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. 

Ensor Museum Signup

Please click the link below to signup as a volunteer for the Ensor Museum tours for September 2026.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090C45A5AA2CA3FD0-65549829-ensor

Quick Links

Upcoming Events

22 Sep 2026;
08:00PM -
SFTARC Net
24 Sep 2026;
07:30PM - 08:30PM
Tech Night - ARRL Division Town Hall Zoom Meeting Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 7pm CT.
29 Sep 2026;
08:00PM -
SFTARC Net
03 Oct 2026;
08:00AM - 05:00PM
Wichita Area Hamfest & KS ARRL Convention Oct. 3rd, Wichita, KS.
06 Oct 2026;
08:00PM -
SFTARC Net
09 Oct 2026;
12:00PM - 05:00PM
SPARK-CON 2026
10 Oct 2026;
08:00AM -
SFTARC business meeting

Practical Considerations For New General Class Hams

At the last session of the SFTARC General Class Jim Andera (K0NK) conducted a discussion and presentation to assist newly licensed General Class hams in getting started on the HF bands. The text of his presentation may be viewed at the link below:

Practical Considerations For New General Class Hams

Trail Bytes
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...
Understanding 12V DC Power for Radio Amateurs
30 Apr 2026

     In the March 2026 tech night discussion, Tom Apalenek WA2IVD, highlighted that the commonly referenced "12V" is actually 13.8V, accounting for a ±15%...