Welcome to the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club

aspenWelcome, and thanks for visiting our website. The Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club (SBARC) was established in 1920 and has operated continuously ever since. If you are a licensed amateur radio operator and not yet a member, we hope you will consider joining our club. If you are not yet licensed but have an interest in amateur radio, contact us and we’ll help you get started! Better yet come meet our friendly members at one of our monthly club meetings or at the Red Cross Club Station on Saturday mornings.

Photo caption: Repeaters are the backbone of our local communication systems. SBARC operates numerous repeaters that are open and free to use, including one on Diablo Peak on Santa Cruz Island, which our team accesses with the help of Aspen Helicopters.​

Member Weather Stations

The Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public benefit corporation. Our public service efforts and emergency communications infrastructure are supported by donations from our members and the community. Your tax deductible contributions help ensure our continued success

SBARC Designated Emergency Frequencies

  • SBARC Main Repeater Output 146.79 / Input 146.19 PL 131.8
  • In the event the repeater is not working, use 146.79 SIMPLEX
  • Also monitor 146.52 SIMPLEX

We also maintain a list of local frequencies used by first responders and emergency services. These are useful for programming consumer grade scanners. Please click here.

 


General Club Meeting September 19, 2025

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A couple of presentation possibilities we had for this meeting have not panned out. So, this month we’re going to have an open meeting. We’ll let the members run the meeting. Members can bring up topics for group discussion or can visit amongst themselves.

While this is going on we’ll be printing SBARC logo or SBWF logo ID badges for those who have never received one, lost or destroyed the one they had, or just want a new one. By printing them at the meeting when members are present we can add some customizations to your badge such as nicknames, current or former positions in club leadership, membership in related organizations such as ARRL, DX award winners, etc, If you want your picture on your badge, we may be able to do that too. We’ll also be able to offer either vertical orientation, or horizontal orientation like the old badges. While we can print these at the club station, many of the members who attend club meetings but never go to the club station can get their ID badge on the spot.

Our members always have plenty to talk about and often only see other members at meetings. So this will be a good opportunity to catch up.

There will not be a Zoom option for this meeting. I will need to use my computer for creating badges and trying to also Zoom the meeting would be difficult.

This is an in person meeting and will NOT be available on Zoom.

SBARC General Club Meeting
Friday, September 19, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Goleta Union School District Board Room
401 North Fairview Avenue in Goleta

Doors Open at 7:00pm and the meeting will start at 7:30pm

 

Post expires at 1:43am on Saturday September 20th, 2025 but will still be available in the archives.

SBARC Members Activate Santa Barbara Island

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On May 19, 2025, Ken, KA6KEN and I joined The Explorers Club expedition to Santa Barbara Island. It’s the smallest and most remote in Channel Islands National Park.

There’s no dock, no cell service, and landings are only possible by skiff when weather and sea conditions cooperate. We brought along a VHF handheld and a directional antenna and made simplex contact with KK6SXA and KN6ZZI from the island’s summit, Signal Peak. It was a quick turnaround. We had less than 90 minutes on shore. But we made it work.

I documented the trip and put together a short film that tells the story, with some help from fellow explorers we met along the way.

📺 Watch the video below:

—Levi, K6LCM

Santa Ynez Peak Repeater Antenna

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Wayne, AF6GX, tilting the 145.18 tower back up into service. Photo: Michael, K6RQV

The antenna for the K6TZ Santa Ynez Peak repeater on 145.18 was replaced today. As a result, its coverage is now vastly improved!

If you haven’t yet, please take a moment to test your signal into this repeater and the new 446.400 repeater on La Cumbre Peak West. Both are standard negative offset, same PL 131.8.

Together, these two repeaters have increased our systemwide coverage tremendously.

Repeater Updates: 446.400 Moved to La Cumbre Peak West

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Wayne, AF6GX and Levi, K6LCM installing the new BridgeCom repeater at La Cumbre Peak West. Photo: Michael, K6RQV

It was a foggy, cool day at La Cumbre Peak when SBARC members Levi, K6LCM; Wayne, AF6GX; and Michael, K6RQV, headed up to the site to install the club’s new BridgeCom FM repeater on 446.400 MHz. Despite the low visibility and brisk weather, the team successfully completed the installation, bringing a significant upgrade to the repeater system.

The new repeater offers excellent coverage and is now linked to the club’s wider system, ensuring even greater range for members and improving communications across the region. This installation is part of SBARC’s ongoing efforts to enhance the reliability and reach of its network for amateur radio operators in Santa Barbara and beyond.

Stay tuned for more updates and make sure to give the new repeater a try on 446.400- PL 131.8.