El Dorado County Amateur Radio Club
AG6AU The Silver and Gold

Who are we? We are the premier amateur radio club in El Dorado County, California representing a wide cross section of Amateur Radio Operators. The club’s purpose is to promote the Amateur Radio hobby and create a pool of experienced radio operators to support emergency communications.  The club uses the vast experience of its members to educate itself and others about the hobby. We meet in person monthly to conduct club business and discuss various topics related to Amateur Radio. Every week we hold a net; (a meeting held over the radio similar to a conference call) to pass information about club activities and have discussions. In addition to meetings the club holds or supports several activities throughout the year. The club has been in existence since 1964.

What is Amateur Radio? Amateur radio, commonly called "ham radio", is a hobby enjoyed by many people throughout the world (as of 2004 about 3 million worldwide, 60,000 in UK, 70,000 in Germany, 5,000 in Norway, 57,000 in Canada, and 700,000 in the USA). A holder of an Amateur Radio license has studied and passed required tests in his or her country and been issued a call sign by its government. This call sign is unique to the operator and is often a source of pride. The holder of a call sign uses it on the air to legally identify all voice and data communications. Amateur Radio should not be confused with CB radio, General Mobile Radio Service or Family Radio Service, which are limited to voice operation only, lower power limits, fewer frequency allocations, and are unlicensed in most countries.
According to the Federal Communications Commission, the agency that regulates radio and telecommunications in the United States, amateur radio serves the following purposes:

• Promotion and enhancement of the Amateur Radio Service as a voluntary noncommercial public communications service.
• Continual advancement of the art of radio communication.
• Expansion of the reservoir of trained radio operators and electronic experts.
• Enhancement of international goodwill at the grass roots level.