On 8/31/2013 10:50 PM, [email protected] wrote:
Hi all,
Do CW nets operate similar to SSB nets? I would like to
learn how.
I checked into a couple, but I think I was out of order. They graciously
worked me in, but I think I was not going by the working format.
I listened, but am not good enough at CW to be sure I am doing things
correct.
They vary greatly. Kevin's ECN on Sun is semi-conversational. You send
some part of your call ... typically a couple of short letters ... he
will respond with the same thing and you send your call. He
acknowledges you and most folks send a short transmission about
conditions, wx, new rig, new antenna -- whatever, Kevin answers and you
sign off and he goes on to the next one.
Some are the same people all the time, they tend to be *very*
conversational, no formal "I talk, you talk," and can sometimes be a bit
hard to enter since everyone knows everyone, usually by their fist and
signal. Stations ID every 10 min [we all hope :-)] but the back and
forth conversation proceeds much faster than that.
NTS traffic nets are quite a bit more formal. If you're going to try
out your local section net [probably on 80m in the evening], download
the QN signals from ARRL, and get a copy of Int'l Q-signals if you don't
have them. Assuming I have 2 messages, one for the net manager [WB6UZX]
and one for Texas, I will check into No Cal Net [NCS in lower case, me
in upper]:
ncn qni qtc?
[DASH]
[dash]
K6DGW QNI QTC 1 UZX 1 RN6
NCS will acknowledge and send "as" [wait] RN6 is the 6th Regional Net
where all traffic bound outside of California goes. At some point, if
Steve checks in, NCS send me up or down 3KHz to pass the traffic to UZX.
Someone on the net will be checking into RN6, NCS will send me to him
to pass my tfc to TX. After, I come back to the net freq, check back in
with QRU, and NCS will send something like "r qru qnx ge" for "Roger,
net has nothing for you, you're excused, good evening," or something
like that.
On NTS nets, I run at 20WPM period. Some run much faster, I think it's
a shame, NTS is still alive but sometimes it seems like it's on life
support. If we want new folks in, running a net at 28WPM [lower contest
speed] is stupid.
73,
Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 2013 Cal QSO Party 5-6 Oct 2013
- www.cqp.org
PS: A lot of NTS traffic these days is generated automagically from the
FCC database: "Congrats on your new license," "Congrats on renewing
your license," "Your license expired, please renew, we need you."
Rarely is the text actually sent, everyone has downloaded the various
texts, generally keyed on the originator's call and message check, and
the delivering station just fills it in.
I QTA [cancel as if not sent] the third example above, there are lots of
reasons why someone hasn't renewed, a big one is death. This is not a
message the widow [or widower but most hams are male] wants to hear and
not one I want to deliver.
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