Category Archives: Club News

This month we are going to introduce a popular new way to communicate called MeshCore (similar to Mestastic). MeshCore is an off-the-grid text messaging system that enables you to send and receive text messages with other MeshCore users. It uses a small, inexpensive transceiver and your regular iPhone or Android. It operates in the 900 MHz band and does NOT require internet, WiFi, or cellular. MeshCore shows great promise as an additional tool for emergency communications and the Santa Barbara/Ventura area already has a growing network of users. This meeting, we will be playing a video that explains what MeshCore is all about and how to get started. It is surprisingly simple, and you can started for less than $50 with no ongoing fees. We will also be demonstrating a working system, and answering questions. There WILL NOT be a Zoom simulcast of this meeting. It is too difficult to stream a video, project it to the main screen and share it on Zoom all at the same time, and it is not a good experience for anyone. We will return to Zoom simulcasts next month.   Please join us this Friday! SBARC General Club Meeting Friday, March 20, 2026 at 7:30 PM (Doors open at 7pm) Goleta Union School District Board Room 401 North Fairview Avenue in Goleta Post expires at 1:59am on Saturday March 21st, 2026 but will still be available in the archives.

Following up on the last meeting, we are going to go deeper into how Artificial Intelligence is being used to take advantage of regular people. AI is moving so fast, that things change almost every day. Did you know that your voice can be cloned by simply saying “Hello – sorry you have the wrong number”.  We’ll explain how this works and how it can affect you, as well as a lot of new things that everyone should know. On the fun side of things, we are going to show you how you can use AI to do all kinds of fun and productive things. And, do it all for free – and HAMs like FREE.. So be sure to bring something to take notes with! Download AI Safety Hand-out from Meeting Please join us this Friday! SBARC General Club Meeting Friday, February 20, 2026 at 7:30 PM (Doors open at 7pm) Goleta Union School District Board Room 401 North Fairview Avenue in Goleta Zoom Details: Topic: February Club Meeting Time: February 20, 2026 07:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87998641507?pwd=9DnyoYm8CDVA8raNZVFbHievUwa90W.1 Post expires at 1:01am on Saturday February 21st, 2026 but will still be available in the archives.

Scammers are looking for you! As artificial intelligence becomes more and more intelligent, scammers and crooks are using it to perfectly imitate legitimate services to trick you into divulging private financial or other information that will allow them to steel your identity and your money. There are a lot of things you can do to identify and significantly reduce your vulnerability. We’ll be showing examples of some well crafted scam emails and how to determine whether they are legitimate or not. This is a rapidly changing area and it is difficult to keep up. It is easy to fall victim to these scams and we’ll do our best to explain the things you need to know to protect yourself. Please join us this Friday! SBARC General Club Meeting Friday, January 16, 2026 at 7:30 PM (Doors open at 7pm) Goleta Union School District Board Room 401 North Fairview Avenue in Goleta Zoom Details: Topic: May Club Meeting Time: January 16, 2026 07:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86090194088?pwd=PnjAkvYWXL44rnV1PDaiLunod9m0ov.1 Meeting ID: 860 9019 4088 Passcode: 308220 Post expires at 1:01am on Saturday January 17th, 2026 but will still be available in the archives.

November meetings have traditionally also been Home-brew Night! We invite everyone to bring a something you have built, or a project in progress, to show, demonstrate, and tell your ham friends about. Home-brew is what being a ham is all about! Anyone can go buy a radio, antenna or other accessory, but to many hams, building their own gear is much more fun and rewarding. So bring something (or a lot of things) because we’re all interested in seeing what you’re up to! SBARC General Club Meeting Election Night Friday, November 21, 2025 at 7:30 PM In-person Meeting Goleta Union School District Board Room 401 North Fairview Avenue in Goleta Doors open around 7:00pm We will also be on Zoom! https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86710614357?pwd=NHaQcophTzd7g8eiRToQyPaBMUc7kT.1 We hope to see you all at the meeting! Post expires at 11:42pm on Friday November 21st, 2025 but will still be available in the archives.

Levi K6LCM recently gave a presentation for the Santa Barbara Science and engineering Council on his work on the Santa Barbara Airport Commission, aviation in Santa Barbara, and featured our ADSB system. Watch on YouTube below:   Post expires at 6:23am on Thursday January 1st, 2026 but will still be available in the archives.

We are going to talk about emergency communications and what type of communications we have available to us. Virtually every new member expresses an interest in emergency communications, but SBARC currently has no programs or classes available. We will have a couple of experts in the audience for this meeting, so we’re hoping we can come away with some good ideas. Next month’s meeting is election night so we will be announcing the slate of candidates. We’ll also be opening up the nomination period for additional nominations from the membership. Next month is also Home-brew Night. So be thinking about a project you can bring to share with others. When was the last time you bought a new handheld radio just because it might be fun? Well, we found one we think you are going to like, and it’s really cheap. It has some interesting features such as a USB-C charging port, color screen, and programming can be done over Blue-tooth using a free app for your smartphone. This is an in person meeting and will also be available on Zoom. SBARC General Club Meeting Friday, October 17, 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 Zoom Link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83517622425?pwd=cS6bpbARpfw1Wm0ycwSTqRYYrONKsm.1 Post expires at 1:00am on Saturday October 18th, 2025 but will still be available in the archives.

Please join us for a good old fashioned potluck barbecue. SBARC will host this years get-together at Stow Grove Park on La Patera Lane in Goleta just before it intersects Cathedral Oaks Rd. We will be in Area 3. This is the smaller site with shade over the tables. This once-a-year SBARC event will be held on October 19, 2025, from 10:00 AM until 2:30 PM. We’re holding this event a little late this year as we hope most people will be done with their end of summer traveling and will be able to attend. This year will work much the same way as last year. SBARC will supply delicious 1/3 lb. hamburgers and cheeseburgers with all the fixings for all SBARC members and their immediate families. For non-members, burgers will be $5 each. You are welcome to bring your own beverages and we will have cold sodas and water available for $1. Since this is a potluck, we are encouraging everyone to bring something to share. You can bring a salad, potato chips, beans, hot dish, cookies or other desert, whatever you like and whatever you have time for. We hope you will join us for a relaxing meal and take the time to catch up with old friends. Of course, we can always use a little help setting things up before the event and cleaning things up afterwards. If you have a little time we would surely appreciate your help. Hope to see you there! Post expires at 11:08pm on Sunday October 19th, 2025 but will still be available in the archives.