Family Picnic – Sept. 26, 2026
Author: Mike Adams
Free On-line Technician Classes
A free, weekly, live, Amateur Radio Technician Class Licensing course on Zoom will begin on Thursday, Sept 3, and will run through Thursday, October 15 (7 sessions). The three-hour sessions will start at 6:30 PM Eastern Time. These are the classes that have been held for years sponsored by the National Electronics Museum. Those wishing to sign up should email roland.anders@comcast.net.
FT8 Made Simple
Mark Cockson, AA7MC, made the attached presentation on the FT8 digital mode at the July 2026 Kachina club meeting. It defines what FT8 is, how it works, and how to set it up and start operating.
Field Day 2026
On June 27, the Kachina club operated two Field Day stations, one at the CAL Ranch parking lot in Show Low, and the other at Pioneer Park in Snowflake. It was a nice day with good participation, but very windy.
Here are a few pictures of the Show Low station:
Here are a few pictures of the crew staffing the Snowflake station:
Wind Farms Communications Impact
Planning is currently underway for construction of large wind turbine farms in Apache county. Concerns have been raised about the potential impact to communications, emergency services, aviation, weather radar, as well as amateur and GMRS users of communications facilities at Greens Peak. The following documents provide more information on the subject and encourage communications users to express their concerns and support for further studies before construction is approved.
White Mountains Radio Users’ Statement of Concerns
Town of Eagar request for further studies
Free On-line Ham Operating Classes
A free, weekly, 3-hour Amateur Radio Operating Class on Zoom will begin on Thursday April 2 and run through June 18. Sessions will be 2 to 3 hours long beginning at 6:30 PM, EASTERN time. Typically, two topics are covered per evening. The presenters will be folks very experienced in the various subjects.
Click here for a detailed syllabus with dates for each session. Attend them all, or any that you like, but you must register for the classes. To receive registration information, contact Rol Anders, K3RA, at roland.anders@comcast.net.
Subjects will include:
- All About Operating–A general Introduction
- Amateur Radio Organizations—Local to International
- Ham Radio Operating Awards
- DXing-History and Tips from the Experts
- QSLing-How to get that needed confirmation for DXCC or WAS
- VHF/UHF Weak Signal Work and “Roving”
- Image Operating—Slow Scan and Fast Scan TV
- Remote Station control over internet
- Learning CW in the no-code era
- Digital Modes—From RTTY to FT8 and beyond
- Contesting—How to get started, tips for the beginner and intermediate contester
- Logging Software—What’s available, how to use
- Propagation—A general intro to HF Propagation with emphasis on the declining phase of the current solar cycle
- Amateur Satellites—How to get started
- Portable (backpacking) operation and POTA—Tips from an expert
- Setting Up a Modern (or not so modern) HF Station
- Lightning Protection and Grounding
- Traffic Handling
- Public Service, Emergency Communications
Doug Troxel’s (SK) Equipment Auction
The Kachina ARC has received ham radio equipment from Doug Troxel’s (SK) estate for sale. These items are now available via Silent Auction (Sealed bid).
Click here for a list showing the number of each item, description, and minimum bid. (All radios listed do work.)
Click here for photos of each numbered item.
These items are located in Snowflake for pick up except the tower is in the Vernon, Arizona area.
The process will be:
- List the numbered item(s) you are bidding on.
- List the amount of your bid.
- Email your bid to JimMortensen (jmmules@frontiernet.net) by closing date March 27th.
- All bids will be opened after the closing date and successful bidders will be contacted.
- All items must be paid in full when picked up within 2 weeks of winning a bid. You may pay Cash, Check, (Kachina ARC) or PayPal (kachinaarc.org)
- If the winning bid is not paid, the item(s) will be awarded to the next highest bid.
- Please call Jim to schedule pick up for your item(s). 928 358-8761
Doug Troxel, NQ5G, was a good friend and loved being a ham radio operator and shared that enthusiasm with others!
MeshCore Presentation
Matt Lunati, N7OEI, presented the attached material on MeshCore networking at the February 2026 club meeting. See attached.
On-line Technician Class
This is a FREE Technician class that starts on March 25, 2026 and is only 1 hour per week on ZOOM.
See the following flyer for details and how to register.
Visit to USS Missouri
Kevin Parmenter, KG5Q, made a visit to the USS Misouri in Pearl Harbor, HI. This included a tour of the radio communications center, and a chance to operate the ham radio club station, KH6BB. Kevin made a presentation on this experience at the Kachina ARC meeting on Jan. 13, 2026. Click on the link below to view the presentation.