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.
Last month we watched a preview of a video about the Great Santa Barbara earthquake. We ran out of time, so we will show it in its entirety this evening.
Do you have plans for Field Day? SBARC is not sponsoring an event this year, so some members may be looking for some way to participate. Let everyone know if you have any activities in mind this year.
Last month we also missed playing a video that was passed around by board members. It is called “Is Ham Radio Dying?”. It is worth the time to watch. Many clubs are experiencing the same problems. Low participation, lack of interest in projects, and other symptoms are things we might be able to find a way to address.
Please join us this Friday!
SBARC General Club Meeting
Friday, June 19, 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: June 19, 2026 07:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81662893439?pwd=gabpWn58dz8zqvPggslZuwAdN44VU5.1
Meeting ID: 816 6289 3439
Passcode: 806157
Post expires at 1:00am on Saturday June 20th, 2026 but will still be available in the archives.
Levi C. Maaia, PhD, scholarship committee chair (left) and Brian Milburn, foundation president and CEO (middle) presented Kenneth Smith (right) with a scholarship award on behalf of the Santa Barbara Wireless Foundation at the Santa Barbara Courthouse.
May 29, 2026 – SANTA BARBARA, Calif.
The Santa Barbara Wireless Foundation is pleased to announce the recipient of its annual $1,000 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).
Kenneth Smith, a senior at Valley Christian Academy, was selected as the 2026 recipient. Smith is graduating with a 4.0 GPA and plans to study chemical engineering at Oregon State University in the fall.
Smith holds the Amateur Extra class radio callsign AA7KS. He is an active student on campus and in the community and has been a member of the Satellite Amateur Radio Club W6AB for more than three years. He restarted Northern Santa Barbara County Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) in Santa Maria and acted as the organization’s emergency coordinator. He is involved in the Boy Scouts, Troop 91 of Orcutt, helping with the coordination and execution of the yearly Boy Scout Jamboree-on-the-Air event. He also enjoys playing tenor saxophone in his school band.
“This scholarship will help me attend Oregon State University, which is an extremely highly rated school for chemistry and chemical engineering,” said Smith. “I will have access to high quality education and training as an engineer, while still being close enough to fulfill my responsibilities in taking care of my parents’ farm for them.”
We look for students who have the potential to turn technical skills into service for their community,” said Brian Milburn, the president and CEO of the Santa Barbara Wireless Foundation. “Kenneth doesn’t just show that potential, he’s already acted on it. We’re proud to support his pathway into higher education.”
Smith is the latest recipient of this scholarship, which is awarded annually. Applicants must be graduating high school seniors in Santa Barbara, Ventura or San Luis Obispo counties who plan to study a STEM field 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 2027 may be submitted at scholarships.sbwireless.org.
The Santa Barbara Wireless Foundation is a nonprofit, public benefit organization that develops and supports wireless telecommunications technologies in support of public safety, emergency communications, community service, and scientific research in the Santa Barbara region. The foundation supports local amateur radio activities and services through the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club. More information can be found at www.sbwireless.org and www.sbarc.org.
We are going to bring everyone up on the various projects we have going on including a possible update on the old Mesa location. Summer is almost here and I want to get some idea of when members would like to have our annual BBQ. We’ve been having them in the fall for the past couple of years, but if we want to have it earlier this year, we need to get our reservation in as soon as we can.
I have also heard that there is some interest having some kind of field day, but this is going to depend on our members. We’ll need people to get things organized and commit to helping make it happen.
We’re also going to talk a little bit about the future of ham radio. SBARC has been experiencing a slow lack of participation in some areas. Meeting turnout is low and participation in weekly NETs have slowed down too. This is not unique to SBARC and is happening all over the country. Maybe there is a way to reverse these things and make SBARC normal events a little more fun. I may play a couple of short You Tube videos about other clubs that have begun to turn things around. We’ll be interested in your comments!
Please join us this Friday!
SBARC General Club Meeting
Friday, May 15, 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: May 15, 2026 07:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87441246547?pwd=MjEfXwHfF7LbPRAfxbYADaM5VnvRiQ.1
Meeting ID: 874 4124 6547
Passcode: 820648
Post expires at 1:00am on Saturday May 16th, 2026 but will still be available in the archives.
Last meeting we talked about the world of MeshCore and the new radio-only form of messaging it offers. SBARC is going to help this along by installing 4 MeshCore repeaters in the area to make it easier for our members (and others) to participate. Last month we showed the small circuit boards we use, and this month we show you some completed systems, ready to deploy.
We are also going to show a new episode of Levi’s Digital Voyage and Levi K6LCM will answer questions afterwards. In this episode, Levi and a friend flew a helicopter from Wyoming to Rhode Island. We’ll see the condensed version of this truly interesting trip.
We will be providing Zoom access this month, but we won’t be streaming the video. We’ll provide a link, and you will be able to follow along on your own computer.
Please join us this Friday!
SBARC General Club Meeting
Friday, April 17, 2026 at 7:30 PM (Doors open at 7pm)
Goleta Union School District Board Room
401 North Fairview Avenue in Goleta
Zoom Details:
Topic: April Club Meeting
Time: April 17, 2026 07:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81922543854?pwd=fX6vGODEkLyLR6dBxBK0ufCBVur3Rb.1
Link To Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BumrXBt62pk
Post expires at 11:49pm on Friday April 17th, 2026 but will still be available in the archives.
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.
hashtag channels
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.
Note from K6LCM: Consider joining the hashtag channels for #hamradio #sbarc and #sbcountymesh to find more targeted and local nodes and topic.
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.
