The Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club is a tiny but mighty source for continuous, reliable communication.
“There’s almost always someone listening somewhere,” said Levi Maaia, Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club Director.
Maaia says it all started in 1920. But after 50 years located on top of the Mesa near Vic Trace Reservoir, the city is evicting the group. In a formal letter, Public Works stated its plans to build two 5-million-gallon water reservoirs where the club’s headquarters currently sit.
“We are really hoping we can find a home where we can plop this building down and continue to provide the services we do,” Maaia said.
KSBY Emergency responders, aircraft tracking, search and rescue, and large events are just a few of the organizations that rely on outputs from this network, according to club president Brian Milburn.
“We know things faster and sooner and more accurately than anything we get from the news, radio, or anywhere else. First responders as well as news people listen to output from our radio repeater to find out what’s going on,” Milburn explained.