The monthly RATS club activity will be this Saturday morning at 8 AM.  We'll meet for breakfast at Golden Corral, 11 S Providence Rd.  Afterward, we'll depart for a group ham radio activity, destination TBD.

Those joining us for breakfast are responsible for the cost of their food and beverage at regular retail prices - this is not a "group rate" event.  There is no need to RSVP.  We hope to see you there.

The monthly RATS Membership Meeting will be this Friday, April 21 at 7:30 PM via Zoom.  All are welcome -- you do not need to be a member of the club to attend, though we'd appreciate your support.

As a reminder, ham radio volunteers will be supporting a public service event this weekend.  Certain RATS services are reserved for event traffic Saturday morning and early Saturday afternoon.

The W4RAT 442.55 MHz and KG4MRA 145.43 MHz repeaters will be in use by amateurs supporting the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K race on Saturday, April 22.  These repeaters will not be available for regular amateur use during the event.  WIRES-X services on the 442.55 MHz repeater will be disabled and the repeater will operate with a configuration change from 10 PM Friday night until all event traffic has cleared.  If you must make a brief call on one of these repeaters please coordinate that activity with Net Control and QSY.

For additional information, please see the Repeater Status page.

Update:  As of 12:25 PM 4/22/2023, this event has concluded.  The 442.55 repeater has been returned to its usual configuration and all repeaters are again available for regular amateur radio use.  Please be mindful of possible SKYWARN activity on the 146.88 repeater this afternoon and evening.

The RATS Board will meet Wednesday, April 5 at 6:30 PM via Zoom.  All members are always welcome to attend, ask questions, and provide feedback to the Board.

In addition to a number of general operational items, the Board is expected to vote to accept an equipment donation which will restore the club's previous offering of DMR voice services on 443.5875 MHz from an antenna located at 460 feet on our tower.  This proposal has been under review for a couple of months and was approved by the Technical Committee on March 10.  Following a Board vote and acceptance of the donation, we anticipate a restoration of service under the W4RAT call sign within 90 days.  More details will be provided at the Membership Meeting on April 21.

Date: Monday, April 24, 2023 - 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

Location: North Courthouse Road Library, Community Room 325 Courthouse Rd, Richmond, VA 23236

The library has wifi, bathrooms, a climate controlled meeting room and is wheelchair accessible.

this is the link to the flyer where you can RSVP here.

RATS members are encouraged to participate in the Virginia QSO Party this weekend.  See the Virginia QSO Party 2023 web site for contest rules and log submission guidelines.  There have been several important changes to VAQP rules and station categories for 2023.

Operate from your home, mobile, or portable station, using your call sign and license privileges -- nearly all bands (except WARC) can be utilized for VAQP.  When you submit your log, indicate "W4RAT" for your club affiliation.

RATS won't be meeting in-person for VAQP, but several members will be hanging out in our Zoom meeting room during the event.  All are welcome to pop in.  We'll be getting together for breakfast and radio next weekend, March 26 -- details to come.

Communications volunteers are needed to support the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k on Saturday, April 22.  Participation is open to anyone with reliable radio equipment and a Technician class license or higher.  For more details or to volunteer please contact Jim Rubin W4PKR via e-mail.

New to public service events?  Generally, ham operators may be in a moving vehicle or stationary at strategic points along the course, or may shadow key event officials, staying right next to them as they buzz around the event all day.  We become part of their official communications plan, moving important logistics, security, and medical traffic with the aid of net control.  These may include requests for additional water or supplies at rest stops, the location of the first or last participants on the course, and calls for emergency medical assistance.

Our March membership meeting will be held via Zoom on Friday, March 17, 7:30 PM.  All are welcome to join us.  For more information and for links to the meeting, see our Meetings page.

The Virginia QSO Party is the weekend of March 18 and 19.  RATS has again sponsored the Single Operator VHF plaque this year.  We'll be participating as a club activity.  Location and other details are still being worked out, so please keep an eye on the front page of our web site for updates and be sure to join us at our membership meeting the night before.

Update:  This event has wrapped up and participants have departed Pony Pasture.

RATS members and friends are invited to breakfast, 9 AM Sunday, February 26 at Golden Corral, 11 South Providence Rd in Chesterfield (next to Sheetz on Midlothian Turnpike between Chippenham and Powhite).

After breakfast, weather-permitting, we'll move to Pony Pasture at James River Park to play with some radios and hunt POTA.  The park entrance is located at 7200 Riverside Dr in Richmond.  Park in the gravel lot.  Talk-in will be on 146.88/R, call for W4RAT.

Those joining us for breakfast are responsible for the cost of their food and beverage at regular retail prices - this is not a "group rate" event.  There is no cost to participate in the activities at Pony Pasture.

For more information or to let us know you're coming, contact Jeff Walton KN4SYE.

RATS hopes to organize a social activity for the membership at least once a month, usually on the last Saturday.  We've QSY'd to Sunday this month to accommodate club members who are supporting a CERT activity in Colonial Heights on Saturday.

While RATS Frostfest is on hiatus, you might enjoy these other nearby hamfests.  If you're up for a little bit of a drive, please consider supporting one of these upcoming events:

Vienna Wireless Society's 47th WINTERFEST is Sunday, March 19 at Oakton High School in Vienna, Virginia, around two hours north of Richmond.  Tailgating starts at 7 AM and the indoor portion of the show begins at 8 AM.  Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door.  Talk-in on 146.91(-) repeater, PL 77.0. [WINTERFEST Web Site & Tickets, Flyer, Directions]

The Third Annual Gloucester MPARC Hamfest will be held Saturday, April 8 from 9 AM to 4 PM at the Abingdon Ruritan Club, 8784 Guinea Rd in Hayes, Virginia.  That's just over an hour east of Richmond, or 30 minutes north of Newport News.  Indoor and outdoor vendor spaces are available.  Admission is $5.00, children 12 and under free.  Talk-in on 145.37(-) W4HZL/R.  [MPARC Web Site, Flyer, Directions]

The Greene County Virginia Amateur Radio Club is hosting their first annual Thawfest ham radio show on Saturday, April 22 at the American Legion Post, 636 Madison Road in Standardsville, VA.  This is about 90 minutes northwest of Richmond, or 40 minutes north of Charlottesville.  Outdoor and indoor vendor spaces are available.  Admission is $5, children under 14 free.  Talk-in on 145.47(-) PL 151.4.  [Thawfest Web Site, Flyer, Directions]

RATS POTA/Winter Field Day 2023 will be located at the Appamatuck Cabins at Pocahontas State Park January 27-29.  Follow this link on your desktop or mobile device for a map and directions to the site.  If the entry station is staffed, let them know you are there for the RATS event - there should be no charge for entry/parking.  Look for the RATS banner.  Talk-in assistance will be available on our 146.88 repeater - call for W4RAT.

GPS coordinates:  37.377136, -77.566642

If you're planning to attend, don't forget to RSVP.  All are welcome to join us.  You do not need to be a member of RATS or even a licensed amateur to participate in this event.

Here's more information about Parks on the Air (POTA) and Winter Field Day.

Any questions about our event should be directed to Jeff Walton KN4SYE.

___________________________________________________

Updated 11:35a 2023-01-28

RATS members:  Upload your event photos here.  We will feature the best ones in a public photo gallery on this web site following the conclusion of the event.