SCCARA's first years
The first meeting was held in the barn of our first President, Harry Engwicht 6HC (later W6HC), in the Winter of 1921. We don't know exactly when, probably January or February. Thus was born the San Jose Radio Club, SJRC.
List of Amateur Radio stations in San Jose in 1921, when the club formed. PDF version with searchable text
Back then radio was regulated by the Department of Commerce, Navigation Service. The SJRC was part of the process. Here are some communications in 1922 between them, us, and individuals regarding licensing and violations.
One of our first club activities was a dance, July 8, 1922. Note there was still a war tax then.
The SJRC applied for ARRL affiliation on November 6, 1922, and was declared an affiliate of and by the ARRL February 17, 1923. The ARRL (American Radio Relay League) formed in 1914, so it wasn't much older at the time. We've been an affiliated club ever since.
And look who signed it: Hiram Percy Maxim 1AW (later W1AW), who was the ARRL's first President and co-founder, and sometimes called "The Father of Amateur Radio." And Kenneth Warner 1EH (later W1EH) the ARRL's first Secretary.
A Membership card from 1924 or 1925. Armand Humburg 6BON was one of the founding members.
It was felt that we should be more inclusive of the surrounding communities. In 1925 we changed our name from the San Jose Radio Club to the Santa Clara County Amateur Radio Association. We notified the ARRL of our name change from SJRC to SCCARA on November 9, 1925.