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GOOD OPERATING PRACTICES:
The rules that govern our service require good
amateur operating practices. Without further analysis, this is a
vague term. Since more hams use FM voice than any other communications
mode, and there are more than nine thousand 2 meter FM repeaters in the
United States, it is not surprising to find that good operating practices,
have, in fact, been defined. This is a listing of "Good Operating Procedures"
that we should all strive to maintain;
A good operator uses plain English and avoids jargon.
FM repeater communication is essentially as
clear as a telephone call. In addition to avoiding needless repetition,
a key to good communication on fm repeater contacts is the use of plain
English. There is no radio-ese. There is no appropriate jargon.
Q-signals, pro signs and phonetics are not appropriate for fm operation
except in the most unusual circumstances. Those circumstances exist
when your signal cannot otherwise be understood. Normally, before
a signal deteriorates to that point, communication becomes impossible.
A good operator identifies correctly.
FCC rules require a station to identify every
ten minutes and at the end of a QSO. Repeating the other stations
call sign and your call sign following every transmission is the
mark of a poor operator. Most of us are acquainted with each other.
We often recognize each-other's voices without any further identification
being necessary and when we meet each other in person, we address each
other by our names rather than our calls.
There is no place on the repeater for no-contact reports.
When you place a call on the repeater, and
a station does not answer, it is appropriate to place the call again.
The listening station may well be far enough away from a microphone that
it takes a while to respond. Allow the station time to respond.
On hearing no response, it is appropriate to announce your call sign. That
lets other people who may be waiting for you to finish your calling attempts
to know that you are done and they may proceed. All that is necessary
is the repetition of your call sign one time. Remember; Broadcasting
is illegal.
When you want to talk to someone on a repeater...
it is appropriate to announce your call sign followed
by the word "listening" or "mobile" or "monitoring".
Anyone hearing this on the repeater frequency will know that you are willing
to accept calls from any other station. Nothing else is necessary.
Wide-Area coverage...
Repeaters exist for the purpose of expanding
the range of mobile and hand-held transceivers. Once a contact is
made on a repeater, your QSO is open for anyone to join in - so remember
to allow time between transmissions for others to do so. If you wish
to have a relatively more private conversation, it is appropriate to move
to a simplex frequency - or at least, another lower profile repeater that
all stations involved in your QSO can reach.
The appropriate amount of time to use a repeater can vary
during the time of the day. For example; During commute hours perhaps
two or three minutes is all that should be used... while off-hours, or
even "middle-of-the-night" sessions would allow for longer QSOs.
A good operator does not overuse the repeater.
The repeater is a shared resource.
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