Our club is buzzing with activity these months! Four members represented us at Dayton Hamvention in May, taking in the FDIM QRP Symposium and browsing hundreds of commercial vendors and the famous Flee Market. Next up, join our caravan to see the special NATICOS program  https://nauticos.com/ocean-discovery/amelia/ at the Amelia Earhart Hanger & Museum in Atchison, KS, on July 17th,  https://ameliaearharthangarmuseum.org/events/ , followed by the Warrensburg, MO. Hamfest on July, 18th. https://waarci.org/pdfs/Hamfest%20Flyer%202026.pdf

Field Day 2026 is Approaching!

     One of our biggest annual events is just a week away June 26th and 27th! We will gather at our Ensor Park and Museum in Olathe, KS,  for the highlight of the summer. Come enjoy the ultimate club comradery as we set up multiple stations and massive antennas. We will be operating across digital, voice, and CW radio modes, plus possibly making contacts via Amateur Satellites. When you aren't on the air, take a break with our outdoor picnic and grilling. It's the perfect opportunity to socialize, share technical tips, demonstrate Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness for the public and enjoy a weekend of outdoor ham radio fun.

SECRETARY-TREASURER REPORT:

      Marty provided a brief update on the club finances. Jason provided a Secretary's report. 

 AGENDA ITEMS:

ENSORFEST 26' [Jeff, KSØJD, Marty - KEØPEZ, Tom- WA2IVD]

      MEMO provided a report on Ensorfest 26 on May 9th. Overall the event was a success. This year there were new groups that attended. 

FIELD DAY PLANNING [Trig-KCØRPY, Jim-KØNK]

      Field day is June 27th - June 28th running for 24 hours from 1 pm CT on Saturday  to 1 pm CT Sunday.  The field day planning committee talked about the logistics.  All members are invited to attend field day and are requested to sign up in order to have a head count of the number of people that will be there.

Update: Equipment from Dave Cochran, KBØVRA [Ben – KC9MBC Jim – KØNK]

     Ben provided an update on the equipment from Dave Cochran. KØRAR has picked up a few truck loads of equipment. The plan is to try and pick up the equipment that is likely to be easiest to sell first. Then the remaining equipment will be reviewed to find a  home for it. 

FIFA WORLD CUP KANSAS CITY [Jim – KØNK]

     Jim provided an update about FIFA World Cup. The request is that there will be a net set up during the World Cup. Club members will check into the net and be on stand by in case there is a need for assisting with communication or activating other volunteers to assist with emergencies.  

REPEATER UPDATE [Jim – KØNK]

     Jim provided a repeater update. A WACOM 2M Duplexer was purchase at the recent Hamvention.  It sounds like Jim will or has taken down the Gardner repeater for repairs. A back up repeater will be in place while it is down. The back up repeater is a lower power repeater. So this may alter the range of the Gardner repeater during the repairs. 

Thank You to Club Members Providing Public Service 

     George - WB0CNK wanted to thank all members that have been involved in public service. The list includes: ECS County Storm Spotters, ARES / SATERN, KCHEART, CERT, public service events including marathons and bike events, Rotory Club, Masonic Lodge, VFW, American Legion, and other organizations.

Conventions / Hamfests – See Website Calendar [George - WBØCNK]

Reports on: Hamvention - Dayton, OH, May 15th-17th 3+ day Convention & SMARC Southwest MO. Pre-Field Day Hamfest June 6th. Springfield, MO
Approaching:

- NATICOS Presentation – Amelia Earhart Museum, Atchison, KS. July 17th
- Warrensburg Hamfest July, 18th Warrensburg MO. 
- Reno County Hamfest: Hutchinson, KS. Aug 8th
- Huntsville,Al Hamfest & ARRL National Convention:2+day Convention Aug 22nd-23rd
- Wichita Area Hamfest  & KS ARRL Convention Oct. 3rd, Wichita, KS.
- SPARKCON, Oct. 10th, Sedalia, MO
- Nixa, MO. Hamfest: Nov 14th 

2026 CLUB TRAVEL PLANS: Trips to Conventions/Hamfests – See Website Calendar [George - WBØCNK]

     George would like us as a club to organize transportation to conventions/ Hamfests. If you have interest in attending one of these events, That way we can
     carpool to the event as a club. The club website has a list of upcoming events.  Add your name to the circulating list at meetings & breakfasts, or on the Club
     Website list (each Calendar Listing), if you are interested in attending these events for coordination of hotels, motels, travel etc.

TECH NIGHT [Trig-KCØRPY, Jim-KØNK]

      The next Tech Night is on June 25th at 7:30 PM. The topic is on "Field Day Planning". 

Reminder: Clothing and Badges: On-going draft List [Jason, Marty, George]

      Feel free to reach out to Jason, Marty or George if you would like to order clothing or a badge. 

Recent Surgeries / Hospital Stays:

• Eric, KFØQIS
• Bob, KFØAUI
• Randy, KSØVET

Members Who Would Enjoy a Card or a Visit:

• Mike Lane -KEØCIS At: Good Samaritan Olathe Medical Campus

ADJOURN:

      The meeting was adjourned. Jeff (KSØJD) made the motion to adjourn the meeting and Larry seconded the motion. 

     Historic Ensor Park and Museum in Olathe will once again provide the setting when members of the Santa Fe Trail Amateur Radio Club participate in Field Day, the annual emergency preparedness exercise sponsored by the American Radio Relay League, later this month. Check out the club calendar for Field Day details.

     Preparations for Field Day will bring some club members to the 40-acre site at 18995 W. 183rd Street on Thursday, June 25 and again on Friday, June 26 (think morning when the weather should be cooler), with the event itself set for Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28. Licensed operators can begin to attempt making contact with other operators far and wide at 1 p.m. on the 27th, and keep going up until 1 p.m. on the 28th. 

     Using the club call sign of KS0KS, SFTARC hams will be operating a CW station, a single-sideband station and a digital station at the very least. You will find the digital station in the trailer the club owns, the single-sideband station on the front porch of the two-story house where amateur radio pioneers Marshall Ensor, W9BSP, and Loretta Ensor, W9UA, were raised, and the CW station somewhere relatively close to the house. In addition, other members of the club are planning to operate a solar-powered station and a satellite station on the grounds, and there is a chance a six-meter station also will be in operation.

     Moreover, there will be a GOTA (Get On The Air) station on the side porch next to the Radio Room for non-hams and new hams with limited experience to check out if they are so inclined.

     The Field Day experience wouldn't be complete without some tasty food that can be shared amid some pleasant conversation, so with that in mind, meal plans call for hot dogs and chips to be served for lunch on the 27th, hamburgers and various side dishes to be available for consumption that evening at dinner, eggs and such to be served for breakfast on the 28th, and leftovers to be set out for lunch that day.

     Trig Morley, KC0RPY, and Jim Andera, K0NK, have agreed to be in charge of Field Day activities this year on behalf of the club.

     The theme for Field Day 2026 is "Amateur Radio: A National Resource," a theme that certainly reinforces the fact that the skills and knowledge of amateur radio operators from coast to coast and beyond can be tapped into 24/7/365 to help meet the needs of many Americans in the aftermath of a disaster.