Georgian Bay Amateur Radio Club, Owen Sound, Ontario, CANADA

To encourage more people to participate in the GBARC net as net controller we recommended this guideline.
This is just a guideline, if you have any suggestions or comments we would be happy to hear from you.

If the scheduled net control station is not on the air at the designated time,
it will be up to anyone participating to come up on the net frequency and become net control.

The net will be more interesting if the net control station has a topic of discussion for the group.
Something of interest to the club or a radio news item or upcoming event or operating opportunity.
Something that most will have a comment or opinion about. This is entirely up to the net control station.

If the VHF repeaters are off the air or otherwise unavailable, then default to 80m on 3.783Mhz +/- qrm

It is sometimes difficult to check-in from the "other end of the link" due to the timeouts on the two repeaters.
Therefore net controllers should ask for check-ins from each repeater separately.

NB: Don't forget to file a report in the forums after the net closes.

Net Preamble Example

Thank you for taking the net

The weekly net can have a topic of discussion of your choice and has proven to be a popular part of the net. The latest RAC bulletin is also included on the Forums and can be included during the net.
Read More

Our weekly net format is to start out at 7:30pm on VHF, do one round using the topic for discussion.

When there aren't any further checkins, move to 3.783Mhz +/- for the "73" round.

When listing checkins... read back the list you heard to avoid missed stations. Do this for echolink then each of the repeaters.

The net Control Station exchange is in Purple Text.

Start the Net on VHF

If the repeater is in use, just break in and ask if you can use the frequency, explain the upcoming net.
Remember the Amateur Radio Code of Conduct.

This is (give your call sign),
Net control operator for the Georgian Bay Amateur Radio Club Net.
This is an informal Net,
held weekly on Wednesdays at 7:30 pm on VE3OSR in Owen Sound
and VE3GBT in Paisley and then on HF on 3.783Mhz immediately following.

The repeaters VE3OSR and VE3GBT are linked together and operate simultaneously.
It is important to allow the repeater tail to drop between transmissions to prevent timeouts.

Announce the topic or question for the net

The Net is now open for check-ins, Are there any echolink stations to check in to the net?
Please come now to. (give your call sign)
Wait for check-ins.
Allow extra time for echo-link check-ins
Check-ins on Echo-link need more time for their computers and the echo-link network to respond.

Are there any other stations to check in to the net?
if you are mobile or on battery power, please advise as you check in.
Please come now.

Starting at the top of the list, ve3/va3??? and so on...
Once these check-ins are complete, continue on with echolink and normal check-ins.

Wait for check-ins.

I have ve3???,va3???, ____, are there any more check-in's to the GBARC net ,
repeat till there are no more check-ins.

What follows is once through the list,
call each check-in in turn starting at the top of your list.
The second go-around is on HF.

Starting at the top of the list, ve3/va3??? and so on...

When you have gone through the list once,

Are there any late or missed check-ins?

Acknowledge check-ins by repeating their callsigns and record to the list.
Allow the late check-ins a turn at the discussion.

When there are no further check-ins.

Move the group to 3.783 Mhz +/- QRM.
Quickly monitor the frequency and pick a clear frequency, announce to the group.

We will now move to 3.78? Mhz, This is (give your call sign),

closing the VHF portion of the net, returning the repeater to normal use.

QSY and start the Net on HF

This is (give your call sign), Is this frequency in use?

If nothing is heard then continue as usual but if a station acknowledges that the frequency is in use, offer your apologies then make a quick announcement
that the HF net will QSY up or down 5kc or so (your choice) and repeat the above.

This is (give your call sign),
Net control operator for the Georgian Bay Amateur Radio Club Net.
This is an informal Net, held weekly on Wednesdays at 8:00 pm (or actual time) on 3.783 Mhz.

Check-in's usually come in small groups, keep a list of call signs as you hear them and at the next pause read off the calls and ask for any others.

The Net is now open for check-ins,

Please come now to (give your call sign)

Wait for check-ins. Make your list

I have ve3???,va3???, ____, are there any more checkin's to the GBARC net ,
repeat till there are no more check-ins.

What follows is once through the list, the "73" round, call each check-in in turn starting at the top of your list.

When you have gone through the list once,

Are there any late or missed check-ins?

Acknowledge check-ins by repeating their callsigns and record to the list.
Allow the late check-ins a turn at the discussion.

When this is complete, close the Net with the following statement.

Thanks to all for participating in this net, there were ?? checkins including myself.
Those interested in being the net control station please contact us by email at netmanager@gbarc.ca

The GBARC Net is now closed. Returning the frequency to normal use. 73
This is (your call sign) Clear .

The Georgian Bay Amateur Radio Club