Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club
Club History

The History of the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club

The following historical account is taken from articles by Walker A. "Tommy" Tompkins (K6ATX), Joan Ash (WD6BNH), and Lou Dartanner (N6ZKJ) in the 60th and 75th Anniversary Issues of SBARC's Key-Klix and from other sources.

"I wonder if, when SBARC celebrates its 75th anniversary in 1995, the hams of the future will find as much to snicker and HI about as we do now when we look back over the past 60 years: back to the days of the Gonsetcators, BC611s, Selenium rectifiers, B batteries, rotary transmitters, AM, type 80s, etc. Maybe then they will look down their noses at rigs with tube finals. DXCC on 20 meters? No challenge there....You should try it with one watt on 432!

"Can you imagine what Santa Barbara's first hams would see in their lifetimes: communications satellites, moon bounce, slow scan TV, 2-meter repeaters, and solid, world-wide communications way above 200 meters."

— Joan Ash (WD6BNH) in the 1980 60th Anniversary issue of Key-Klix.

History

Two score and seven years ago (1920), residents of Santa Barbara in the vicinity of Haley and Anacapa Streets complained of the 1908 version of TVI: weird clattering noises and greenish lights flickering from the QTH of Bill Riley. His was Santa Barbara's first amateur wireless station and his spark transmitter could be heard a mile away without the benefit of a receiving set.

By the following year, six young fellows were hamming. As call letters were unknown [and not required], they selected their own, all ending in "RK." ARK was G. S. Corpe, later W6IM. PRK was Al Loyd, later W6SRI. For a decade, radio hamming grew steadily. Those were they days of the rotary gap, glass plate condensers, loose couplers, and Audion detectors. Then came the First World War and the gang broke up.

In 1919, an Air Service Radio Officer named J.C. Lewis came to Santa Barbara (later W6AB). He found a few hams ready for business and formed a YMCA-sponsored club in May 1920, which is the nucleus of our present Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club. By 1924, the club attendance had reached more than 200 and the Santa Barbara Radio Club was formed. It disbanded in 1926 and was reorganized in 1927 as the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club. In the mid 1930s, radio hamming went into the doldrums and the club died on its feet. In about 1937 it was reactivated.

All the gear used in the early days was home-brew. In the mid-30s, a couple of hams were interested in 112 MHz and would spend their Sundays on the top of the Santa Ynez Mountain. They would take a home-brew mobile rig, a 25-30 ft bamboo pole, and an 8JK antenna and mount the pole atop the lookout tower. With an 8-watt AM rig, they held the 2-1/2 meter DX record for about two years.

The late 1930s and early 1940s saw the advent of the first commercial receivers used by local hams, including the National SW7 and the early Hallicrafters.

Then came Pearl Harbor and hams once more answered their country's call. The Army commandeered the Club's transmitter. H. W. Brittain kept the club alive during the war, getting the gang together for luncheon meetings. When peace came again, Brit reorganized SBARC substantially as we know it today. Surplus gear enabled a ham to get on the air with a minimum of cost and many Army or Navy trained operators took up the hobby.

In 1949, Ray Cormack (WA6AMD), B.J. Roger (K6BF), and Bernie Ontiveros (W6FFF) made the first contacts from "W-Land" to Australia and New Zealand on 6-meters.

In the late 1940s, the locals used to get down on 10 meters in the evenings for ragchews, which lasted until the wee hours. In the early 1950s, a 2-meter net was started and Roy Cormack (W6AMD) called roll five nights a week for over TEN YEARS. Two-meter Transmitter hunts were also popular in the 1950s.

About this time, Jim Holmes (W6REK) State Assemblyman from Santa Barbara, pushed through the ham license plate bill and soon hams all over the state were sporting their calls on their cars.

SBARC played a big role in providing communications for the Refugio Fire in 1955. The club members were also active in helping with the Fiesta Parade communications.

In November 1957, the Club's new transmitter was installed at the Red Cross Building. The SBARC club radio call was W6LUC.

The biggest TVI story in SBARC's history is the story of Irma (K6KCI) and Lou (K6GHU) Weber. The problem started in 1963 with TVI complaints and rabid neighbors. In September 1963, the city filed a complaint in Superior Court for an injunction to stop the Webers from operating on the grounds they were a public nuisance. The suit stretched out over a 3-year period and was eventually dismissed with prejudice, amounting to a total victory for them and a landmark amateur radio case that was watched all over the US.

Historic Milestones

Education

The activity to which SBARC has been dedicated throughout the years has been that of education. The most visible part of that mission, to both the public and Club members, is the code and theory classes sponsored by the Club and taught by its members. References to classes for new and upgrading students can be found back to the early 1950s.

We've had some young ones come through! In 1974, Clay Lewis (WN6DEF) obtained his Novice license at age 12, and in 1982, Kirsten Ball (KA6WCC), received hers at age 10. In 1964, Steve Bauer (WB6ZFU) was offered the opportunity by the FCC to get a Conditional Class license because he is blind, but the 10-year-old wanted to "earn his General Class license, not have it given" to him. He passed the code test using his Braille typewriter. Joshua Probert (KE6NTN) broke the record again when he received his license at age 8.

The old-timers aren't to be out done, either. In 1982, Deming Hobart (licensed originally in 1924 as 6AWO), was relicensed at age 74. Emmett Gatewood (AB6GN) got his Novice license in 1991 at age 71 and his Extra Class license six months later. On May 9, 1992, Aram Pashgiam (W6JY), upgraded to Amateur Extra at age 89. He has held his call for 65 years.

SBARC's first club-sponsored VE session was held in February 1985, when the FCC allowed Volunteer Examiner program.

Community Service

We can look back to the 1925 Santa Barbara Earthquake to see the SBARC and its members involved in emergency services and disaster relief communications. This dedication to community continues today, primarily through the Club's Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) unit for emergency communications and the Club's general membership for public service communications at parades and non-profit sponsored athletic events, etc.

In 1984, Santa Barbara Research Center donated a step-van for emergency communications. More than $25,000 was raised for outfitting it, which contains a completely self-sufficient emergency communications center and command post. The vehicle was dedicated to Bob Dyruff (W6POU), SBARC member who dedicated his life to emergency communications.