W3RCA Activities 

See the latest news on club activities.

History

The Radio Communications Amateur Transmitting Society, formerly  the Thomson Amateur Radio Association, was located at 1002 New Holland Ave., Lancaster, PA 17601 until 2006 when Thomson closed the plant.   The Association is composed of former Thomson and RCA employees interested in Amateur Radio. 

The penthouse station location at the RCA/Thomson plant was used by the Conestoga Television Association from 1945 until about 1952 when they moved to an old farmhouse on the Lancaster plant grounds.  The Conestoga Television Association discontinued active operation sometime after 1957.

There was no RCA sponsored Amateur Radio club in Lancaster until TARA (Thomson Amateur Radio Association) was created in 1998. Thomson sponsored the club and provided the penthouse receiving and distribution facility for W3XBR as the W3RCA radio shack. The club name was later changed to Radio Communications Amateur Transmitting Society. We maintain contact with former Radio Corporation of America employee groups W9RCA and W2VTM. See QRZ.com for more information.

RCATS donated their station equipment to the Dayspring Christian Academy who took over the penthouse station for an Amateur Radio club.  They have a few licensed operators and are working hard to get more students licensed.

The Thomson color tube engineering facilities were no longer needed and were phased out in 2006. High power transmitting tubes are still manufactured in Lancaster by Burle Industries.

Amateur Radio Links

The Lancaster Radio Association is the first ARRL chartered radio club in Lancaster County.

Look here for information on nearby clubs and general Amateur Radio information. 

This site is maintained by W3FEY.  See QRZ.com for a current Email address.