net web login.  Members can also access a directory of Board and Committee member contact information while on the go.

Download from the Apple App Store
Download from the Google Play Store

A large number of volunteers are needed for the Virginia Special Olympics Summer Games, Friday and Saturday June 7 and 8 at the University of Richmond.

The only equipment needed should be an analog UHF HT, a battery in good shape (and perhaps a spare), and an external audio accessory that allows you to hear and be heard in a high noise environment.

Please note that most positions will be outside or potentially strenuous.

If you're available for a few hours either day, or if you have any questions, please contact Darren Faulkner KG4INW via email.

The monthly meeting of the RATS Board of Directors will happen tonight at 6:30 PM on Zoom.  All RATS members are invited to attend and participate.  Minutes and video from last month's meeting can be found at rats.net/minutes.  You'll find links to the Board meeting on our Meetings page.

Received from the folks at the Keeble Observatory at RMC:

On Monday April 8th, from 2:00 - 4:30 PM, there will be a partial solar eclipse in Richmond.  Watch it with us at Randolph-Macon College!

Coverage of the Sun will peak at about 3:15 PM with 83% coverage of the Sun, but you'll be able to see the Moon cutting across the Sun the whole time. We will be set up at the Randolph-Macon College soccer field with solar glasses, a telescope with a solar filter (you can see sunspots plus the eclipse, it's a nice telescope), demonstrations for creating a pinhole camera to see the Sun (you will need to bring your own cardboard box, like a cereal box), and some "eclipse" cookies and drinks (while supplies last!). Feel free to bring a lawn chair and camp out on the field for the eclipse.

We will be set up at the soccer field on the North end of campus, not at the observatory. There is parking nearby. Parking can be accessed via W Patrick Street. A Google Maps view is here: https://imgur.com/eo8lchy

We will post any updates or cancellations (if it's cloudy/rainy) on our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/keebleobservatory/.

Note that this is only a partial eclipse and not a total eclipse, so the Sun will still be too bright to look at without proper eyewear! More information on the eclipse can be found here: https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/richmond?iso=20240408

Randolph-Macon College is located in the town of Ashland, one mile west of I-95 on VA-54/England Street, I-95 exit 92B.  That's about 20 minutes north of Richmond.  The college, observatory, and soccer field are also an easy walk from the Ashland Amtrak station (ASD).