The SBARC Telecommunications Services Committee continues testing the link between the K6TZ 146.790 and W6YJO 145.180 repeaters.  The 146.790 machine is located on the Mesa in Santa Barbara and serves the Santa Barbara South Coast and portions of Ventura County.  From atop Santa Ynez Peak, 145.180 has wide-area coverage including Santa Barbara North County. Signal reports and link quality reports between the two repeaters are appreciated.

Additionally, the following VoIP nodes are now online for incoming connections to the system only: AllStar Node: 43763; EchoLink Node: 4376. Amateurs wishing to connect via smart phone are encouraged to download and install the EchoLink app for iOS or Android.

The Amateur Radio Parity Act H.R. 1301 is in jeopardy of not passing into law unless the U.S. Senate acts to pass it before the holiday recess. This may or may  not directly affect you now but ensuring access to reasonable antennas for amateurs across the nation supports the health of our hobby and ensures that all amateurs will have on-air capabilities, especially in an emergency.

CLICK HERE to send emails to Sen. Boxer and Sen. Feinstein. Let them know that you want them to pass the Act NOW:

H.R. 1301 has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives and has the endorsement of the ARRL and the American Red Cross. It is now up to the U.S. Senate to send the Act to the White House.

Here’s what ARRL has to say about the matter:
ARRL once again is calling on its members to urge their US Senators to support the Amateur Radio Parity Act (H.R. 1301) when it comes up in the Senate during the “lame duck” session of Congress that adjourns in mid-December. The House of Representatives approved the bill in September, but if the Senate does not follow suit, the bill will die, and the entire process will have to be repeated. ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, who chairs the ARRL Board’s Legislative Advocacy Committee and has been heavily involved in efforts to move H.R. 1301 forward, said today, “The clock is ticking!”

Did you know that ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, is a member of SBARC?

Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, of West Palm Beach, Florida, succeeded David Sumner, K1ZZ, as the chief executive officer of ARRL on April 18, 2016 . He oversees all activities at ARRL Headquarters in Newington, Connecticut.

Licensed in Pennsylvania in 1966 as WA3GRF (and later N4GRF in North Carolina), Gallagher is a member of the West Palm Beach Amateur Radio Group (and the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club). He describes himself as “an incurable HF DXer and inveterate tinkerer” and credits his first visit to the Franklin Institute’s Amateur Radio station W3TKQ in 1963 for inspiring his interest in ham radio.

Amateur Radio led to an early career in broadcasting. He was a cameraman and technician with WGBH-TV in Boston, the CBS Television Network, and Metromedia’s WIP Radio in Philadelphia.

He joined ARRL following 3 decades as an international investment banker and financial services executive. His career has included senior leadership positions with JP Morgan Chase & Co and CIBC Oppenheimer & Co in New York, and with Wachovia Capital Markets in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has also served as an adjunct professor at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and as CEO of the Secondary School Admission Test Board in Princeton, New Jersey. Gallagher has served on boards, both public and non-profit, including two NYSE companies, the NPR affiliate in Charlotte, the Executive Board of The PENN Fund at the University of Pennsylvania, and The International Center of Photography.

Gallagher graduated magna cum laude with a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, and he holds an MBA from The Wharton School. He is a graduate of The Lawrenceville School, where he held the Nicholas Noyes scholarship.

In addition to ham radio, Gallagher enjoys saltwater fishing and sailing which, he confesses, is sometimes just an excuse to operate maritime mobile.

Editor’s note: Biography info credit ARRL website.