General Procedures:
1) To transmit, the operator of
a voice transmission system should always remember to TALK INTO T
2) Speak slowly, distinctly,
clearly, and do not let your voice trail off at the end of words or sentences.
3) Hold the transmit button down
for at least two seconds before beginning your message. This will assure that
the first part of the message is not cut off by a slow squelch system.
4) Know what your
are going to say before you push the mike button. Don't clutter the air
with: "Net Control, uh, this is WA, uh, seven, uh, XYZ, anda, uh will you call Mister, uh, uh, Black to uh, the
radio uh, for Mister Green, uh, over?" It is very easy to confuse the
whole transmission if the operator does not have the facts right on the tip of
the tongue and ready to put out the message in a crisp and orderly fashion.
5) Make sure you are not on the air doubling with
someone else. Listen before transmitting - the pause you hear from Net Control
may be deliberate to allow two other stations to complete a transmission.
6) Chewing gum, eating, and
other activities with items in the mouth tend to clutter up the clarity of your
speech. Don't.
7) On 2-meter and other VHF
fragment frequencies, look for a receiving "hot-spot" site and use
it, particularly when on the fringes of communications. Don't walk around
talking while in communications fringe areas. Repeaters have much more power
than your hand-held radio. Even if you have a good signal from the machine, it
does not mean you are good into the machine. Use high-power if you are not near a receiver. Organizers
should assign heavy communications tasks to people who have heavy battery
capabilities.
8) Under stress, many operators
have a tendency to talk fast. Even if you are in the midst of the action,
remember to talk slowly and clearly in order to get the message across
correctly. ACCURACY FIRST, SPEED SECOND.
9) Avoid angry
comments on the air at all costs. Angry, obscene statements are not helpful,
and reflect on the Amateur Radio fraternity. Remember there are many
"scanners" in use by unlicensed but interested people and your
operating techniques are under observation all the time.
10) If you are relaying a
message for another person, be sure you repeat the message exactly, word-for-word,
as it is given to you. If it makes no sense to you, get an explanation before
you put it on the air. If necessary refer the message back to the originator
for clarification.
11) Sound alert. Nothing destroys confidence
as much as a bored or weary-sounding radio operator. If you are tired, get a
relief operator.
12) Forget humor on the air. A radio system
suffers enough confusion without wisecracks and jokes. Amateur Radio may be a
hobby to enjoy, but public service communications functions are serious
business and should be treated as such at all times.
13) Watch certain words. They sound almost like
the opposite meaning. For example, "can't" almost sounds like
"can" and with a poor signal - who knows. "Unable" is a
better choice. Use "affirmative" instead of "yes". Use
"negative" Instead of "no". "Roger" is a good
word. It means "message received," implying that it is understood. T
14) Identification of units in a multi-station
function is a requirement by FCC. However, if the Net Control Station and each
of the outlying stations give a complete identification at least once in a
ten-minute period, the use of abbreviated call-sign identification is
acceptable. As an example, W7XYZ can use the call-up "7XYZ as long as the
complete call is given by W7XYZ at 10-minute-intervals. Dropping the
"7" is permitted, but too brief a sign might result in error.
15) Always identify your unit at the beginning of
each transmission. Net Control, or anyone else for that matter, needs to know
who is calling because voice identification may be difficult.
16) The word "break" is never used UNLESS
there is an emergency. Otherwise, use your call sign to gain access to the net.
17) Remember that the strongest signal
"captures" the receiver in an FM radio system. When two or more
stations are on the air at the same time, confusion will result. Check to see
that you are not over-riding someone or blanking out their communications with
your signal.
18) Do not act as a "relay station"
unless Net Control, or another radio station, asks for a relay - and you can
fulfill the requirement at your station.
19) When transmitting numbers (house numbers, street
numbers, telephone number), always transmit the number sequences as a series of
individual numbers. Never say numbers in combination. Example: "12345 SW
148 Ave." is given as a series "one, two, three, four, five, south
west, one, four, eight Avenue." Do not say: "Twelve
20) There is no such thing as "common spelling". If there is a
proper name to be transmitted, always spell it out using the International
Phonetic Alphabet. Do not improvise a phonetic alphabet; if you don't know the
International Phonetic Alphabet, now is a good time to learn it and use it in
your operations.
|
A Alpha |
J
Juliet |
S
Sierra |
|
B Bravo |
K Kilo |
T Tango |
|
C Charlie |
L |
U
Uniform |
|
D Delta |
M Mike |
V
Victor |
|
E Echo |
N
November |
W
Whiskey |
|
F Foxtrot |
O Oscar |
X X-ray |
|
G Golf |
P Papa |
Y
Yankee |
|
H Hotel |
Q |
Z Zulu |
|
I |
R Romeo |
|
|
|
|
|
21)
Always acknowledge calls and instructions. You can acknowledge by just giving
your unit identification. Nothing is more disruptive to the smooth flow of
communications than dead silence in response to a message. If you cannot copy,
or respond to the call immediately, tell the caller to say again or stand by.
Otherwise, acknowledge each call immediately.
22) Make sure you understand the call or instructions perfectly.
If you do not understand, ask for a repeat ("say again"). Make sure
you have the instruction right before acknowledgment.
23) Net Control Stations frequently are very busy with work that is not
on the air. If you call the NCS and do not get a reply, be patient and call
again in a minute or two. If it is an emergency, so state; otherwise, just
space the calls to the NCS until they answer. You may be in a dead spot; try moving
your position slightly until acknowledged. Be patient - both at the NCS and at
the outlying stations.
24) Only
transmit facts. If your message is a question, deduction, educated guess, or hearsay, identify it as such. Do not clutter the
air with non-essential information. Particularly important is information
regarding emergency work where rumors can be started from overhearing a
transmission on a scanner or other receiver. Be careful what you say on the
air!!
25)
Always know where you are located. If you are mobile or portable and moving
around, always keep a sharp lookout for location identification. The NCS and
many others may need to know exactly where you are physically located, so keep
a sharp eye on surroundings. If called upon, you can accurately describe your
location at any time. This is particularly important if you are with a search
team or other mobile units.
26)
Always keep a monitor on the net frequency. If you must leave the frequency,
ask permission from NCS to change. Advise NCS of the change and always report
back to the NCS when you have returned to the net frequency. It is vital that
the NCS know the whereabouts of each station in the net, and it is up to you to
keep the NCS advised.
27) Stay off the
air unless your SURE you can be of assistance. It does no good to offer advice,
assistance, comments or other input to a net unless you can truly provide
clarification. It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open
your mouth and remove all doubt!
28) Many
times radio conditions are poor and words must be over-exaggerated to be
understandable. In general, speak very slowly and distinctly to carry through
static or weak signals.
29) When
you have understood the message, acknowledge the receipt with the words
"received" or "acknowledged". DO NOT use "QSL"
since it may be misunderstood or even missed under poor conditions.
30) If you find yourself in a situation where there has been some
confusion regarding the understanding or clarity of a message, DO NOT clutter
the air with a long explanation as to how or why the mixup
occurred. It is unimportant and no one else really cares. Just get the
transmission cleared up, with as few words as possible, and get off the air.
31) Try
to ascertain who your traffic is to be directed to before you contact NCS. The
individual asking for communications service generally knows who is most likely
to be responsible for either solving a problem or giving information. Get a
specific addressee for the traffic!
32) Net Control should normally use absolute minimum power and monitor
the output of the repeater while talking on the input. However, Net Control
should always have the option for very high power.
In
conclusion, nothing in all the above words argue with the real world of Amateur
Radio. These few rules/suggestions are intended to help you become a better
operator whether in a ham contest or public service mission. As you can see,
most of this material is directed toward voice operation, as it is this mode
that is most popular in events communication.
Above
all, analyze your present operating methods and try to polish each element so
your contribution is worthwhile. Net Control may have final authority, but
good, clean operating methods and procedures almost make a net run without a
NCS.
WHAT TO DO IN AN
ACTUAL EMERGENCY
Assume an actual
emergency has occurred. If you are in the affected area, your first and
immediate attention should be directed to the safety and well being of yourself
and your family. Anyone who runs out to play ham radio before attending to the
needs of family and friends and neighbors has his priorities backwards.
Secondly, if you are not in the affected area or are in the affected area, but
have matters well in hand and wish to devote yourself to helping out via
amateur radio, the first thing you should do is:
nothing. Do NOT self-dispatch yourself
to the affected area. Amateur radio operators are not "first
responders" nor are they second responders or even sometimes third
responders. The police services, fire services, HAZMAT (HAZardous
MATerials) services, Emergency Management, and other
government and government-related entities will, in all likelihood, have
everything well in hand and will not need the help of ham volunteers.
a If we are called and when we are called, we will be called
because there is a long-term need for communications support in a situation
where regular commercial or government communication systems are for various
reasons not available. Thus, there will be, relatively speaking, plenty of time
to prepare and set up. It will not be a
"slap leather" situation. The most likely scenarios are
communications in support of shelters set up by the Red Cross to house people
made homeless by the event or support of Red Cross personnel in damage
assessment or some other form of information collection requiring extensive
travel in the affected area and data collection and transmission. Thus, to
repeat, it will NOT be necessary for hams to rush immediately to the scene of
the event.
If there is a call for
assistance, that call will come from the requesting agency (Emergency
Management, Red Cross, or whomever) to the ARES leadership (Emergency
Coordinator, Deputy Emergency Coordinator, or Assistant Emergency Coordinator,
depending on who is available and answers the phone). The ARES leadership individual
will then call a net on the ARES repeater or, if it is not available, whatever
repeater best fits the situation from an operational and geographical point of
view. Since the affected area will presumably be cordoned off by the safety
services, access will be allowed only through a prescribed routine that
provides for thorough identification and control procedures. Accordingly, it
will be necessary to establish a staging area outside the affected area and to
dispatch volunteers from there. The most likely candidate for a staging area
would be the parking lot of a major retail mall easily identified and easily
accessible near to, but not inside, the affected area. A staging area
coordinator will be appointed and he or she will locate at an announced
location (away from stores and other businesses so as not to interfere with
their normal activities). Volunteers will be advised over the repeater to report to
the staging area coordinator. The coordinator will record name, call, phone,
and address, and other pertinent information of the volunteers, and then as
requests for communications assistance are relayed over the net, individuals
will be assigned to handle those requests. This might involve dispatching a
volunteer to meet a particular Red Cross official at a particular command post
where he or she would obtain the appropriate identification materials, log in,
and then proceed with his or her assignment as shadow or whatever.
It will be necessary for Net Control, or someone designated by Net
Control, to keep track of all assignments, make sure that when a volunteer is
secured from his or her assignment, the appropriate notation is made in the
log, and to recruit new personnel in the event it is anticipated that the event
will require several shifts. The packet program ARESDATA, properly configured,
would make a useful database for this type of tracking.
Again, to
repeat, amateurs who "self-dispatch" themselves to the affected area
will not be allowed inside the affected area and will embarrass themselves and
the amateur service. If, perchance, they are able to sneak through the police
lines, they will not be helpful or useful because they will not be a part of
the program and might even contribute to a worsening of the situation. At the
very least, they will be an embarrassment to themselves and to the Service.
Wait until you hear a request for help on the ARIES repeater and do exactly as
instructed by ARIES leadership personnel.