[Wash County ARES] Standard Operation Procedure for WCARES Nets

[K5LLR skip]

Below is the first cut I have made at creating SOP for WCARES Net Control Stations:

Any Additions delations or comments are welcome.


Net control: Trigger the repeater by stating your callsign 15 seconds before starting, so the voice ID doesn't come in right after your opening!

Attention all stations (optional repeats: Attention all stations, Attention all stations):

This is [NAME, CALL], net control station for the Washington County ARES disaster preparedness net in Washington County, Texas. The primary purpose of this net is to organize and coordinate volunteer emergency communications in 
the city of Oakland. (PAUSE)

All licensed amateurs listening, regardless of location, are welcome and encouraged to check in and participate. This net meets weekly on Thursday at 19:30 hours Pacific Time, on the WB6NDJ repeater transmitting on 146.880 MHz 
and linked to the 442.400 MHz repeater in Washington County, Texas. (PAUSE)

This repeater portion of the net will be followed by a simplex portion, which will be at 147.585 MHz or, if that frequency is occupied, 146.565. If you can, please follow us to our simplex frequency and check in there as well. (PAUSE)

This is a directed net. Net control requests initial check in by complete call sign stated phonetically. After you are acknowledged by net control, please identify by call sign without phonetics, followed by your name and the last 2 digits 
of the Oakland zip code of your present location. If you are outside Oakland, please give your city instead. (PAUSE)

If you have routine traffic for the net, please advise net control as you check in. Once you have checked in, please stand by unless called upon by net control. If you wish to speak, please state only your full call sign and wait to be 
acknowledged. (PAUSE)

This net will interrupt at any time for emergency or priority traffic. If you have such traffic, please say the word 'emergency' or 'priority' followed by your call sign, and wait to be acknowledged. (PAUSE)

Are there any stations operating from fire stations or other emergency locations tonight?(PAUSE FOR REPLIES)
Are there any mobile or pedestrian stations for check-in at this time?(PAUSE FOR REPLIES)
This is [NAME, CALLSIGN]. All stations with call sign suffixes Alpha through Hotel, regulars and visitors, please check in now. (PAUSE FOR REPLIES) (DO NOT REPEAT)
All stations with call sign suffixes Alpha through Papa, regulars and visitors, please check in now. (PAUSE FOR REPLIES) (DO NOT REPEAT)
All remaining stations, regulars and visitors, please check in now. (PAUSE FOR REPLIES) (REPEAT UNTIL NO FURTHER STATIONS ARE HEARD.)
Any stations on ECHOLINK or IRLP that have not already checked in, please check in now. (If you hear any such, PAUSE for 2 seconds after they unkey, so that they can hear you respond.)

(HANDLE STATIONS WITH TRAFFIC, ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RECOGNIZE CONTACTS. ASK FOR QUESTIONS OR REQUESTS FOR FILLS.)

We are about to move to the simplex portion of the net on 147.585, This is a final call for any late check-ins or other traffic for the net. (PAUSE)

As there is no further activity for the net, the repeater portion of the Oakland WCARES net is closed at [TIME] hours. In case of actual local disaster, this repeater, or the simplex frequency 146.88, will host a resource net on which 
amateurs located in Oakland, Piedmont, or Emeryville who are available for service can check in. Thanks to all stations who participated in tonight's net and we'll listen for you again next Thursday at 19:30 hours Pacific time on this 
frequency. Thanks again to ORCA for the use of its repeater. (PAUSE)

Net control will now change frequency to the simplex portion of this net on 147.585 Mhz. If that frequency is in use, we will use 146.565 MHz.

This is [name], your Net Control Station, [call sign].



=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

Simplex Net

This is [callsign]. Is this frequency in use?

[NCS should then listen and if nothing is heard say "nothing heard" and pause for several seconds, allowing another station on the net who DOES hear stations already using the frequency to interrupt and notify the NCS].[If frequency 
is in use, announce the alternate frequency, 146.565, and go there.]

This is [name], [call sign], your Net Control Station for this evening's WCARES disaster preparedness net.

We will now continue with the simplex portion of the net. Net Control will call each station that checked in during the repeater portion of the net. Please respond with your call sign only. Net Control will acknowledge stations heard or 
will comment that no response was heard. If you hear a station respond that Net Control does NOT hear, please advise Net Control immediately by stating your full call sign.

[Go through the check-in list. If you call a station and hear a response, acknowledge it so all stations on the net know that Net Control heard the response. If you call a station and hear NO response or only noise that you cannot 
identify, say "Nothing heard" or "Net Control did not copy the last transmission" and then pause for at least two seconds to allow a station who HAS heard the called station to interrupt the net].

Any late or missed stations please check-in at this time. (PAUSE)

As there is no further traffic for the net the simplex portion is now closed at [TIME]. We hope to hear you next Thursday at 1930 hours Pacific Time on the repeater portion of the net at 146.88.

This is [name], your Net Control Station, [call sign].

Revised 02/23/2015

Training is Not Education and Know-how is not Knowledge
No matter how important Training and Know-how are!