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. 

KS QSO Party Sign Up Sheet

KS QSO 2023

SFTARC (KSØKS) Kansas QSO Party (8/29 and 8/30)

Sign up to operate as KSØKS via the "Sign Up Sheet" link.

Upcoming Events

18 Aug 2026;
08:00PM -
SFTARC Net
21 Aug 2026;
12:00PM - 07:00PM
Joplin Hamfest 1
22 Aug 2026;
08:00AM - 02:00PM
Joplin Hamfest 2
22 Aug 2026;
09:00AM - 03:00PM
Huntsfille, AL Hamfest
22 Aug 2026;
09:00AM - 03:00PM
Huntsfille, AL Hamfest
25 Aug 2026;
08:00PM -
SFTARC Net
27 Aug 2026;
07:30PM - 08:30PM
Tech Night - B-25 Mitchell Bomber and the Effect of WWII on Ham Radio
wb0cnk

     Our weather is rapidly changing to colder temperatures, and you'll likely soon be doing more indoor operating, so I encourage you to get those needed outdoor antenna changes or improvements completed before winter sets in. If you're needing antenna help or just need ideas for your particular QTH, several club members enjoy tackling antenna challenges and can help with ideas or assist with installation. Contact an officer at the club website "Contact Us" page: ( https://sftarc.org/index.php/about-us-main-menu/contact-us-main-menu).
     Elections of our Board of Officers will be held at the regular business meeting in November. Please consider who you'd like to see in those positions, or if you're interested in running, let Marty Peters or another Officer know.
     Our club's Extra Class License class sessions will be held during January and February of 2026. The Education Committee has released a registration form and flyers for the sessions that will be held at the Salvation Army in Olathe during January and February 2026. If you are looking to upgrade your license to Extra Class, or if you already hold the Extra Class License and want to have a refresher, these classes are a great opportunity for you. Our club website has a Registration Form and Ham Class Flyer available.
     It is with sorrow that club members Gil Ludwig, Larrry Woodword and Mike Lane's wife, Mary Lou Lane recently passed away. Gil was always involved with events at Del's Antenna Facility, such as Kansas Day and the Kansas QSO Party. Larry many years ago stepped in to provide critical support for the Ensor Park and Museum, and Mary Lou was a joy to talk with at breakfasts. A Silent Key (SK) article for Larry has been published on our website.
     The Spark-Con ARRL Midwest Division Convention was a tremendous success and was attended by more than half a dozen of our club members, who had a great time both selling and buying equipment, as well as attending the Friday night banquet with keynote speaker Amelia Rose Earhart.

Be sure to join the Tech Night Zoom session on October 30th to hear the discussions and see all the photos and videos about it.
Be sure to mark your calendar for our Christmas Party on Friday night, December 19, from 5PM to 9PM.
     I encourage you to help the club look good by wearing your official club shirts, hats, and badges. You may still be able to order them by contacting club Secretary Jason, KFØISL, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Trail Bytes

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%...

Tech Night - 3D Printing
08 Mar 2026

This is a presentation of 3D printing and the technologies involved in the process. It was presented by Howard Cripe - N0AZ for the February 26th Tech Night of the Santa Fe...

Chasing Radiosondes or Radios from Heaven!
30 Jan 2026

The SFTARC Tech Night for January 2026 was a presentation by Mike Laney (KEØGHU) on Chasing Radiosondes. Mike provided details about the devices used, web sites used...