The RST New Ham Net will be operating live from the CACTUS Corral on Thursday, October 15, with Mike, W7WJR, serving as Net Control from the Corral.

Mike will be operating the net using a Yaesu FTX-1 Optima – Yaesu’s new “shack-in-the-box” radio. This will also be a hands-on operating night. Control operators will be available, so Technician-class operators will have the opportunity to get on one of the four CACTUS stations and operate HF under the supervision of a qualified control operator.

CACTUS Corral Station Capabilities

  • Four HF stations: Yaesu FT-991A, Yaesu FT-710, Icom IC-7300, and Yaesu FTX-1 Optima
  • CW, Phone, and Digital operation, including FT8
  • Simultaneous multiband HF operation using the CACTUS diplexer/triplexer system
  • Butternut HF9V and 80-meter EFHW antenna capability for broad HF coverage
  • Computer logging and digital-mode support at the operating positions
  • An opportunity to compare several popular HF radios side-by-side in a working multi-station field environment

The Corral setup is designed to demonstrate how multiple stations can share antenna resources while minimizing cross-band interference and still support a wide range of operating styles and modes.

Tactical, Portable, and Mobile Radio Demonstrations

  • Yaesu FT5D handheld
  • Yaesu FTM-510D mobile
  • BaoFeng BF-F8HP Pro handheld
  • BaoFeng BF-F8HP handheld
  • Tactical radio pack with its own battery power supply
  • BTECH AMP-V25D amplifier capable of boosting an HT signal to as much as 30 watts

This is a chance to see a wide range of amateur-radio equipment in operation, try different radios and modes, learn more about portable and tactical communications, and – most importantly – get on the air.

For further information regarding the 2026 CACTUS Special Event, which runs October 9th through the 18th, click below…

Click Me

🍕🍕 PIZZA NIGHT AT THE CORRAL 🍕🍕
Come out, join the New Ham Net, operate a station, try some of the equipment, ask questions, and enjoy an evening of radio and pizza with the RST crew.

Opens at 4pm
New Net starts at 8pm
Closes at 10pm

855 N Camino Cordon, Tucson, AZ 85748 | Click Here for Google Maps
When you enter the property, head right and follow the road to the corral.

Reported by Don, KK7WBH
Created by Mike, K9WEB