2012 Santa Barbara ARC HamFest

With Dick Norton, N6AA

Santa Barbara ARC EmComm

At Right, Dave Bottom, WI6R, CEO Arlan Communications

Beach Boys ARC participants departed from the Five Cities early Sunday morning for hamfest action in Goleta near Santa Barbara, California. Our trek includes the finest rural landscape between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The rolling golden hills of the Central Coast offer a slide show of rugged ranch living with wine vineyards, cattle pasture, and horse ranches filling in the picture.

Arriving in Goleta, I met with Dick Norton, N6AA who has set RadioSport world records and has traveled to 40 zones because of his dedication to the game. Also, he is a go-the-extra mile for ham radio as tradition has established itself since first meeting N6AA at TK's annual barbecue in Nipomo, California.

We have taken a picture together at nearly all his visits.

Dick Norton, N6AA has traveled out of Los Angeles not only for Newington business also he visited our 2012 field day site in addition to updating our local ham radio population at the annual barbecues in Nipomo as well.

I want to thank Santa Barbara ARC membership for sponsoring this year's hamfest and for the hard work that goes into an event like this. It is not an easy task.

Dave Bottom, WI6R, CEO Arlan Communications, inventor of radiosport headsets also attended. Recently WI6R's company was featured in the San Luis Obispo Economic Vitality Commission newsletter with a readership of 3,000 members and investors in the financial community. He also invented blade server architecture and these servers are at the heart of today's cloud computing according to a recent email.

Additionally, Dave restores wireless gear and his table at the hamfest had reasonably priced equipment ranging from a Drake R4C to a Heathkit SB200.

I enjoyed every second having purchased one Daiwa 4-way antenna switch, two 90 degree PL259 connectors, four PL259 t-connectors, and one Pelican case for the Yaesu FT100.

Ham radio is shackadelic.

P.S. Congratulations goes out to John, W6SL who won the best QSL card competition this year!