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 ~8:30AMThe 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

Upcoming Events

08 Sep 2026;
08:00PM -
SFTARC Net
12 Sep 2026;
08:00AM -
SFTARC business meeting
15 Sep 2026;
08:00PM -
SFTARC Net
22 Sep 2026;
08:00PM -
SFTARC Net
24 Sep 2026;
07:30PM - 08:30PM
Tech Night - Dual-band Antenna Designs and Techniques
29 Sep 2026;
08:00PM -
SFTARC Net
03 Oct 2026;
08:00AM - 05:00PM
Wichita Area Hamfest & KS ARRL Convention Oct. 3rd, Wichita, KS.

ARRL Technician Class Manual 6th Edition

SFTARC will be conducting an Tech License Class beginning on January ?, 2027, and running through the end of February (8 Saturday-morning lessons).  An early March, exam session is planned.

This class is geared toward individuals ?

The currently available class information is listed below. The textbook is the ARRL Technician Class License Manual, 6th Edition.

 Additional information will be added as it becomes available.

Class information: (Click the link below, Active links are in blue.)

Ham Class Flyer

Class Overview

Registration - Registration will begin in November 2026

Syllabus

Presentations

Class Videos

ARRL Exam Review

Registration deadline is 12/??/2026 if you would like SFTARC to provide your book. The registration deadline is January ?, 2027, if you provide your own book, which can be ordered from both ARRL and Amazon. Please let us know if you are interested in attending this class by completing the "Registration" form on this website as soon as possible so we can judge the demand for the class.

Register early to insure that your book is available by the first class session. Class payment should be cash, check, or PayPal (no credit cards, please) to be collected at the first class session. See the class overview for more details.

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...

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 Darby,...

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%...