Welcome

arrlAn ARRL Affiliated Special Service Club

The Santa Fe Trail Amateur Radio Club is a general-purpose club with the goal of promoting and supporting the educational and operational aspects of ham radio through ham radio classes, on-the-air events, and hands-on activity. THE SATURDAY BREAKFAST MEETINGS ARE HELD  AT PERKINS IN GARDNER EACH SATURDAY. YOU ARE WELCOME TO JOIN US 6:30 AM TO ~8:30AM.  The monthly business meeting is the 2nd Saturday of each month. This meeting is a hybrid meeting in which you can attend in person at Perkins in Gardner or you can attend via a Zoom connection. Additionally, the club holds a Tech Night presentation via Zoom the last Thursday evening of each month at 7:30 pm. Log in to the web site and select the "Links/Zoom Links" menu to find meeting links or contact a club officer. 

Member Survey

     "The Santa Fe Trail Amateur Radio Club wants to better serve its members and strengthen the amateur radio community. Please share your opinions about club activities, meetings, communication, training, and future priorities by responding to the survey below.

     Your responses may be anonymous. Please answer honestly and constructively. The survey should take approximately 5–8 minutes. If you need any assistance in completing the survey please reach out to Trig - KC0RPY."

https://forms.gle/1ZBLnKUnKDF7f17i6

Upcoming Events

10 Nov 2026;
08:00PM -
SFTARC Net
14 Nov 2026;
08:00AM -
SFTARC business meeting
14 Nov 2026;
08:00AM - 05:00PM
2026 Nixa ARC Hamfest - Saturday, November 14th, 8:00AM
17 Nov 2026;
08:00PM -
SFTARC Net
24 Nov 2026;
08:00PM -
SFTARC Net
01 Dec 2026;
08:00PM -
SFTARC Net
08 Dec 2026;
08:00PM -
SFTARC Net
wb0cnk

     SFTARC has sponsored some great events that have brought us together for outdoor activities this summer:  Tallgrass Preserve POTA and Ensorfest took place in May, and Field Day occurred in June where Army Reserve soldiers joined us.

     I encourage you to join in on club camaraderie by attending these upcoming activities:

     The Pony Express Festival at Hollensberg, KS, August 31st, https://www.facebook.com/hollenbergponyexpress/  which includes a historical telegraph demonstration put together by Jim-KØNK. The festival is a great way to learn more about the State of Kansas and telegraph history. Contact Jim-KØNK at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for additional information or to volunteer.

     Our club is a key sponsor of the KS QSO Party taking place Saturday  & Sunday Aug 30 & 31st, event info at: https://www.ksqsoparty.org/.  To join in this air-conditioned event, and visit the elaborate installation at the Sawyer Antenna Facility (SAF), contact Marty KEØPEZ via the website contact tab.

     Mark your calendars for some interesting Tech Nights Zoom calls coming up. On Aug 28th, Greg-KIØKK will present a program on AREDN Mesh. Greg is part of a technical group that has installed an elaborate MESH across the KC Metro area. Tech Night on September 25th will be a program on Kit Building Techniques for Success by Joe Eisenberg-KØNEB. Joe has authored the Construction Techniques Chapter of the Handbook, spoken at the Dayton Hamvention 32 times and was the Kit Building Editor for CQ Magazine since 2009. Log in to the web site and select the "Links/Zoom Links" menu to find Zoom meeting links or contact a club officer.

     There are some excellent Hamfests approaching that club members usually attend. Huntsville, Aug 16th & 17th; Joplin, MO August 22nd and 23rd; Wichita, KS Oct 4; SPARK-CON, Sedalia, MO. Oct 10 & 11. Attend any of these events with other club members,

Trail Bytes

Midwest Division Town Hall Sept 24. 2026
01 Oct 2026

The Santa Fe Trails Amateur Radio club hosts a monthly virtual Tech Night.  For the September Tech Night we asked members to join in an ARRL Midwest Division...

B-25 Project and Miltary Radios
29 Aug 2026

Mike Laney (KEØGHU) presented a talk on the B-25 Project and the radios used in the WW II bomber. Mike included several stories about the B-25 in WW II and the airmen who...

Field Day at Lake Olathe (Mid 1990s)
26 Aug 2026

This newspaper article about Field Day at Lake Olathe is from the mid 1990's. I found it in some of my old storage boxes. Some interesting old memories. The following...

Military Radio - Pat, KFØOYS
13 Aug 2026

Pat, KFØOYS presented a talk on Military Radios for the SFTARC July 2026 Tech Night.He presented details for a simple radio made from readily available parts.

Kansas QSO Party Signup
08 Aug 2026

       Good Day to the Santa Fe Trail Amateur Radio Club.  It is that time of year again for the Kansas QSO party.  I am Jeff...

FD in Clolorado - Ex Honeywell-Olathe Hams
12 Jul 2026

Several retired Honeywell-Olathe employees now live in Colorado and belong to their local Chaffee Lake Amateur Radio Association.  The local paper wrote up this very...

Field Day at a Ham Radio Landmark
03 Jul 2026

Brian, WQØA, presented a video on his YouTube channel titled "Field Day at a Ham Radio Landmark | Ensor Museum, Santa Fe Trail ARC & More". The video started with an...

Introduction to Grounding for Ham Radio
02 May 2026

At our April 30th, 2026, tech night, George McCarville, WB0CNK, covered essential grounding techniques for ham radio, focusing on safety, lightning, and RF grounding. Key...