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

     Spring weather has arrived, and our yearly club summer events are nearly here. Mark these dates on your calendar and enjoy these club gatherings. The calendar on our club website lists all of these events as well as good hamfests and conventions that are approaching. A signup sheet is available at meetings and breakfasts, and a link is available upon opening each event in the calendar.

     Tech Night, March 26th, will feature an interesting presentation by Tom, WA2IVD, on DC Power Supplies and Why Good Power Is Important.   

The fun Tallgrass Prairie Preserve POTA event will be on April 18th. Many folks enjoy caravaning or carpooling to this POTA from the Gardner, KS start point, with a group breakfast at Beto Junction on the way and an ice cream pit stop at Braums on the way back. Folks report this as a top event of their year, so if you've never participated in this POTA, contact Jim Andera for travel details and get on his email list.

 Ensorfest26 is scheduled for May 9th. This family event grows larger each year and is full of history with tours of the house, old and new cars, and the arts, featuring quilts, as well as 3 music bands throughout the day. SFTARC has a goal this year of supporting Ensorfest with 10 or more volunteers, who can contact Jeff Darby to sign up. We also want to support the Ensor Museum tours in June and September with 3 or more members who can contact Marty Peters to sign up. 

     Planning for Field Day in June was started with a sign-up list now circulating at meetings and breakfasts. There are teams ranging from operators and loggers to those coordinating equipment and antennas, so sign up and join in on the fun. Part of our club charter is to promote radio knowledge, fraternalism, and individual operating efficiency. All of this is distinctly apparent at our weekly breakfasts, so if you haven't yet, make it a habit of enjoying all of this each Saturday morning at Perkins in Gardner (see the Club Contact List  https://sftarc.org/index.php/about-us-main-menu/contact-us-main-menu if you need more information on these events).

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...