Our presentation this month will be given by David Elkins KN4LQN. Don't miss the chance to learn about ATV (Amateur Television). Join us tomorrow (Friday 18 Oct).

CQ ATV! Presenting an overview of the analog and digital modes of Amateur Television, fast-scan TV, and the equipment and results of local experimentation.

Dues for the 2024-2025 RATS membership year are due by September 30.  Members who do not renew by EOD 9/30 will transition to a lapsed status on 10/1.  Lapsed members lose their voice in club affairs and no longer count as a voting member for quorum purposes.  Members have until December 30 to reinstate their lapsed membership by payment of past-due dues.  After that date, a new membership application and vote-in will be required.

Click here to view the official results

If you hold a Full Membership in the RATS club, one of the privileges you have is a say in who sits on the Board of Directors and its officers. To exercise this right, cast your votes now. Voting will close at the start of the membership meeting this Friday Aug 16th. If you didn't receive your ballot, or need assistance, contact the election committee at election@rats.net

Received from the Williamsburg Area Amateur Radio Club:

A free, weekly, live, Amateur Radio Technician Class Licensing course on Zoom will begin on Thursday, Sept 5, and will run through Thursday, October 17 (7 sessions). The three-hour sessions will start at 6:30 PM Eastern Time. These are the classes that we have been holding for years sponsored by the National Electronics Museum. Please publicize this with anyone you know that you think would be interested. Those wishing to sign up should email me at roland.anders@comcast.net.

Our Nominating Committee met Friday, July 26 to review and approve the biographies, ballots, and distribution for the annual Board of Directors election.  Club members should refer to their email for a message from the club Secretary regarding this election which is now underway.  Separately, ballots will be distributed from Election Runner at 8 AM Saturday, July 27.  Any active RATS member who has not received a ballot by end-of-day Saturday, July 27 should contact election@rats.net for assistance.

All voting is being conducted online.  Ballots must be submitted by 7:40 PM Friday, August 16.  Ballots will be counted and winners will be announced at the August 16 Membership Meeting.

The RATS Codeplug Project is considering support for select Motorola radios.

We're starting with an experimental codeplug for the XPR7550.  This is a LTD codeplug that follows the usual RATS channel layout in the Richmond, Beaverdam, Goochland, New Kent, Petersburg, and Powhatan repeaters, and the two local portable repeaters.  [Note:  At this time, the 3-character channel label prefix (RIC, BEA, etc) is not implemented in this test codeplug.]  This file is based on a seed codeplug obtained from the SCHEART DMR network and it requires Motorola CPS 2.0.

Experimental codeplugs for the XPR2500 and XPR7550e have also been posted.  If these become permanent, this will bring our list of officially supported radios up to 51 models (plus 10 more with unconfirmed support).

The Motorola CPS is now available free of charge to ham radio operators, direct from Motorola, for their personal, non-commercial use.  While both the new CPS 2.0 product and the legacy CPS 16 are included in this offer, should we decide to move forward with additional support for Motorola radios we'll be focusing on development efforts in the CPS 2.0 system, which is not backwards compatible with CPS 16.

Motorola equipment owners in the Richmond metro area who would like to see support for their specific model should contact codeplug-request@rats.net for consideration.

• To find the source codeplug for your radio, see the Supported Radios List and Download Links.
  
• Here's our handy guide on converting codeplugs using the N0GSG Contact Manager software
  
• And the current channel/zone list

The next RATS membership year begins October 1.  Renewals are now being accepted through the club web site.  Dues are unchanged from last year.

To renew, sign in to your account and click on your name in the upper-right corner.

We have a good slate of candidates for the upcoming Board election, but there is still a little bit of time to make any last-minute nominations.  You can nominate yourself, but you'd better act soon!

Candidates, please have the final versions of your biographies submitted for publication no later than 9 PM local time on Friday, July 19.

Nominations and biographies can be sent to election@rats.net.

Important information about voting:

• Voting will be conducted online through our usual Election Runner system.
  
  
• Biographies and electronic ballots will be distributed to members' email addresses on file as of 9 PM Saturday, July 20.  Distribution will occur sometime between July 21 and 31.  You can update your email address by signing in to your member profile at RATS.net.
  
  
• Members who do not receive their ballot or bios by end-of-day July 31 should contact secretary@rats.net for assistance.
  
  
• Family Memberships:  Your Family Membership includes two or more Full Members.  Every Full Member is entitled to a vote.  Be sure your family members have a unique email address on file at our web site by 8 PM Saturday, July 20 to ensure timely receipt of the ballot.  Contact secretary@rats.net for assistance.

Voting will close at the start of the August 16 membership meeting.

As a minor correction to previously-advertised election timelines, the new Board members are installed at the Membership meeting, not the Board meeting, so they'll take office on September 20 and serve through September 18, 2026.

SUMMERTHUNDER 2024 starts today!  This is the summertime VHF/UHF simplex event from the folks behind the popular WINTERHEAT.

From hamactive.com:

"SUMMERTHUNDER, is a month-long UHF/VHF simplex event crafted to empower amateur radio operators by offering a dedicated platform to test and enhance their UHF/VHF capabilities. From its inception, SUMMERTHUNDER aimed to provide a comprehensive evaluation of stations, encouraging operators to adapt and refine their equipment setups throughout the month-long event.

Distinguishing itself from shorter on-air events, SUMMERTHUNDER, along with its winter counterpart (WINTERHEAT), extends over several weeks to capture a more realistic and nuanced assessment of stations. This prolonged duration enables operators to make adjustments in real-time, ensuring a dynamic and continuous enhancement of their capabilities.

Streamlining communication, SUMMERTHUNDER mandates all contacts to occur on pre-designated frequencies. This approach simplifies the process for operators, eliminating the need to search for stations calling CQ. Operating within Technician class privileges, all FCC-licensed amateur radio operators can actively participate in the event.

Adding to its uniqueness, SUMMERTHUNDER utilizes a custom-built, over-the-web logging system that facilitates real-time statistics and logging of contacts. This one-of-a-kind method enhances the overall experience, providing operators with valuable data in an unprecedented manner.

Beyond its role as a skill-building platform, SUMMERTHUNDER serves as an invaluable opportunity for Emergency Communications (EmComm) operators. Leveraging the event, EmComm groups can coordinate emergency communication activities, assessing mission functionality and readiness for potential crises. SUMMERTHUNDER, continues to evolve and grow, combining its rich history with the potential for real-world emergency preparedness."

SummerThunder will commence on July 1, 2024 at 00:00:01 UTC and conclude on July 31, 2024 at 23:59:59 UTC.

During the event, radio operators are encouraged to make as many contacts as possible during the event window. All contacts are made via FM-Voice and include both analog and digital modes (Fusion, DMR, D-STAR). Packet modes are not part of this event.

Talk about SUMMERTHUNDER with other local simplex enthusiasts in the RVAHams Slack #simplex channel.