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.
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.
During the 2017 Thomas Fire, Maaia says the club’s 150 members were able to share crucial safety information during power outages. Following the deadly 2018 Montecito debris flow, the club sent 12 radios to the Red Cross for use while cell towers were down. Milburn says the network is even helpful for environmentalists.
"It’s called AIS tracking — every ship that goes to the channel sends out a beacon every few seconds showing their position and speed. We provide it to people who research whale strikes," Milburn said.
With the eviction looming, the club hopes to find a new home with similar elevation and visual reach where they can continue providing service to the community.
"Finding another place that has that same kind of coverage will be very difficult to do," Milburn said.
Santa Barbara City has hosted the club at the Mesa location free for 50 years and is working with the club to relocate the headquarters by July 30, 2024.
