The SBARC Constitution. (this is an Adobe Acrobat file)

Historical Information

    On January 13, 1977, the Baldwin Amateur Radio Club was organized at the old Town Hall in Robertsdale, Alabama. The original members were: Dennis Goodwin K4JIE, Jim McCabe, Ray Prolsdorfer W4CRY, Charlie Vasut WA4GOC and Bert Lacey W4TBT.

     The club got off to a slow start... Poor attendance or nobody showed up to unlock the doors at the new meeting place which was now located at the Fairhope EOC.

     It wasn't until December of 1984 when the South Baldwin Amateur Radio Club came into existence at the WHEP studios on Highway 59. Present at that meeting were: Donald Todd WB4OWS, Don Rhodes N4BWX, Harry Weeks WD4MON, Frank Brown, Steve McGill WB4TJT, Charlie Vasut AF4I, J.P. Sweeney K4PQ, Elmer Wolfe WB4TSC and several others.

     The first regular meeting was held on January 17, 1985 at Doering Tire and Supply in Foley. Steve McGill was elected President, Charlie Vasut was elected Vice-President, Don Rhodes was elected Secretary-Treasurer and at that meeting, Don made a presentation on new technology . . . personal computers!

     The SBARC was on a roll after this first meeting. Meetings were now held at the Kilowatt room. Attendance was good and the meetings were interesting discussing various topics such as radio controlled airplanes, cable TV, mountain topping, packet radio, satellites and more. The club also began holding various events, such as fox hunts, Field Day, auctions and dinners. This is also the time when the clubs' Constitution was written and revised.

     During the years from then until present day, members have come and gone, meeting places have changed and technology has changed. Some things haven't changed, however. Comradery among members and other hams is still an important priority along with helping new hams learn the hobby and assisting the community in times of crisis.

     The club manages it's own repeater and hold it's meetings monthly at the Baldwin County Emergency Operations Center which is also where the clubs' radio shack is located. At this time, the club has approximately 90 members from all over Baldwin County.

© 2007 - South Baldwin Amateur Radio Club