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.
Rebecca Anderson of the American Red Cross, will be presenting a very special program for the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club at our July 17 Club meeting. Rebecca oversees preparedness programs for the Red Cross. Her presentation will be called, “Be Red Cross Ready.”
The Red Cross Ready Adult Presentation is a 45 minute presentation covering the three steps to preparing individuals and families at home and in the workplace to 1) Build a Kit, 2) Make a Disaster Plan, and 3) Be Informed before, during and after a disaster. We often become complacent about such things if we haven’t experienced an emergency situation in a long time. Now is the time to get ourselves up to speed on these issues because the next emergency could be just around the corner.
At 5:30 PM we will be taking Rebecca and some of her team members to dinner at Cody’s before the meeting. Please come and join us for dinner.
Post expires at 1:00am on Saturday July 18th, 2015 but will still be available in the archives.
Theo Howe, KK6YYZ – Unfortunately, this year the SBARC rover based Field Day had to be modified for lack of volunteer operators. The suggestion was made to operate from the Clubstation’s radio room, and quickly the call was put out for interested operators.
At 18:00 Zulu Saturday (beginning of Field Day) things started slowly with a few people stopping in to the club station to operate and visit. As the afternoon progressed however, we had a steady stream of visitors and club members excited to operate the Club station on Field Day. We now also have two new members of the Club because of the event. We worked 40,20,15, 6 and 2 meter contacts. Modes were SSB except for 2m which was FM and SSB.
The Club Station, which is not known as a “big gun” in town, nevertheless made many contacts all the way to the East Coast, American Virgin Islands, Hawaii and New Zealand (though they are not a part of Field Day, officially). You can be proud of your club stations’ reach on Field Day!
I wanted to put out a big “Thank You” to everyone who participated, and we will be inviting you all back again for other ARRL contests at the Club Station! There are plans to upgrade your radio room and improve our contesting abilities. We will have at least one- if not more- logging station to allow for high speed contesting. We look forward to all of your participation! A big thank you goes out to Ken KA6KEN who was there the entire time helping to work DX.
Post expires at 1:00am on Saturday July 4th, 2015 but will still be available in the archives.
If you missed this months meeting, you missed a great presentation by Levi – K6LCM on his recent trip to Cuba. Levi had the rare opportunity to join a research delegation visiting the normally closed off island nation to meet the people, experience the culture and even get together with a local ham club in Havana. Listen to how Levi initially made contact with them and developed a relationship with this group of Cuban hams. It is very interesting to hear about the resourcefulness of the Cuban people and how they get by without access to equipment and parts to fix their radios, vehicles, and all the other things we take for granted.
The full meeting audio is available in the audio archives area.
Listen to Levi’s presentation portion of the meeting below.
Post expires at 8:23am on Saturday July 4th, 2015 but will still be available in the archives.
ARRL 6/12/2014 – A well-known voice in the Amateur Radio news media has gone silent. Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, of Santa Clarita, California, died June 11 following a period of ill health. He was 73. Pasternak was co-founder (with Jim Hendershot, WA6VQP) ofAmateur Radio Newsline™ (formerly The Westlink Report) ham radio news webcast and a frequent presence at Amateur Radio conventions. Pasternak served as Newsline’s managing editor and occasional newscaster for the program. Read More…
SBARC member and local Santa Barbara ham Levi, K6LCM recently had the opportunity to travel to Cuba legally under the U.S.’s new relaxed travel policies. While he was there he visited a Cuban Amateur Radio station and met with local radioaficionados in Havana! Levi will share photos and video from his visit which includes a never-before-seen peek at some of the ingenious homebrewing and repairs that have kept Cubans stations on the bands – including operating many digital modes – despite so many challenges to maintaining radio equipment.
Join us for Levi’s presentation at the June SBARC Club meeting. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to get an inside look at life in this mysterious and forbidden island and learn what being a ham in Cuba is really like!
Also on the agenda for the evening will be a brief discussion about this year’s ARRL-sponsored Field Day, which starts on Friday, June 26, for the setup and goes on the air for 24 hours straight beginning at 11:00 AM Saturday, June 27. Tom, N6YX, is da man in charge. He invites you all to come out to the Camino Real Shopping Center at Storke Rd. and Hollister Ave., just across from the movie theater, and see what you can do to help us to get on the air and make those contacts and to show the public what Amateur Radio is all about. What an opportunity that will be! There is some talk about a BBQ afterwards. Come find out.
We meet Friday, June 19, 2015 at the Goleta Union School District, 401 No. Fairview Ave. across the street from the Goleta Library. The doors should open around 7:00 PM so come early and shake some hands, especially those of Levi.
Our normal broadcast of Amateur Radio Newsline on Wednesdays at 7pm will be off the air for the time being. Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF has had some serious health issues in recent months and Newsline has continued with the help of temporary volunteers. New volunteers are needed to continue operation and they are actively being solicited. So until some new people can be brought on board to help keep things running again, weekly production of Newsline will cease. We wish the best for Bill and hope for a speedy recovery.
We now have a special list server “discussion group” set up for members (and non-members) interested in emergency communications. The purpose for this is to discuss how SBARC can operate as a club, and how the average amateur radio operator in general can help in the event of an emergency. This is not affiliated with ARES or any other group, nor does it interfere with their mission. As a club, and as licensed amateur radio operators, one of our civic responsibilities is to be prepared to help our community in any way we can. We hope you will join and contribute to the discussion! To join the list simply send a blank email to JoinEmCommList@sbarc.org. Further instructions will be sent to you.
