|
May |
|
11 |
By Jeffery Walter KE5FGA
Date and TimeMonday, May 11, 2026 |
I won’t be checking into this net any longer and focusing on my local ARES group. I tried numerous times to check in. Net control messed up my call and when I tried to correct it I was ignored and walked on by other stations. There was no opportunity for relays to call stations.
Thanks.
Hello,
There needs to be a clear set of instructions to all checking into this net (or ANY net for that matter). When checking in, the station should begin with 'This is. . . ', then UNkey the mike and LISTEN for any doubling stations BEFORE rekeying and continuing with the call sign. I don’t know how many stations began simply by all but bellowing their call sign WITHOUT the courtesy to see if they were doubling another station. This is the sort of disrespect which causes many to decide these nets are worthless and then cease participation. Not having that instruction, and not following the above instruction are causing major issues. It is hard enough to hear or be heard without this sort of rude and selfish behavior, and yes, that is what it is.
Take it for what it is worth,
73 de KA7SSR
Jim Vineyard, EC Atascosa County
Please reconsider, it was one net, and the conditions weren’t great.
I call this net from time to time and will gladly call it anytime Mr. Jeff asks, as long as my schedule allows.
This is than you call, releasing your push-to-talk, and listening is a must. It prevents doubling and allows weaker stations to be heard.
The weak stations at first will be from the impacted area.
This was not followed, and it happened to you.
We are all human, but emotions must be placed in check
In the old days, or during an emergency, we would not recognize any station that did not follow protocols (plural).
We have this same type of behavior happening on the Central Gulf Coast Hurricane Net and the Texas Traffic Net.
Somehow, the count or number of check-ins has become more important in some minds than the quality of an operator or their abilities.
We all.must be a Team Player and utilize the Team Concept.
Again, I ask you to please reconsider this was a test of equipment and personnel.
However, it was not an actual Simulated Emergency Test known as a (Set) or (Sets).
Its purpose was stated at the beginning of the net.
And as you’ve rightfully pointed out, we have an area we need to improve on.
Quitting is easy. But sticking with it would keep you and the rest of us moving forward.
We must be able to handle an emergency when it rears its ugly head.
Our weather has not been the best; in fact, it’s been breaking records and not in a good way.
This means not only ARES but all nets.
Again, the net is a test of our equipment and ourselves.
In conclusion, it was a test, not the real deal.
Let’s move forward and continue to improve one another, our communities, or depending on it.
73’s Don, W5JX
P.S. I’m calling the Texas Traffic Net tomorrow; you’ll find some of the same type of behavior we all must work together on.
We have the Hurricane Session approaching, the worst Tornado session since 2011, and warming in the Gulf.
I went through a 100-year flood, a 500-year flood, and both Katrina and Rita.
Oddly, during an emergency, you have more check-ins than at any other time, and more than 50% are not qualified to assist.
Most likely a low number, based on 2005.
Let’s change this; it can only happen starting with you.
In my 50 plus years of being a licensed amateur radio operator, whoever came up with this idea of THIS IS has got to be the dumbest SOB. Nets worked just fine for decades without it.
Especially who the hell thinks that it works great on VHF FM? Did hams become stupid and forget about capture effect? Obviously they have! It seems all this hobby is becoming full of now are people who think they’re emergency communications operators when they don’t even know how to operate a radio properly. Especially those who operate Field Day from air conditioned buildings!! My first Field Day at age 14 was out in the middle of a field in an unair conditioned pop-up trailer, or just because they got their extra class in one setting, they think they know everything about radio and call those of us who try to Elmer or help, sad hams or shady.
When you start working on transmitters that its TPO begins with a one and two zeros followed by a comma, or have driven INTO CAT 3 hurricanes to provide or restore comm systems, then we can talk.
Oh and one more thing, when one of the emergency coordinators or now District emergency coordinators shows how stupid he is in a club meeting by saying that Louisiana and Texas cops can’t talk to each other, even though there’s NIFOG and I’m sitting there holding my TX DPS APX8000XE with tons of interoperability channels in it, it makes me wonder who the hell put this dumb MF in charge…And what dumber MFs are above him. Especially when one county has its emergency coordinator who’s in hospice, and evidently likes to talk to himself pretending to run a Skywarn net when nobody’s checked in!! I have to laugh at that crap
Chris WB5ITT (non vanity)
Trustee W5APX
WRXZ789 GMRS
PG-09-5322 GROL
Society of Broadcast Engineers Vice Chairman and Frequency Coordinator, SBE134 SE TX and SW LA
Former Chief Engineer, Clear Channel Dallas and Engineering Manager, iHeart New Orleans
13 years, Sr Telecom Tech, GSU/Entergy
Current TVI/RFI Consultant for Entergy Texas
Please reconsider, it was one net, and the conditions weren’t great.
I call this net from time to time and will gladly call it anytime Mr. Jeff asks, as long as my schedule allows.
This is than you call, releasing your push-to-talk, and listening is a must. It prevents doubling and allows weaker stations to be heard.
The weak stations at first will be from the impacted area.
This was not followed, and it happened to you.
We are all human, but emotions must be placed in check
In the old days, or during an emergency, we would not recognize any station that did not follow protocols (plural).
We have this same type of behavior happening on the Central Gulf Coast Hurricane Net and the Texas Traffic Net.
Somehow, the count or number of check-ins has become more important in some minds than the quality of an operator or their abilities.
We all.must be a Team Player and utilize the Team Concept.
Again, I ask you to please reconsider this was a test of equipment and personnel.
However, it was not an actual Simulated Emergency Test known as a (Set) or (Sets).
Its purpose was stated at the beginning of the net.
And as you’ve rightfully pointed out, we have an area we need to improve on.
Quitting is easy. But sticking with it would keep you and the rest of us moving forward.
We must be able to handle an emergency when it rears its ugly head.
Our weather has not been the best; in fact, it’s been breaking records and not in a good way.
This means not only ARES but all nets.
Again, the net is a test of our equipment and ourselves.
In conclusion, it was a test, not the real deal.
Let’s move forward and continue to improve one another, our communities, or depending on it.
73’s Don, W5JX
P.S. I’m calling the Texas Traffic Net tomorrow; you’ll find some of the same type of behavior we all must work together on.
We have the Hurricane Session approaching, the worst Tornado session since 2011, and warming in the Gulf.
I went through a 100-year flood, a 500-year flood, and both Katrina and Rita.
Oddly, during an emergency, you have more check-ins than at any other time, and more than 50% are not qualified to assist.
Most likely a low number, based on 2005.
Let’s change this; it can only happen starting with you.