On February 3, 1916, sixteen radio amateurs formed the Santa Cruz Radio Association. That club still exists today, although we know it as the Santa Cruz County Amateur Radio Club, with repeater callsign K6BJ. The club is celebrating 100 years of amateur radio in Santa Cruz County with special pages on their web site and with a special event at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH). Here is a summary of the coverage and other related information.
The K6BJ Web Site k6bj.org
Television News Channel KION interviewed radio amateurs, young and old, at the MAH special event on September 17, 2016. Here’s their coverage.
The February 4, 1916, issue of the Santa Cruz Sentinel announced the formation of the club. Archive image.
The April 1916 issue of QST announced the club’s formation. When I searched the QST archives for other club announcements starting with its initial issue in December, 1915, through the announcement in April, 1916, I found just six other clubs. Santa Cruz clearly got into amateur radio early!
