KG6NUO's Ham Shack

REPEATER ETIQUETTE.....

First and foremost let me say ham radio is a lot of fun, however we still need to adhere to certain guidlines and thats all this is so by all means have fun and please read on!

One of the best things a new ham could ever do is listen to the repeater for a while. What I mean by this is listen to the way people conduct themselves, get a "feel" for the way folks who've been around for a while use the repeater.

Listen
Listen
Listen

One can't stress this point enough, when you get "scolded" for the way you use the repeater, it might hurt your feelings. That is not usually the intent, its only to help you understand how to use the repeater, So, if you listen for a while and learn some of the ways the "regulars" use the repeater you most likely won't get "scolded" for the way you use it.

Kerchunking
Please don't key your mike to check for a return carrier from the repeater. Observe the rules and identify yourself when you transmit. It can be as short and simple as: "This is KG6XYZ." or "This is KG6XYZ,. testing, no response necessary." Let's set a good example and practice good operating procedures. Besides if all your going to do is check to see if the repeater is there you'll find out when someone talks, besides if the repeater is down what can you do about it... nothing, so what is the point!

Often times when you "throw out" you call, it is considered an invite to others listening that you are on the air and available for a conversation. This is more the norm that the use of "CQ" in FM mode on the VHF and higher bands.

Listen before transmitting
One of the most important rules is: LISTEN FIRST. Nothing is more annoying than someone that "keys up" in the middle of another conversation without first checking to make sure the repeater is free or having the volume turned down and not checking, open your squelch to make sure your radio's volume is turned up. If the repeater is in use, wait for a pause in the conversation and simply announce your callsign and wait for one of the other stations to acknowledge your call.

Signal Reports
Don't break a conversation just to get a signal report, its rude! Wait until the conversation is done then ask for a radio check.

When you are looking for a signal report, the right way to do it is to say something like (obviously using your own call) "KG6XYZ looking for a signal report", not "KG6XYZ listening." Saying "listening" or "monitoring" implies that you're listening to the repeater and would like to chat with someone. Often, there will be others "lurking" who might be willing to jump onto the radio to give out a signal report, but won't answer a general "listening" call because they might not want to get involved in an extended conversation. This is how most "call CQ" on the repeater.

Unless you have actually made some changes to your station, you may find that folks will tire of responding to you if you ask for a report day after day (or more often).

If you're responding to a signal report request, make sure you're giving accurate information. If you can't hear the repeater itself well, it will be difficult to report back accurate information to the other station. Remember that the information that's useful is how the other station sounds coming into the repeater, not how the repeater itself sounds. Since the repeater itself should be more or less constant to you, you're just helping the other station figure out how well they are making it to the repeater.

Jammers or annoying users
If you hear a jammer, ignore him/her. Resist the temptation to "set the jammer straight." Don't acknowledge their presence in any way. Anything you might say about it probably doesn't belong on the band and may contribute to the problem. If the jammer has no audience, he or she won't have any fun and will soon be gone. Besides its not your job to do this, it is the responsability of the control operators to babysit the repeater, let them do their job.

Leave a pause
When you are using the repeater leave a couple of seconds between exchanges to allow other stations to join in or make a quick call. "A pause for the cause," as the local saying was coined.

Most repeaters have a "Courtesy Tone" that will help in determining how long to pause. The courtesy tone serves two purposes. Repeaters have a time out function that will shut down the transmitter if the repeater is held on for a preset length of time (normally three or four minutes). This ensures that if someone's transmitter is stuck on for any reason, it won't hold the repeater's transmitter on indefinitely. On linked repeater systems this tone will let all know which repeater the last user was on.

When a ham is talking and releases the push-to-talk switch on their radio, the controller in the repeater detects the loss of carrier and resets the time-out timer. When the timer is reset, the repeater sends out the courtesy tone. If you wait until you hear this beep (normally a couple of seconds), before you respond, you can be sure that you are pausing a suitable length of time. After you hear the beep, the repeater's transmitter will stay on for a few more seconds before turning off. This is referred to as the "tail". The length of the tail will vary from repeater to repeater but the average is about 2 or 3 seconds. You don't have to wait for the "tail to drop" before keying up again, but you should make sure that you hear the courtesy tone before going ahead.

Note: If you don't wait for the beep the time-out timer to may not reset. If you time-out the repeater, hams that are listening may expect a free coffee from the offender.

Limit your time on a given repeater to within reason. (This can vary a great deal and will depend upon the circumstance, but ragchewing for several hours straight is NOT recommended as a friendly practice!)

Waiting for the courtesy tone before transmitting also has another good reason. This allows time for other stations to break in, and allows the system to reset but most importantly it allows users with emergency traffic to get in. Just put yourself in their place, what if you were mobile and had an emergency but couldn't get into the repeater because everyone was "quick keying" and not allowing you to get in.

New or unfamiliar calls
Talk to strangers once in a while. (Many hams, all good people, slip into a habit of not talking with anyone they don't already know when operating FM repeaters. They forget that this is not what they do when on HF!)

Again put yourself in their place, remember back when you were a new ham and how intimidated you felt, then to have someone not even acknowledge you on the repeater. Let him/her know they are being heard and strike up a small conversation, it will make a huge difference.

Use of Jargon & Q-signals
One very easy habit to fall into is the use of jargon. Instead of saying "I've arrived at my destination" you'll hear folks say things like "We're destinated". (It seems to be a very common practice to use "we" when what you really mean is "I". This seems to be one of the hardest habits to break. A good practice is to just say, in plain English, what you mean. If someone doesn't understand, they'll ask you.

Q-signals
(QTH, QSY, QSL, QRT, QSO, etc.) were developed for use solely on CW (morse code) where keeping things as short as possible is obviously desirable. A number of the Q-signals (the ones mentioned here in particular) have found there way into common use on phone (voice) modes. To some degree, that's ok and probably unavoidable, but when you can, try to just say what you mean. In particular though, don't start every sentence with "QSL" (or its "plain-English" equivalent of "Roger"). Think about a telephone conversation with someone; You wouldn't say "Yes, I understand" every time it's your turn to speak, right? That's what's you're doing when you say QSL or Roger at the beginning of your transmission. Just talk like you would on the phone.

Information
If someone asks for information and you KNOW you can answer it go ahead, HOWEVER if you don't know the answer don't key up and say "sorry I can't help you", just listen and you might learn something.

When NOT to use a repeater
Use simplex channels when they make more sense. (Two cars traveling close together should NOT be using a REPEATER unless there is some compelling reason, (ie)looking for another friend to join in, or the contact is going to be brief, etc.)