Category Archives: Featured

Packet Capabilities at LCPW

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We have moved the club VHF packet node from the Mesa to La Cumbre Peak West. At nearly 4,000′ above sea level, this station has a Winlink gateway that can gate mail between RF and the internet (Starlink-capable and perfect for emergencies), as well as a few other features, including a local keyboard chat room! Check it out if you have a TNC or sound card modem for VHF packet on 145.050. The main node is K6TZ-2 but the following aliases will connect you directly to the various services: LCPW (main node), TZPBBS, TZCHAT, TZRMS (Winlink) Note that BPQ is a little different than Kantronics. Commands like MHEARD and CONNECT (to hop) require a port number (in this case the port number to use is 2). More details in the welcome message. Thanks to Doc, W6EW for donating the Kenwood TM-D700 to the club. If you are interested in learning more about VHF packet radio and other digital modes, join us on Tuesday nights for the Digital Communications & Technology Net and consider joining our group mailing list. -Levi, K6LCM K6TZ Trustee

SBARC Summer Potluck Barbecue – September 22nd 2024

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Please join us for a good old fashioned summertime potluck barbecue. SBARC will host this years get-together at Stow Grove Park on La Patera Lane in Goleta just before it intersects Cathedral Oaks Rd. We will be in Area 2 This once-a-year SBARC event will be held on September 22, 2024, from 10:00 AM until 2:30 PM. With all the various projects going on related to the relocation of our repeaters, this will be a welcome break. This year will work much the same way as last year. SBARC will supply delicious 1/3 lb. hamburgers and cheeseburgers with all the fixings for all SBARC members and their immediate families. For non-members, burgers will be $5 each. You are welcome to bring your own beverages and we will have cold sodas and water available for $1. Since this is a potluck, we are encouraging everyone to bring something to share. You can bring a salad, potato chips, beans, hot dish, cookies or other desert, whatever you like and whatever you have time for. We hope you will join us for a relaxing meal and take the time to catch up with old friends. Of course, we can always use a little help setting things up before the event and cleaning things up afterwards. If you have a little time we would surely appreciate your help. Please RSVP so we know how much food to buy. Call our message line at 805-456-K6TZ (456-5689) or send a message through our Contact Us link and let us know if you are attending and how many people you will be bringing. Hope to see you there! Post expires at 1:05am on Monday September 23rd, 2024 but will still be available in the archives.

K6TZ Repeater Update

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A quick update on the K6TZ repeater situation … We are aware that the move of the K6TZ 146.79 repeater to TV Hill / KEYT-TV Studios has had a significant impact for some users. Some who had reliable coverage using a handheld transceiver in the past have been unable to make reliable contact now using the same. Others, particularly on the Riviera and in Montecito, have experienced improved coverage with the repeater move. With this in mind, we have begun a search for a solution that can preserve the best of these changes while improving usability for those who are experiencing a degradation in service. For the time being, the K6TZ 70cm repeater on 446.400 (minus offset, 131.8 Hz PL) has been restored to service at Vic Trace (aka La Vigia, aka Talanian Communications Facility) and linked to the SBARC Hub network, until we can find a more permanent solution. I encourage you to try this 70cm linked repeater if you have difficulties using 146.79 or any other linked repeater from your location. Signal reports are appreciated. I am also trying to keep our K6TZ Repeaters & Data Systems page current to reflect the real-world state of the SBARC network. -Levi, K6LCM K6TZ Trustee

We need your help!

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As we all know, our time at our main repeater site will soon end. Our core engineering group has been working tirelessly to make sure our communications are impacted as little as possible. If you haven’t heard, the main K6TZ repeater is moving to TV-Hill after KEYT Channel 3 generously offered space in their radio building. As of now, coverage checks have been done, the antenna has been installed, and the microwave link is up and running. We will be moving the repeater within the next few days. We expect the 146.79 repeater, Allstar, and the USCB remote link to all be working when the move is completed. We Still Have More Work To Do Moving the main repeater is only part of the job. We still need to remove all our other equipment. Some may find new homes relatively quickly, but we have a lot of gear that will need to be moved and stored. Most of our core engineering group are in their 60’s, 70’s, 80’s or even 90’s. We cannot do everything by ourselves and some of us have physical limitations. How You Can Help Simply put, we need volunteers. We don’t yet know when, or what work might be involved. What we need right now is to build a list of members who might be available to volunteer when we need them. Get On The Mailing List We’ve set up a mailing list for members to join that we’ll use when we’re in need of help. If you can step up, that’s great, but it you can’t at the time, that’s fine too. We’ll undoubtedly have multiple opportunities to volunteer and we understand that members have jobs and other obligations. When we need some help, we’ll send out an email to the list and if you can help, just reply to the message to let us know. We’ll try to give as much advance notice as possible. Getting on the mailing list is easy. Just send a blank email to the address below. No subject or message is necessary. workers+subscribe@sbarc.org You will receive a one time confirmation email you will need to reply to so we can make sure we don’t get any spammers in the group. Just follow the instructions. Once you have joined, you will receive mails from [SBARC Work Crew], and be able to send emails to the group by sending them to… Continue reading →

News Release: SBARC and SBWF announce annual scholarship winner

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Brian Milburn, organization president (right) and Levi C. Maaia, chair of the scholarship committee (left), presented Mateo Olin Ferreira (center) with a scholarship award on behalf of the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club & Wireless Foundation at the Santa Barbara Courthouse on Monday June 4, 2024 – SANTA BARBARA, Calif. The Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club and the Santa Barbara Wireless Foundation are pleased to announce the recipient of their annual scholarship, awarded to an outstanding local high school graduate who plans to pursue higher education in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM). Mateo Olin Ferreira, a graduating senior at Orcutt Academy Charter High School, was awarded the 2024 scholarship at Santa Barbara Courthouse on Monday, June 3. Ferreira is set to graduate with a 4.0 GPA and plans to attend Allan Hancock College for initial credits before transferring to California State University, Long Beach to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Business. Ferreira is an Eagle Scout in Troop 87, a tenor saxophone section leader, a football player and referee, and a Catholic altar server. He plans to continue his education with summer internships to gain practical experience in his field and aims to contribute to the advancement of green energy production. Brian Milburn, the president of the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club and Santa Barbara Wireless Foundation, and Levi C. Maaia, Ph.D., a board member and the chair of the scholarship committee, presented Ferreira with a certificate and a financial award to support his college expenses. “Our goal is to ensure that more students choose academic and career paths in science and technology,” said Milburn. “Mateo has set himself up for success with his plan to attend community college and then Cal State Long Beach.” Ferreira is the latest recipient of this scholarship, which is awarded annually in June. Applicants must be high school seniors in Santa Barbara, Ventura or San Luis Obispo Counties who plan to study Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics in higher education. Applicants should have an excellent academic record. While not requirements, preference is given to applicants who hold an active FCC amateur radio license. Donations to the scholarship fund and applications by members of the class of 2025 may be submitted at scholarships.sbwireless.org. The Santa Barbara Wireless Foundation, together with the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club, forms a nonprofit, public benefit organization that develops and… Continue reading →