Your first net — a friendly walkthrough

Nervous about your first check-in? Don't be. Here's exactly how it goes, start to finish.

Before 8:30 PM Saturday

1. Program your radio for the Bellingham 550 repeater. (see Programming your radio).
2. Find a spot with a decent signal — near a window or outside beats a basement.
3. Turn the volume up and just listen for a few minutes. Listening is half of radio.

When the net starts

Net control (the person running things) will open the net and ask for check-ins. When they do:

1. Wait for a gap so you're not talking over anyone.
2. Press the talk button, pause half a second, then speak.
3. Give your call sign and name: "WRXY123, Mark, checking in."
4. Let go and listen — net control will welcome you back.

That's the whole thing. Really.

If it doesn't go perfectly

• Nobody answered? You might not be reaching the repeater. Double-check your transmit tone and offset, or move to a better spot, and try again.
• Got tongue-tied? Everyone does the first time. Nobody's keeping score — we're just glad you're on the air.

Want a soft start? Say hello first in the Net Check-ins forum and we'll listen for you.