History of Elk Grove Florin Amateur Radio Club
he Elk Grove Florin Amateur Radio Club was formed to fill a gap in amateur radio coverage in Sacramento County.At the time, there were several Sacramento area clubs, but none focused on southern Sacramento County.
At the first meeting on November 12, 2011, there were about 150 people present. The plans for a new club were presented and a By Laws Committee formed. A second meeting was held December 10, 2011 to go over the draft By Laws and to conduct other business of a new club. On January 14. 2012, those present adopted the By Laws and elected officers to guide the club. By this time, Elk Grove Florin Amateur Radio Club, had been decided upon as the club’s name.
For the first few years, the club met one Saturday evening a month at a local church with attendance of 40 persons. On the other Saturday evenings, a 2-meter repeater net followed by a simplex net were conducted. A club call of W6EGF was acquired and used at community events, and during Summer Field Day. A logo was designed and appeared on banners, club literature, and elsewhere. In time, a website went online.
During the year, the EGFARC participated in community events to demonstrate what amateur radio was about and how it assisted when there were major disasters such as floods and wildfires. Members joined with other clubs for providing radio support for major athletic events through the Sacramento County Amateur Radio Emergency System.
Meetings at the time commonly had about 25 participants and covered a wide variety of topics often featuring a guest speaker. In time, the meetings had moved from the church to a substation of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department for 11 months a year, but during December when the Sherrif’s Department held a toy drive and needed the room in which the club met, the club met elsewhere for a holiday party.
In March 2020 COVID-19 ended meeting at the Sheriff’s Station and everything and every place shut down. In-person meetings were no longer able to continue so in time they became Zoom meetings. After COVID-19, people were still reluctant to attend in-person meetings but would from the comfort of their homes using Zoom. For about a year and one-half members and guests would meet once a month for brunch at restaurants in the community. As monthly meetings resumed, they were held in the clubhouse of a mobile home park.
The website was not properly maintained so a weekly Bulletin has been replacing it.
At this time weekly Wednesday evening nets are conducted on the N6NA repeater system at 7:00 p.m. They are somewhat of an open net. That is, when each person checks in, they can ask a question or talk about what they have been doing in ham radio and others interact with them, this under the control of a net control operator. New ham operators are invited to join these nets to get over any mic fright by participating.
This is YOUR Club, so help restore it so that it can once again provide amateur radio communications in Elk Grove, Florin,and Southern Sacramento County.
The Elk Grove Florin Amateur Radio Club was formed to fill a gap in amateur radio coverage in Sacramento County.At the time, there were several Sacramento area clubs, but none focused on southern Sacramento County.