FARA NET CONTROL SCRIPT (Rev. L)
Notes:
1.) Please speak clearly, and close to your microphone.
2.) Your station should be strong enough for full quieting.
3.) If any FARA officers check in, Net Control should request an update on club announcements, meeting dates, topics etc.
[Start promptly at 19:30 local time.] [Wait for repeater idle (beep]
“CALLING THE FARA NET, CALLING THE FARA NET! FARA is the Framingham Amateur Radio Association, an active club of interested amateur radio operators. This net has several purposes – to ensure that our equipment is always ready for emergencies, to enjoy activities with our fellow hams, to offer education to our members and others in order to advance their ham radio skills, and to encourage good operating procedures. To learn more about FARA, go to our website at w1fy.org.
Good evening. This is [your name and call], Net Control, about to convene a regular session of the FARA Sunday Evening Net. This is a directed net, so all communication should be as requested by the Net Control only.
If any ‘In-and-Out’ stations wish to check in and then leave, we will take you now. Would any ‘In-and Out’ stations like to check in?” [Log the in-and-out stations]
Our first call will be for Mobile stations only. Our second call will be for Fixed stations only. Our third call will be for Echolink stations only.
Please wait to check in until your group has been called. If you are a mobile or fixed station the following procedure should be used to be sure you are not doubling: After the net control has released the carrier and you hear the beep, pause briefly before checking in; then say ‘this is’, drop your carrier, wait for the beep, pause briefly again, and then give your call, name, and location. Additional stations checking in should follow the same procedure.
Mobile stations only – please call now.”
[Wait for check-ins.] [As each station identifies, write down his call.] [When no more Mobile stations check in, say:]
“I have the following check-ins:” [Run down the list of check-ins.]
After all Mobile stations have checked in, make any announcements here. [The reasoning is that mobiles will go out of range quickly.] After the mobile stations have checked in, call each to make their comments, and give each station the “Ham Radio Question of the Week.” Since they may soon go out of range, give each Mobile station the answer immediately.
[Next, call for Fixed stations.] [Handle them the same as the Mobiles]
“Are there any Fixed stations wishing to check into the net?”
[When there are no more check-ins, read back the list of fixed stations]
Give a unique Ham Radio Test Question to each Fixed station and ask for comments. Or, ask for comments from each check-in and then give each fixed station a unique Ham Radio Question of the Week. After each check-in has answered their question, let them know if they have the correct answer or not. If the question was answered incorrectly then, at the option of the individual net control, give a short explanation of why the correct answer is the correct answer. After all have answered their question and made their comments, take another standby for new check-ins. If there are any, repeat the above.
[Next, call for Echolink stations, handling them the same as the Fixed stations.]
“Are there any Echolink stations wishing to check into the net?”
[Note: After you address an Echolink station, there will be a delay, possibly up to 6 seconds, before you receive that station’s response. It is important that you wait for the delay before the station comes back to you. The delay only applies to his response to your message. When you respond to his message you can speak after pausing 1 second after he finishes speaking.]
[When there are no more check-ins, read back the list of Echolink stations]
Follow the procedure outlined above for fixed and mobile stations by asking each check-in a unqiue question and asking for their comments.
Finally, to close the net, do the following:
“Thank you all for checking in [List Check-Ins]; we hope to hear you again next week. Before we close tonight’s Net, are there any Stations with further Comments or Questions?”
Once all further comments have been heard, if any, then say the following to close the net:
“This is [your call], net control, closing the FARA net at [time] and returning the repeater back to regular use.”
END OF NET
Further comments on the Test Question of the Week:
It is good to come up with questions where each participant has to provide a different answer, to avoid copying. Example: a different “Q” signal for each person, or a different DX prefix for each person. Also, multiple choice questions are good, with 4 possible answers, similar to those in the Q&A books. Try to avoid “ham radio trivia” questions, and also avoid math questions where the station has to calculate an answer. The purpose of the Question of the Week is the continuing education of our members, and you generally don’t learn useful information from a trivia question.
Please prepare your Test Questions of the Week in advance.
Thank you for your service to FARA!