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.
Live Streams (try both): SB City TV Live Stream | SB Library Facebook Live
When: Wednesday, July 3rd. Doors open at 10:00 AM
10-minute contact will begin promptly at 10:54 AM
Where: Santa Barbara Public Library Faulkner Gallery
40 E Anapamu St, Santa Barbara
Children and families will be given priority access to the event, and attendees are encouraged to arrive early. Capacity for the Faulkner Gallery is 175 people, but overflow viewing and listening will be available.
NASA Astronaut Nick Hague will answer questions from 12 local children as they make a live 2-meter amateur radio contact from the Santa Barbara Public Library to ask him about life on the space station, careers in STEM, experiments in space, and more.
Children and families will have the opportunity to explore space through virtual reality, create rocket ships, and more before and after the contact.
This experience is made possible by Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) in cooperation with NASA. The contact will be coordinated by SBPL youth services staff, Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club volunteers, and ARISS mentors.
All ages have enjoyed space-themed programs and events at the Library over the last few months, including learning about astronomy, an introduction to amateur radio, hands on engineering and technology projects, and more. Related programming will continue through the month of July. A full calendar, including two additional amateur radio-related events, is available at SBPLibrary.org/summer.
Levi C. Maaia, K6LCM
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
ARISS-US Education Committee
About ARISS
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forms. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org.
Post expires at 3:00pm on Wednesday July 3rd, 2019 but will still be available in the archives.
Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club members are preparing for a rare event this July that will allow local youngsters to make a live amateur radio contact with a NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS)! The 10-minute live forum will bounce between a radio station at the Santa Barbara Public Library and the ham radio aboard the ISS (NA1SS) as the space station’s orbit passes over Southern California. The event is expected to take place sometime between July 1-3. Details will be forthcoming.
SBARC is supporting the Santa Barbara Public Library’s participation in the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program as part of the library’s comprehensive STEAM programming for upper elementary and junior high students. The ARISS event ties into the Summer Reading Program theme: Choose Adventure in Outer Space. The Santa Barbara Public Library endeavors to provide equal opportunities to all community members to learn about science, space travel, and careers in many fields that utilize these technologies, particularly in light of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing this summer.
As part of the space-themed program, SBARC will host three special events at the main branch library:
What is Amateur Radio? – A Community Conversation
Monday, June 10, 2019 – 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM @ Santa Barbara Public Library
A talk with members of the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club about modern amateur radio, common misconceptions, digital projects and how to get involved. Everyone is welcome, especially new hams and those who are not yet licensed! Free and open to all ages.
What is Amateur Radio? – Open House
Monday, July 8, 2019 – 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM @ Santa Barbara Public Library
An open house showcasing software defined radio technologies, amateur radio in orbit and other exciting digital equipment and projects. Come join us for hands-on learning and live demonstrations. Free and open to all ages.
Amateur Radio Technician Class License “Cram ‘n’ Exam”
Saturday, July 20, 2019 – 10:30 AM – 3:30 PM @ Santa Barbara Public Library
Join us to prepare for the amateur radio Technician Class license exam and then stick around after lunch for a specially scheduled test session. Cram is free and open to all ages. There is a $15 fee (check or cash) to sit for the exam. IMPORTANT: The “Cram ‘n’ Exam” session is not intended to replace advance preparation for the Technician Class amateur radio license exam. Candidates should expect to review material in advance. Click here for exam preparation resources and information about exam registration requirements.
About ARISS
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station is a cooperative venture of the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States, and other international space agencies and international amateur radio organizations around the world. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers from radio clubs and coordination from the ARISS team, the ISS crew members speak directly with large group audiences in a variety of public forums such as school assemblies, science centers and museums, scout camporees, jamborees and space camps, where students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies and amateur radio. Find more information at www.ariss.org.
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 5 check-ins, plus net control Chuck, K5CAW. 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 questions might arise or ask some of your own! All club members and visitors are encouraged to check in to the net each week and join in with questions and /or answers and contribute the knowledge of new and seasoned amateur radio operators alike.
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 6 check-ins, and 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 questions will arise or ask some of your own! All club members and visitors are encouraged to check in to the net each week and join in with questions and /or answers and contribute the knowledge of new and seasoned amateur radio operators alike.
The March 15 meeting will feature a presentation by Steve Noll, WA6EJO, on antennas and propagation.
This will be a live demonstration exploring radiation patterns and polarization of a variety of antennas from ground planes to loop Yagis to helices, plus actual demonstrations of a variety of propagation phenomena including ducting, refraction, diffraction, knife edging, Fresnel zone, velocity of propagation, and more.
If you would like to know more about the black magic of radio waves and how to use them, you don’t want to miss Steve’s presentation. He is an expert in the field.
Steve Noll, WA6EJO, has been active in Ham Radio for the past 40 years. He pioneered 2-way Amateur Radio Laser communications in the late 1970s and operated an experimental 23 centimeter repeater and an X-Band beacon in Ventura for many years. Steve chaired several of the West Coast VHF/UHF Conferences in the 1990s where he also built and ran the antenna gain and pattern plotting range. He is a member of the Amateur Television Network and is a founding member of the MAKE Ventura makerspace. Steve retired from Advanced Photonix after 22 years as their Senior Test Engineer.
SBARC General Club Meeting
Friday, March 15, 2018 at 7:30 PM
Goleta Union School District Board Room
401 North Fairview Avenue in Goleta
We hope to see you all at the meeting!
Post expires at 11:53pm on Friday March 15th, 2019 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 12 check-ins, and net control Ken, KA6KEN. 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 questions will arise or ask some of your own! All club members and visitors are encouraged to check in to the net each week and join in with questions and /or answers and contribute the knowledge of new and seasoned amateur radio operators alike.
Over the past two years, there has been an explosion of interest in DMR amateur radio. Many SBARC members have been bitten by the DMR bug and they are chatting around the world on global Brandmeister talkgroups using hotspots and repeaters. While much of the attraction of DMR is the ability to work DX on a handheld transceiver, many local operators hang out on the local SBARC Brandmeister DMR Talkgroup (TG 31073). In fact, every Tuesday night, the Digital Communications and Technology Net moves from 2m FM to TG 31073 at 21:00 Pacific Time.
If you aren’t on the air with DMR yet, not to worry. You may be able to chat on TG 31073 with a radio you already own! K6TZ operates a multimode digital repeater at La Vigia on the Mesa in Santa Barbara. We have recently reconfigured this repeater to bridge traffic from Yaesu System Fusion radios to TG 31073 using a new protocol called YSF2DMR. If you have a newer Yaesu radio, you may be digital-ready right now. Many new Yaesu amateur radio models available support System Fusion and are capable of connecting to the K6TZ digital repeater in order to bridge from System Fusion to DMR and TG 31073.
Joining the local digital chatter on TG 31073 via System Fusion on the Santa Barbara South Coast is fairly straightforward. Just follow these steps:
Hope to hear you on DMR/System Fusion. If this interests you and you want to learn more, join us every Tuesday night at 20:00 (8:00pm) on the K6TZ 146.79 FM repeater for the Digital Communications Net. Then QSY with us to DMR TG 31073 at 21:00 (9:00pm).
