[Elecraft] Elecraft CW Net critique

[Kevin Rock]

Good Evening,
    I received the following critique this morning and thought it may be  
well to answer it publically.  This will also help those who have not  
followed the history of ECN from its inception on June 7th, 2003.  I have  
elided the author's name and callsign to protect his privacy.  However, I  
do wish for input such as this from any of you.  Since we started the nets  
we have evolved our methods a great deal.  What you hear now is due to a  
great number of emails between a number of us.  Go to ecn.visionseer.com  
for some of the notes I've developed over the years.  There is an archive  
of the Elecraft Reflector which can be used to find ECN announcements or  
reports.  Ms. Pat showed me results of a Google search she performed one  
day.  She put in KD5ONS and then checked the box to allow for similiar  
pages to be displayed.  This will allow you to find all of the ECN email  
listings too.

    When I started ECN I was also involved with three NTS traffic nets.  As  
some of you know I have taken traffic during or following the net if I am  
situated such that I am the strongest station the traffic passing op can  
hear.  One reason we use some of our procedures is because of this traffic  
net experience.  We also use QN codes to help limit some of the  
exchanges.  Since moving from the back room radio shack to a place nearer  
the woodstove I have not moved all of my cheat sheets.  The Q and QN code  
sheet is one which has not yet made the trip.  I will do so now ... done!

    We have tried having folks use 'hail' signs and some of you still do  
so.  It is much appreciated since I can copy them more quickly than I can  
a series of overlapping callsigns.  Another technique we tried, a few  
years ago when the bands were stronger, was to call for QNI by area.  i.  
e. 1, 2, and 3 calls come first.  That way we could work east to west to  
optimize propagation conditions as they changed across the continent.   
That worked well until propagation worsened due to the deepening sunspot  
cycle.  Now that we have changed the times earlier to allow for folks out  
east to work ECN we may reinstitute this system.

    I have worked stations as they check in because I often receive private  
email from folks mentioning they do not tune in until 20 or 30 minutes  
after the hour.  Many of you do not copy all of the exchanges awaiting a  
chance to check in.  Since ECN is not a strict traffic net, nor a DX  
contest, nor even your standard net we work a little differently.  I  
modeled ECN on a net I was familiar with while going to graduate school in  
New Mexico.  This net (Rusty's Raiders Net if you wish provenance) would  
run from 9 AM until noon on the extensive 2 meter repeater system in New  
Mexico.  It is also like the Noon Time Net.  We take check ins as they  
call and work them in that order.  I have worked three in a row but  
rarely.  Often I get two and then work them before I call for the next  
set.  If the net runs for an hour or longer I think I have done a very  
good job.

    Usually I work strongest to weakest stations because it helps me hear  
the weaker stations if the louder ones are no longer present.  I have  
asked many times for relays or for another operator to act as NCS.  Tom,  
N0SS, is not the sole relay station involved.  Many others have been asked  
and then acted as NCS.  If you are strong to me and are in another  
geographic area I will ask you to run the net.  Then you send your check  
ins and their information back to me.  Tom simply lives in a good location  
to call the folks near where I live (Oregon) whom I cannot work directly.   
He also is located such that he can work folks east of me better (at  
times) than I can.  I have received help from folks in NM, AZ, CA, TN, CO,  
and CT to round out the NCS slot.  Thank you to all of those operators who  
assisted us.

    Yes, we do get chatty.  I repeat myself occasionally because I know  
some of you do not hear what I've sent to other operators.  If I can  
develop a method of getting your callsign (or better yet a hail sign) the  
first time things will run more rapidly.  There were many times this last  
Sunday where all I heard was one steady tone; much like a key held down  
for four or five seconds.  I need to break those up into shorter patterns  
which I can call in sequence.  If Tom is running the net and I hear  
someone who he cannot I break him with a single O (the first character of  
the suffix of my call).  Others of you do send 'hail' signs which are  
quite helpful.  Some of you have such distinctive calls I only need to  
hear the last two characters to know who you are (AR, YD, SS, BK, etc.)

    Please remember: we try to run the net so accomplished operators and  
novice CW ops can work in the same venue.  I keep my keyer set to a  
maximum of 20 words per minute and increase inter-character spacing if  
necessary.  Tom does increase speed to work faster stations.  I normally  
do not but copy them at their speed.  The reason I don't speed things up  
is so we do not scare off anyone by running so far over their head that  
they are intimidated.  That is NOT what ECN is all about.  If it takes  
longer to work a slower operator so be it; there is always next week.   
Being friendly, calling folks by name, these are hallmarks of our net.  I  
shall not change that.

    I welcome debate on our procedures.  We've evolved to this point I have  
no problem with ongoing change to make ECN better for us all.  Please  
email me privately with your comments or critiques so we do not deluge the  
Reflector with our comments.  Eric suffers our presence gladly; I would  
like to stay on his good side by keeping our traffic to a minimum :)
    73,
        Kevin.  KD5ONS  (Net Control Operator in Training)




On Tue, 30 Jan 2007 05:57:54 -0800, xxxxx wrote:

> Kevin,
>
> You asked for some help on how to be a net control station.
>
> Caviet: it has been over 20 years since I was manager of a cw traffic  
> net (NTX, north texas cw traffic net and frequent checking on TEX and  
> RN5[region 5]). Things have changed a bit since then.  I never got good  
> enough to be RN5<-->CAN [central area net]or to run with the TCC boys  
> (they relay between EAN[eastern area net], CAN and PAN[pacific area net]  
> {or did then}).
>
> I suggest that you listen to some real cw traffic nets and model your  
> operation after those.
>
> A good NCS(net control station) will listen for a single character from  
> a station and repeat it back. That station then sends their full call  
> sign and QTC list or QRU.
>
> NCS acknowledges and waits. Someone else sends a single character.  
> REPEAT above proceedure.
>
> Perhaps some stations saying 'QRZ' (someone else is calling you). You  
> would say QRZ? QSP? (who is calling me, can someone relay).
>
> After everyone checks in, you can get 'chatty' and ask stations  
> questions about their weather, etc.
>
> Note: it is unnecessary to tell each station about YOUR weather, etc.,  
> as most stations have copied everything you have sent to anyone!
>
> You only need to say something ONCE unless someone asks you (because  
> they missed something).
>
> It should NOT take an hour to call the net.
>
> Remember also, band conditions change rapidly. It is very frustrating  
> for a station to wait an hour to try to check in and have the band  
> change so that they can no longer hear the net!!!
>
>
> You might try something like this:
>
> QST QST QST Elecraft cw net ECN QND QNZ vvv vvv vvv de KD5ONS
> *QNC chk in by sending last letter from ur call. Send ur call when I  
> *echo what you send =
> *QNA stns wid suffix starting wid A de KD5ONS K
> *....
> ECN QNA B thru D  de KD5ONS K
> ....
> etc.
>
> If you set forth the procedure you intend to use on the redirector, then  
> it is NOT necessary to repeat it on the air. You skip the * lines in the  
> suggested net start up.
>
> 73 de xxxx
>
> these may help
> ---------------------------------
> QNA        Answer in prearranged order
> QNB        Act as relay between ...... and ......
> QNC        All net stations copy
> QND        Net is directed
> QNE        Entire net please stand by
> QNF        Net is free
> QNG        Take over as Net Control Station (NCS)
> QNH        Your net frequency is high
> QNI        Report into net -or- I report into net
> QNJ        Can you copy ......?
> QNK        Transmit message(s) (for ......) to ......
> QNL        Your net frequency is low
> QNM        You are QRMing ...... Please stand by
> QNN        Who is net control station? -or- Net control station is ......
> QNO        Going out of net
> QNP        Unable to copy you or ......
> QNQ        Move frequency to ...... and wait for ...... to finish  
> handling traffic. Then
>             send him traffic for ......
> QNR        Answer ..... and relay (or receive) traffic
> QNS        Following stations in net ... ... ...
> QNT        Leaving net temporarily (or for ... minutes) -or- I request  
> to leave net
>             temporarily, etc.
> QNU        ...... has traffic for you: await instructions
> QNV        Establish contact with ...... on this frequency. If  
> successful, move to .....kHz
>             and send him traffic for ......
> QNW        Through whom shall I relay message for ......
> QNX        You are excused from the net -or- I request to be excused  
> from the net
> QNY        Please shift to another frequency (or to ....kHz) to prevent  
> QRMing other net
>             stations (or to clear traffic with ......)
> QNZ        Zero beat your signal with mine
>