RATS Membership Meeting this Friday - 7:30 PM

[RATS General Mailbox]

Richmond Amateur Telecommunications Society

General Announcement

Membership meeting Friday night - 7:30 PM

The monthly RATS Membership Meeting is this Friday, January 19 at 7:30 PM on Zoom.

Minutes for the last RATS meeting (November 17) have been posted to rats.net/minutes for membership review and approval at this week's meeting.

If you missed Rob Marshall's presentation on HOA-friendly antennas, a link to the video is available from rats.net/minutes.  See Part 2 of the November 2023 Membership Meeting.

This month we'll be discussing our upcoming club activity: Parks on the Air + Winter Field Day at Pocahontas State Park, Friday, January 26 through Sunday, January 27.  Everyone is welcome to join us for a weekend of ham radio fun.  At least two HF stations will be operating under the club's call sign.  Participants do not need a license to operate our equipment at this event.  License exams will be given on Saturday by our friends at CATS/KC4TS.  Volunteers are needed to assist with the setup, operation, and tear-down.  Please attend this month's meeting to learn more.

Winter and Summer Field Days are both somewhat expensive activities for the club.  If you enjoy Winter Field Day or otherwise wish to support this type of stuff, please consider making a donation.  Online donations are always accepted at rats.net/donate.

We currently have one new membership application up for vote this month.  Mark Elliott KD4LUD of Mechanicsville says on his app:  "I am coming back to ham radio after a long absence. I am interested in 2m/70cm and am working toward getting my General and getting on HF. I work in IT and have an interest in digital modes."  Welcome back to the hobby, Mark!

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Elmer Program Kick-off Meeting - Coming in early February

Nathaniel Wooley W1OLE will be hosting a kick-off meeting for the club's Elmer program the first week of February.  Eight club members have volunteered to offer some of their time guiding new hams and others needing one-on-one assistance with equipment issues, licensing, technical questions, etc.  If you're interested in participating please contact w1...@rats.net.

Elmers, keep an eye on your club e-mail accounts for specifics on the February meeting.

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Next Meetings

Board Meeting - Wednesday, February 7 at 6:30 PM
Membership Meeting - Friday, January 19 at 7:30 PM
Weekly Club Net - Every Wednesday evening at 7 PM on the W4RAT 146.88 MHz repeater

Meetings are held via Zoom.  See rats.net/meetings for current details.

You can find video and minutes from recent meetings at rats.net/minutes.