Subj : Patience For The Nets To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Fri Jun 16 2023 00:03:38 PATIENCE AND THE NETS -- BY DARYL STOUT, WX4QZ ============================================== Patience is a virtue, but sometimes, I think that this is rare in amateur radio...especially in regards to checking into nets. There is seemingly ALWAYS a pile-up or rush to checkin -- whether on HF, VHF, UHF, Echolink, Packet, D-Star, D-Rats, etc.; as if certain ham radio operators feel that "it's the UNPARDONABLE SIN that will send them to Hell". There is such a sin, but missing checking into a net, not checking in early, or not in the first group of checkins, is NOT that sin!! Ham Radio is a HOBBY -- it should NEVER take priority over church, family, health, job, or honey-do's -- in the latter case, you could LOSE that nice new rig that you have your eye on for Christmas (hi hi). Not all nets do "pre-net" or "early checkins". Some will do them 15 to 30 minutes before the net begins...but it is RARE to have a net start checkins an hour or more before the net commences. It's even more RARE for nets to do an extended checkin window for checkins via email, Facebook, D-Rats, or other modes. For 2 of the 3 nets that I do for the Quarter Century Wireless Association, I offer a 25 hour checkin window via email and Facebook, even though the net may last only 30 minutes. Again, that's more the exception than the rule. Remember, the Net Control Station is devoting 1 to 3 hours of their time before, during, and after the net...so that everything is in order, for traffic, and logging. And, some Net Controls (like myself) are involved with nets on a nightly basis...either running them, or checking into them...or they may have health issues that make it very difficult to sit in the net control chair for long periods of time. Note that if the checkins are PAUSED at a certain point during the net, stations need to abide by those instructions from Net Control... such as if an EMERGENCY TRAFFIC SITUATION develops during the net. If the checkins are paused as the net starts, if you wait right up until then to checkin, your checkin will have to WAIT, until the checkins are resumed. In the cases of Emergency or Priority Traffic, the regular net schedule, format, etc. goes by the boards, until the Emergency Situation is resolved. Emergency or Priority Traffic can break into the net at any time... and these are LIFE OR DEATH URGENCY to those individuals involved, such as severe weather warnings...or for "significant weather advisories". Also, if and when Net Control is asking for announcements, this is for items such as ham radio license classes, exam sessions, hamfests, demos, special event stations, question pool updates, etc. The Emergency or Priority Traffic, or Announcements, does NOT include details on how your day went, and to invite others to nets. On some nets, you WILL be called down by Net Control, if you violate this...and may be banned from the net, or mode itself!! It's as if some stations feel that "it's an Emergency if they don't get Priority to pass their traffic first". To me, if you are trying to check in early, just to see how many nets that you can check into in an evening (admittedly, several do meet at the same time)...or trying to see how many prizes, bonuses, awards, certificates that you can get for doing such, you are doing it for your ego, and are in ham radio for the wrong reason!! While SOME nets do offer such a certificate, that is more the EXCEPTION than the rule. I refer to these stations as "Hi, Bye, and QSY"...where it's 'Net Control, please checkin [callsign], [name], [location], short time, no traffic' -- but not a minute later, they are doing the same thing on another net. A fellow Net Control operator wondered "Do they even have a life outside of ham radio??". I guess they have their shack in the bathroom, but they better be careful not to flush when they key the mic (hi hi). At the other extreme, are stations who think that they can "checkin whenever they feel like it". As noted earlier, many nets do NOT offer things like pre-net or post-net extended checkin windows...or via other modes, such as Email, Facebook groups, or D-Rats. If you are not there when the net is in progress, you do NOT get logged, like it or not. Then, there are stations who feel that "the frequency will always be clear", and they can show up at any time, to start calling CQ, etc., INSTEAD of asking if the frequency is in use first. No one has the EXCLUSIVE use of ANY FREQUENCY or mode on amateur radio. The ONLY time that you may break into a frequency at any time is if you have a bona fide emergency traffic situation at your location. Then, as far as the FCC is concerned, you can throw the rule book out. If it happens during a net, Net Control will stop the net, and participants will try to help you deal with the situation. Or if it's better to clear the frequency, the net will be terminated, and they will do that instead. I am NOT going to make an exception for these (thankfully very few) impatient amateur radio operators...it's as if trying to butt in line to a sporting event. Try that, and you could be seriously injured or killed by the anger of others. All of the other checkins patiently wait their turn to pass traffic, make comments, etc. -- and to these, I say a hearty THANK YOU!! So, please be patient on checking into a net, and wait for the announcement from Net Control, no matter what band or mode...on the checkins. If you can not be patient in this regard...then you can either go to another net that is more to your liking...quit checking into nets entirely...or maybe you should sell your gear, turn in your amateur radio license, and find a new hobby. Again, there is more to life than amateur radio, and checking into nets. Daryl Stout, WX4QZ, Net Control QCWA CQ100, Sunflower, and Digital Net D-Star Food Net D-Star Trains And Railroads Net The Arkansas Night Rangers Net Arklatex D-Star Net Hotspot Raspberry Pi SBC ZumSpot Net --- SBBSecho 3.20-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (954:895/7) .