Rhea County Amateur Radio Club

05/16/2026

04/17/2026

We are sad to learn of the passing of Walter Hooper, a longtime supporter of the Rhea County Amateur Radio Club and Rhea County Amateur Radio Society.

Walter Earle Hooper III of Spring City, a beloved husband, father, and community member, passed away on April 14, 2026, at the age of 74, surrounded by his wife and sons. Walter was born on January 27, 1952 in Alexandria, Virginia to Walter E. Hooper, Jr. and Sarah Milligan Hooper.

12/25/2025

Merry Christmas from the Rhea County Amateur Radio Club!!!

12/20/2025

Tonight, RCARC members gathered for a Christmas dinner at Monkey Town Brewing in Dayton.

07/19/2025

The 100th Scopes Trial Special Event Station was a success. We worked contacts on voice, CW, and FT8 over the last week. Thanks to all who helped!

07/19/2025

W4B special event station is on the 147.390 repeater and 14.263 if anyone wants a certificate.

07/13/2025

Plan to join us this Saturday for the second weekend of the Scopes Trial festivities. The first weekend of the special event station at the 100th Scopes Trial Anniversary was fun, but ended in a downpour. We need more operators for the upcoming weekend!

07/09/2025

One hundred years ago today, Dayton’s voice prepared to echo across the nation.

Engineers from WGN arrived in town to set up their groundbreaking radio broadcast of the Scopes Trial—bringing small-town Tennessee into homes across America. They wired the courthouse, mounted speakers on the lawn, and extended sound to four other locations: the American Legion Hall, a church, a grammar school, and Rhea Central High School.

For the first time in history, a courtroom drama would be broadcast live—turning Dayton into the center of a national conversation.

Photo courtesy of the Rhea County Historical Society

For a complete chronology of the trial, check out Tom Davis and Randy Moore's book, Causes Go On Forever: A Chronology of the Scopes Trial. It is available for purchase at the Rhea County Courthouse.