All amateur radio operators are welcome to use the Boundary Amateur Radio Club’s 2-meter repeater provided they follow the guidelines below. In some cases our rules are more restrictive than FCC rules however, we believe these simple operating rules will keep the repeater enjoyable for everyone.
All users will yield the use of the repeater to club approved nets and emergency operations such as when ARES/RACES is activated. A list of nets can be found at the clubs website www.w7bfi.com.
The pubic, future amateur radio operators, and public officials listen to the repeater traffic. This is the same group of people that pay the taxes to support our repeater site. Let’s show them that we are professional and courteous. Users who are not “nice” will be asked not to use the repeater. The guidlens below should help you define nice.
Use plain language on the repeater. There is no need to use slang or jargon. FM repeater communication is essentially as clear as a telephone call. Q-signals, pro signs and phonetics are not necessary for most FM operation.
We are required by law to follow the FCC rules. FCC Rules & Comment on Prohibited Communications Section 97.113(a) are below:
(a) No amateur station shall transmit:
(1) Communications specifically prohibited elsewhere in this Part;
(2) Communications for hire or for material compensation, direct or indirect, paid or promised, except as otherwise provided in these rules;
(3) Communications in which the station licensee or control operator has a pecuniary interest, including communications on behalf of an employer. Amateur operators may, however, notify other amateur operators of the availability for sale or trade of apparatus normally used in an amateur station, provided that such activity is not conducted on a regular basis;
(4) Music using a phone emission except as specifically provided elsewhere in this section; communications intended to facilitate a criminal act, messages encoded for the purpose of obscuring their meaning, except as otherwise provided herein; obscene or indecent words or language; or false or deceptive messages, signals or identification;
(5) Communications on a regular basis, which could reasonably be furnished alternatively through other radio services.
We also need to remember that there are listeners of all ages who monitor our repeaters. In addition, the taxpayers and public officials that provide our repeater site may be listening. Our language should be courteous and sensitive to the considerations of all listeners, free of expletives, and suitable for family conversations. We also ask all users to avoid on-the-air conflicts about controversial topics. If the debate starts getting vehement, change the subject, or continue it off the air. For many years, hams have followed a “rule of thumb” that it is not a good idea to discuss sex, religion, and politics over the air. Please discuss those topics elsewhere.
FCC rules require a station to identify every ten minutes and at the end of a converstion. It is good practice to ID at the beginning of a contact as well. Never transmit without Identifying.
If the repeater is quiet, just sign your call or say your call followed by the word “listening.” Anyone on the frequency will know that you are willing to accept calls from any other station. Nothing else is necessary. Don’t call CQ to begin a conversation on a repeater. If you’re in conversation, a brief pause before you begin each transmission allows other stations to break in – there could be an emergency. Don’t key your microphone as soon as someone releases theirs. If your exchanges are too quick, you can prevent other stations from getting in. To join a conversation in progress, transmit your call sign during the pause between transmissions. The station that transmits next will usually acknowledge you. If you are in the midst of a conversation and another station transmits his or her call sign between transmissions, the next station in line to transmit should acknowledge the new station and permit the new arrival to make a call or join in the conversation. It is impolite not to acknowledge new stations, or to acknowledge them but not let them speak. The calling station may need to use the repeater immediately, so let him or her make a transmission promptly. Don’t use the word “break” to join a conversation, unless you need to use the repeater to help in an emergency.
If you are unsure how well you are making it into the repeater, do not kerchunk the repeater. Any time you key up the repeater, you should identify, even if you are just testing to see if you are making the machine. Keying the repeater without identifying is illegal. Do not use the repeater as a “target” for tuning or aiming antennas, checking your transmitter power, etc. Use a dummy load where appropriate, or test on a simplex frequency. If you need someone to verify that you are making the repeater OK, ask for a “signal report.”
To make a distress call over a repeater, say “break, break” and then your call sign to alert all stations to stand by while you deal with the emergency. DO NOT USE THE WORD BREAK TO JOIN IN A QSO UNLESS THERE IS AN EMERGENCY! All stations should give immediate priority to any station with emergency traffic.