Mad Scientist Amateur Radio Club

MSARC has been a part of the Bay Area radio scene for over 60 years — though the callsign N6MPX came later.

The club's VHF repeater, now operating as N6MPX on 147.300 MHz (75W output), is coordinated through NARCC. Originally installed in the early 1980s by Jerome (Jerry) D. Torczyner, it first operated under WB6VIG/R and served United Airlines employees at SFO.

In 1987, James "Jim" Gibson (N6MPX) took over as Control Operator. The 2m repeater was linked to Jim’s 70cm system in San Jose. After Jim’s passing in 1997, both he and Jerry stepped away from involvement.

Doug Reinhardt (W6BKP/SK) later helped formalize MSARC and oversaw the transfer of Jim’s radio assets into club stewardship. The group officially adopted the MSARC name in 1998 by member vote.

In 2005, the club honored Jim by re-coordinating the 2m repeater under N6MPX. The San Jose 70cm repeater stayed linked until 2017 when it was retired. In 2020, its frequency was formally released from coordination.

In late 2019, Connor (K7CBL) stepped in as the club’s station engineer and technical lead, and has been maintaining the repeater systems and infrastructure ever since.