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.
On behalf of myself and the SBARC Board of Directors, I would like to wish all our members a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We know this Christmas will be different for many of you with the ongoing pandemic. We hope you will find a way to celebrate and enjoy the season anyway.
In a few days, we’ll be exiting the infamous year 2020 and moving on to 2021. Hopefully we’ll soon be able to put this year in the rear view mirror and move on to bigger and better things.
We had big plans to celebrate SBARC’s 100th anniversary this year and even though we had to call them off because of the virus situation, they are only postponed until a time when we can celebrate appropriately. So, keep your fingers crossed that the situation improves and we can get together in person again in 2021.
We will be resuming our Zoom meetings on January 15th, 2021, so mark your calendars. We’re always interested in ideas for presentations so if you have ideas, or are interested in doing a presentation yourself, please let me know. They couldn’t be much easier these days since you don’t even have to leave your house, and we’re an appreciative group! So, if you are doing an interesting project or have some area of expertise you think we would find interesting, we would love to hear about it!
Once again, you all have our best wishes for this holiday season and the coming year. We’ll see you all on January 15th! Stay healthy!
Brian Milburn – K6BPM
President – Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club
Post expires at 1:00am on Monday January 4th, 2021 but will still be available in the archives.
The audio archive of this net can best be followed by downloading the .mp3 file for the appropriate date here and listening with the media player of your choice. You can move the progress slider forward or backward to the subject of interest to you.
We had another interesting net tonight with 11 check-ins plus net control Brian, K6BPM. Tonight’s topics included:
Tune in to the SBARC TM&E Net every Thursday at 8:00 PM local (2000 Hrs) and see what interesting ham radio questions might arise or ask some of your own! All club members and visitors are encouraged to check in to the net each week.
The audio archive of this net can best be followed by downloading the .mp3 file for the appropriate date here and listening with the media player of your choice. You can move the progress slider forward or backward to the subject of interest to you.
We had another interesting net tonight with 9 check-ins plus net control Frank, K6FLD. Tonight’s topics included:
Tune in to the SBARC TM&E Net every Thursday at 8:00 PM local (2000 Hrs) and see what interesting ham radio questions might arise or ask some of your own! All club members and visitors are encouraged to check in to the net each week.
With in-person gatherings out of the question for most of this year, we have been holding General Club Meetings online using Zoom and YouTube Live Streaming since April. While most of us miss being able to see our amateur radio colleagues, remote technologies have enabled more members than ever to gather virtually. In May we welcomed Andy Seybold – W6AMS, SBARC member and acclaimed wireless communications guru. Andy gave a fantastic presentation on AT&T FirstNet and the future of interoperable digital and 5G cellular communications in the public safety sector from his home station in Arizona!
We have been able to archive monthly meeting presentations on the SBARC YouTube channel, thanks to our virtual gatherings. Since April, monthly membership participation in our meetings has risen considerably with members, like Andy, joining our local crew from far and wide. Meanwhile, YouTube recordings of the meeting archives have generated nearly 1,000 views.
We are proud to celebrate the creation of the Santa Barbara Wireless Foundation (SBWF). The Foundation is part of our 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation dedicated to developing and supporting wireless telecommunications technologies for public safety, emergency communications, community service and scientific research in the Santa Barbara region. For years, SBARC members have donated their skills and time to support partner organizations throughout Santa Barbara County. This outreach is an important part of maintaining important relationships for SBARC, allowing us continued access to coveted mountaintop communications sites and strengthening our community ties to ensure our organization’s relevance in a new era of advanced digital communications.
SBARC remains an amateur radio membership organization with SBWF as a part of the Club’s strategic outreach. SBARC members are invited to contribute to SBWF’s efforts. The Santa Barbara Wireless Foundation name and logos were designed to maximize our ability to attract funding and support from outside of the amateur radio community. This initiative will ensure the Club’s continued ability to serve those interested in the art and science of radio communications while supporting new and existing relationships for public service and emergency communications in our community.
Diablo Peak (or Devil’s Peak) on Santa Cruz Island is one of the most inaccessible places in California. At 2,429 feet above sea level, it is the tallest mountain on an ocean island in the contiguous 48 states. The Santa Barbara Wireless Foundation and SBARC maintain public safety and amateur radio telecommunications facilities at Diablo Peak on Santa Cruz Island. A crew of volunteer amateur radio operators set out with the help of the Santa Barbara County Air Support Unit (and its newly acquired Blackhawk “Firehawk” Helicopter) to perform maintenance at the site on December 2, 2020.
The election results are in and here is the not so unexpected results:
2021 Executive Committee
President and Chief Executive Officer: Brian Milburn, K6BPM
Chief Financial Officer: Tom Saunders, N6YX
Secretary: Dorothy Oksner, K6DSO
2021 Directors At Large
Director At Large: Dave Schmidt, AI6VX
Director At Large: Wayne Beckman, AF6GX
Director At Large: Levi Maaia, K6LCM
Director At Large: Michael Taylor, K6RQV
Thank you everyone who voted in our very first online voting experiment!
Post expires at 2:25pm on Monday November 23rd, 2020 but will still be available in the archives.
