What’s happening at SBARC? Here you will find the latest club news, events, projects, net activities, and news from our special interest groups (SIGS).
Be sure to check in frequently so you don’t miss out on any of the interesting things going on with the club and its members!
We have moved content for the Technical Mentoring and Elmering Net here, and content for the Digital Modes Net here.
March 29, 2024 – Members of the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club had a fun and successful day activating a number of H.F. radio stations at Mountain View School’s playing field. We accomplished our objectives for the day, and more!
The event was primarily focused on practicing set-up and use of the club’s new, portable radio stations. We activated two stations that included a “BuddiHex”, two element beam antenna and a “CrankIR”, 1/4 wave vertical antenna using tuned, elevated radials. Both antenna systems performed well with many K6TZ operators logging QSOs with USA, South American and European stations! A couple of our members also brought their own radio gear including Larry – WA6MVJ’s QRP rig (see photo below). DIY stations are definitely welcomed!
Importantly, SBARC purchased and deployed for the first time, a solar-battery DC power system. This power system will not only avoid the need for a generator during field activations, it will also support our club station at the RedCross in the event of extended power outages. Our experience at the event showed that the system produced more power than we consumed during our radio operations.
We also sought to give club members and visitors a chance to operate HF radios. We were fortunate that our activation occurred during the CQ World Wide WPX SSB contest and during a time of excellent signal propagation. As a result, everyone with an interest was able to work some DX!
Perhaps as important as our technical experiences, we happily welcomed club members that don’t often attend field events, as well as members of the public. John – AG6LJ, Larry – WA6MVJ, Greg – WW6T, Steve – AC6T, and others joined for the fun. We also greeted a number public inquirers – most had questions about what we were doing. And, two indicated an interest in becoming licensed. All were greeted warmly, offered a bagel & cream cheese, and a Prospective HAM interest card.
Looking ahead, we have secured the same exceptional site for Field Day that we had last year – “Chase Palm Field”. Based on the practice event, we are confident that the club’s stations will perform well, perhaps even better given CPF is one hundred feet from the Pacific Ocean! We will begin operating at 9:00 AM on Saturday. And, like last year, we will have a donations accepted breakfast and bar-b-que lunch on Sunday.
In conclusion, we hope that you are feeling the positive energy that these events bring to our club. And, we hope that if you missed the event last year, you will join us in preparing and, or attending the event this year. Field Day is really just plain fun!
Post expires at 11:57am on Monday June 30th, 2025 but will still be available in the archives.
For this months meeting we will be joined by Rick Closson. Rick is part of the EQ25 project that is commemorating the 100 year anniversary of the great Santa Barbara earthquake. This was truly an event where ham radio saved lives. It was local hams, using early radio transceivers that were able to let the world know we needed help. We have been invited to help reenact this historical event,
The earthquake nearly flattened the downtown area and changed the face of State Street forever. Rick will tell us more about the earthquake at the meeting and explain how SBARC can help support this event. This is a great opportunity to get publicity and public recognition.
You can learn more about the earthquake and commemoration at https://eq25.org
Please join us this Friday!
SBARC General Club Meeting
Friday, February 21, 2025 at 7:30 PM (Doors open at 7pm)
Goleta Union School District Board Room
401 North Fairview Avenue in Goleta
Zoom Details:
Topic: SBARC General Club Meeting
Time: Mar 21, 2025 07:00 PM Pacific Time
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81598651606?pwd=XDqHsIQa2nsVLH5h2GPKBgC2sDblVU.1
Meeting ID: 815 9865 1606
Passcode: 105176
Post expires at 3:44pm on Saturday March 22nd, 2025 but will still be available in the archives.
With Field Day planning getting underway, we’re going to try to focus on various aspects of HF operation in some of the upcoming meetings. In recent years it seems like interest in HF has dropped off somewhat. Luckily, Warren KN6ZZI has a keen interest in HF and he will be heading up SBARCs Field Day project again this year,
This year we want to add some digital mode operation into the mix, so for this meeting we’re going to be going over some of the most popular modes.
Most people are aware of some of the original modes like RTTY and PSK 31, but newer modes like FT8 and FT4 are becoming immensely popular. With their ability to pull signals out of the noise, even the most modest stations can make contacts the world over.
Please join us this Friday!
SBARC General Club Meeting
Friday, February 21, 2025 at 7:30 PM (Doors open at 7pm)
Goleta Union School District Board Room
401 North Fairview Avenue in Goleta
Zoom Details:
Topic: SBARC General Club Meeting
Time: Feb 21, 2025 07:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83403374119?pwd=hwt1REFY56CGHlWSKjfcvFio404BMh.1
Meeting ID: 834 0337 4119
Passcode: 073810
Post expires at 1:00am on Saturday February 22nd, 2025 but will still be available in the archives.
Announcing SBARC / SBWF Field Day
June 28-29, 2025
Chase Palm Field, Santa Barbara
Field Day is the most popular on-the-air event in the US and Canada, held annually on the fourth weekend of June. Thousands of radio amateurs gather with their clubs, groups, or friends to operate from remote locations. It’s a picnic, a practice for emergencies, an informal contest, and most importantly, FUN!
The SBARC / SBWF Field Day Team has been hard at work preparing for the 2025 event. We’ve secured Chase Palm Field, a great location as you’ll recall from last year. We’ve also made significant updates to our portable operating equipment, which will be used for both Field Day and emergency-portable operations. These updates include:
– Two new antennas: a HexBeam two-element Yagi and a “CrankIR” vertical antenna.
– A solar/battery D.C. power system that allows us to operate in a special event class, giving us an advantage over our competitors.
We plan to hold one or two Field Day Practice sessions this year, the first of which will be on Saturday, March 29th. We will activate two club stations, including solar/battery DC power system, two radios & antennas, and a couple of pop-up tents & tables. Anyone wishing to set-up their own station or operate a club station will be welcome.
RSVP to Warren – KN6ZZI
Post expires at 12:12pm on Sunday June 29th, 2025 but will still be available in the archives.
The election for year 2024 is complete. All incumbents were reelected and will return to serve in 2025.
The dues increase measure passed and dues will be increased to $40 annually effective January 1, 2025.
Importantly, the measure concerning changing the corporate name to Santa Barbara Wireless Foundation was approved by the membership. The next steps will include a final draft of the Bylaws to reflect the changes, and formal adoption by the board at the first board meeting in January 2025. Certain changes regarding bank accounts, IRS and state forms, licensing, and other items will be performed by the appropriate board members. Levi K6LCM will remain as Club Trustee, and Wayne AF6GX will remain as Site Trustee. These appointments are ongoing and are not subject to annual changes. Bill W1UUQ remains Trustee Emeritus, a lifetime appointment.
You may notice some subtle changes to our public facing materials to reflect the new corporate name in areas where we want to promote ourselves as a more professional, multi-faceted organization. This will be an exciting time as we work to restore our relevance as leaders in the communications field.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote. Your participation ensures that all voices are heard. Thanks also to our board members for organizing and holding this years election.
Post expires at 10:20am on Friday January 10th, 2025 but will still be available in the archives.
November meetings are always election night meetings. Members who do not vote online will be able to vote in person. Of course we’ll all be tallying up the votes and announcing the winners, so plan on being there, even if you already voted.
We are also going to be talking about getting set up with Winlink. Winlink is a very useful system you can use to send email over RF without the internet. Winlink has been around for awhile, but it is getting easier to use and SBARC is now fully equipped to handle members emergency email traffic.
It’s Home Brew Night Too!
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!
The meeting will also be available on Zoom, if you can’t attend in person, but please try to be there if you can to congratulate the new board members, whoever they are!
SBARC General Club Meeting
Friday, November 15, 2024 at 7:30 PM (Doors open at 7pm)
Goleta Union School District Board Room
401 North Fairview Avenue in Goleta
Zoom Details:
Topic: General Club Meeting – November 2024
Time: Nov 15, 2024 07:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85645742809?pwd=l46QUn9PaPQ1M2z2DY3gPLFVGC2wqC.1
Meeting ID: 856 4574 2809
Passcode: 036337
Post expires at 1:42am on Saturday November 16th, 2024 but will still be available in the archives.
Voting is now open for our 2025 election for the 2025 year.
Online voting is available and you can also download and deliver your ballot. Ballots will also be available at the meeting for in-person voting.
You may vote online until midnight November 13, 2024.
Click Here to Visit the Official SBARC Election Page
Online ballot is at the bottom of the page.
Thank you for participating!
Post expires at 11:58pm on Wednesday November 13th, 2024 but will still be available in the archives.
