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.
At our March 20th meeting, we introduced a new mode called MeshCore. MeshCore is an off-the-grid text messaging system and works with the iPhone or Android device you already own. It is an evolution of the popular MeshTastic system and improves many of MeshTastics shortcomings.
We played a good introductory video at the meeting and if you missed it, or want to see it again, it is available here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1qne8uJBAc
To get started you need a MeshCore ‘Companion’ device. MeshCore devices operate in the unlicensed LoRa ISM bands, specifically on 927.875 MHz in Southern California. Devices are very simple and consist of a small circuit board, power source and antenna. You can purchase pre-made devices or build one yourself. Circuit boards are all inclusive and ready to plug in and work right out of the box. No soldering is necessary and the only assembly necessary is to attach the antenna and power source. Power sources connect with a USB ‘C’ cable and you can use a normal smartphone charger. Batteries plug into the circuit board with a JST connector. Most boards handle battery charging and even solar recharging automatically.
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Left, is the board demonstrated at the meeting. It is a Heltec V4 LoRa board available on Amazon for $30. It included a small coil antenna, battery pigtails and is ready to ‘flash’. Flashing is the procedure used to install the device firmware onto the board. It is easy and just requires a USB C cable to connect to your computer. You just visit the MeshCore Flasher website, find your device on the list, and select ‘Companion Bluetooth‘ then ‘Flash’. Everything is handled for you. The rest of the setup is handled through the SmartPhone app using BlueTooth. |
Before you proceed… you will need to install the MeshCore App on your iPhone or Android SmartPhone, or alternatively, run the MeshCore Web Client on your PC, Mac, or Linux computer using the Chrome Browser. Links for these can be found below. While you can use this on a computer if necessary, we recommend you install one of the SmartPhone versions.
You will first need to pair your device with your phone. This is done just like anything else you may have paired in the past.
Now open up the MeshCore app on your phone.
| The ‘Radio Settings’ shown at right will be the same for everyone.
Make sure your ‘Radio Settings’ look like the Radio Settings shown in this screenshot. Double check everything and when you are satisfied, click on the Check Mark in the upper right corner. You do not need to be concerned with any other settings. These are all you need to get up and running. When you are all finished, reboot your device by removing power and applying power again. Open up your MeshCore app, and tap on the 3 dots in the upper right corner. If you see ‘Connnect’ listed as an option, tap that to connect. If you see ‘Disconnect’ listed as an option, you are already connected. Good! |
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Tap on the beacon icon on the top row (((*))) and choose ‘Advert – Flood Routed’. This will tell everyone you are now on the system.
Now pay attention to the ‘Contacts’ page. You should see ‘Contacts’ begin to appear on that page.
All further operations will be done through the app. Please watch the video below for a thorough introduction.
If you have questions or problems, check into the Digital and Projects Net on Tuesdays at 8pm. We’ll be happy to help.
MeshCore Resources:
MeshCore App – Apple iOS App Store: https://meshcore.co.uk/app/MeshOS-0.3.9.apk
MeshCore App – Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.liamcottle.meshcore.android
MeshCore App for Chrome Browser (PC, Mac, Linux): https://app.meshcore.nz/
Using the MeshCore App Video: https://youtu.be/PeThXmxLE4k
MeshCore Website: https://meshcore.co.uk
MeshCore Map: https://map.meshcore.dev/?zoom=11&lat=34.4791&lon=-119.6459
Heltec ESP32 V4 LoRa Board on Amazon ($30): https://a.co/d/0f0Ymujg
Heltec ESP32 V3 LoRa Board with battery and case on Amazon ($35): https://a.co/d/0i8DBHsc
MeshCore Firmware Flasher for Chrome Browser: https://flasher.meshcore.co.uk
This month we are going to introduce a popular new way to communicate called MeshCore (similar to Mestastic). MeshCore is an off-the-grid text messaging system that enables you to send and receive text messages with other MeshCore users. It uses a small, inexpensive transceiver and your regular iPhone or Android. It operates in the 900 MHz band and does NOT require internet, WiFi, or cellular. MeshCore shows great promise as an additional tool for emergency communications and the Santa Barbara/Ventura area already has a growing network of users.
This meeting, we will be playing a video that explains what MeshCore is all about and how to get started. It is surprisingly simple, and you can started for less than $50 with no ongoing fees. We will also be demonstrating a working system, and answering questions.
There WILL NOT be a Zoom simulcast of this meeting. It is too difficult to stream a video, project it to the main screen and share it on Zoom all at the same time, and it is not a good experience for anyone. We will return to Zoom simulcasts next month.
Please join us this Friday!
SBARC General Club Meeting
Friday, March 20, 2026 at 7:30 PM (Doors open at 7pm)
Goleta Union School District Board Room
401 North Fairview Avenue in Goleta
Post expires at 1:59am on Saturday March 21st, 2026 but will still be available in the archives.
Following up on the last meeting, we are going to go deeper into how Artificial Intelligence is being used to take advantage of regular people. AI is moving so fast, that things change almost every day. Did you know that your voice can be cloned by simply saying “Hello – sorry you have the wrong number”. We’ll explain how this works and how it can affect you, as well as a lot of new things that everyone should know.
On the fun side of things, we are going to show you how you can use AI to do all kinds of fun and productive things. And, do it all for free – and HAMs like FREE.. So be sure to bring something to take notes with!
Download AI Safety Hand-out from Meeting
Please join us this Friday!
SBARC General Club Meeting
Friday, February 20, 2026 at 7:30 PM (Doors open at 7pm)
Goleta Union School District Board Room
401 North Fairview Avenue in Goleta
Zoom Details:
Topic: February Club Meeting
Time: February 20, 2026 07:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87998641507?pwd=9DnyoYm8CDVA8raNZVFbHievUwa90W.1
Post expires at 1:01am on Saturday February 21st, 2026 but will still be available in the archives.
Scammers are looking for you! As artificial intelligence becomes more and more intelligent, scammers and crooks are using it to perfectly imitate legitimate services to trick you into divulging private financial or other information that will allow them to steel your identity and your money.
There are a lot of things you can do to identify and significantly reduce your vulnerability. We’ll be showing examples of some well crafted scam emails and how to determine whether they are legitimate or not.
This is a rapidly changing area and it is difficult to keep up. It is easy to fall victim to these scams and we’ll do our best to explain the things you need to know to protect yourself.
Please join us this Friday!
SBARC General Club Meeting
Friday, January 16, 2026 at 7:30 PM (Doors open at 7pm)
Goleta Union School District Board Room
401 North Fairview Avenue in Goleta
Zoom Details:
Topic: January Club Meeting
Time: January 16, 2026 07:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86090194088?pwd=PnjAkvYWXL44rnV1PDaiLunod9m0ov.1
Meeting ID: 860 9019 4088
Passcode: 308220
Post expires at 1:01am on Saturday January 17th, 2026 but will still be available in the archives.
November meetings have traditionally also been Home-brew Night! We invite everyone to bring a something you have built, or a project in progress, to show, demonstrate, and tell your ham friends about. Home-brew is what being a ham is all about! Anyone can go buy a radio, antenna or other accessory, but to many hams, building their own gear is much more fun and rewarding. So bring something (or a lot of things) because we’re all interested in seeing what you’re up to!
SBARC General Club Meeting Election Night
Friday, November 21, 2025 at 7:30 PM
In-person Meeting
Goleta Union School District Board Room
401 North Fairview Avenue in Goleta
Doors open around 7:00pm
We will also be on Zoom!
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86710614357?pwd=NHaQcophTzd7g8eiRToQyPaBMUc7kT.1
We hope to see you all at the meeting!
Post expires at 11:42pm on Friday November 21st, 2025 but will still be available in the archives.
Levi K6LCM recently gave a presentation for the Santa Barbara Science and engineering Council on his work on the Santa Barbara Airport Commission, aviation in Santa Barbara, and featured our ADSB system. Watch on YouTube below:
Post expires at 6:23am on Thursday January 1st, 2026 but will still be available in the archives.
We are going to talk about emergency communications and what type of communications we have available to us. Virtually every new member expresses an interest in emergency communications, but SBARC currently has no programs or classes available. We will have a couple of experts in the audience for this meeting, so we’re hoping we can come away with some good ideas.
Next month’s meeting is election night so we will be announcing the slate of candidates. We’ll also be opening up the nomination period for additional nominations from the membership.
Next month is also Home-brew Night. So be thinking about a project you can bring to share with others.
When was the last time you bought a new handheld radio just because it might be fun? Well, we found one we think you are going to like, and it’s really cheap. It has some interesting features such as a USB-C charging port, color screen, and programming can be done over Blue-tooth using a free app for your smartphone.
This is an in person meeting and will also be available on Zoom.
SBARC General Club Meeting
Friday, October 17, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Goleta Union School District Board Room
401 North Fairview Avenue in Goleta
Doors Open at 7:00pm and the meeting will start at 7:30pm
Zoom Link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83517622425?pwd=cS6bpbARpfw1Wm0ycwSTqRYYrONKsm.1
Post expires at 1:00am on Saturday October 18th, 2025 but will still be available in the archives.
