About Us
In the late 1970s, a group of amateurs went together and put a 2-meter repeater in the air to assist in emergency communications. That repeater was on the Osgood Grain elevator and later moved to a tower near Milan and then went off the air.
The RCRA was formed in 1982 in an effort to have an organized club maintain and support a repeater. 2010 makes this the 28th anniversary of the club!
The first RCRA repeater on 146.805 was erected north of Milan at the home of WB9I (was N9DOK in those days) on a 100' tower. It was later moved to the WRBI tower SW of Batesville in 1984.
In the mid 90s a 220 repeater was on the air in Versailles, and the club took possession of that one. In 1998, a 440 repeater was erected along with the 220 repeater, on a tower at the Southeastern Indiana Career Center in Versailles. Those 2 repeaters are now in a different Versailles location.
Throughout the last 28 years, the RCRA has been involved with educational activities, getting more people into the hobby, facilitating fellowship among amateurs, as well as promoting the initial reason for the repeaters- public service to the community.
The RCRA continues to provide testing for new hams, as well as testing for those hams wishing to upgrade. The RCRA is an ARRL-associated club as well as a RACES-related club (click here for RACES FAQs). A number of members of the club work with the Ripley County Emergency Management Agency (RCEMA) as RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services) members. However, one does not have to be a RACES member to belong to the RCRA or to attend RCRA meetings. To join the Ripley County Repeater Association (which has an open-repeater system), contact us by email or phone.
Meetings are usually the third Thursday of each month at the RCEMA office in Versailles at 7:00 PM . Breakfast get-to-gethers are held periodically as well. Nets are at 8pm every Sunday on the 146.805 repeater. This 2-meter repeater is used for a wide area severe weather net when needed.
The equipment is owned by member/shareholders, who purchase a share for $25, and then are able to vote. Dues are $25 a year and $1 for additional family members.