QSO #6 — Repeater Etiquette

Good morning! Last time, we talked about how repeaters work and how to configure/set up your handheld to use them. Today, I thought we’d talk about the ‘norms’ and expectations around actually using repeaters. While these are not hard and fast rules, most of the ideas presented here are (I hope) pretty much common sense for the use of a shared resource like a repeater.

1. Check your setup — Of course, the first step after you’ve got your radio set up for a repeater is to check to see if it actually works. This is probably best done working with another ham who has a known working radio, rather than waiting for a net or just trying it on your own. Also, check your power setting on your handheld or mobile radio. If the repeater is not responding, it could be as simple as needing more power for the repeater to hear you. 🙂
2. Listen, Listen, Listen — Harkening back to QSO #1, one of the first ‘pearls of wisdom’ that local, experienced hams wanted to share was the need to listen first before you hit that transmit button. There’s a number of reasons for that. It’s certainly not that we don’t want to hear you or expect you to ‘wait your turn’ so to speak. No, the main reason is check to see if there is another conversation (or possibly someone with an emergency) using the repeater. Given the ‘simplex’ nature of conversations via radio (one person speaks, then another responds) and the pauses that sometimes ensue, it can be difficult to determine when the repeater is in use when you first turn on the rig. It’s a good idea to always listen for at least 30 seconds before initiating your call.
3. Pause before speaking — Remember that there is technology in the voice stream here which, even though travelling at the speed of light, introduces slight delays. Too often we hear only the last parts of a short response or miss entire words when operators either start speaking before they press the PTT button on their mike or do it simultaneously while they are talking. It doesn’t have to be a loooooonnnnnnggggg pause, but maybe get in the habit of keying the mike, take a beat, then start talking. Don’t worry, it will sound fine at the other end and may even make you sound ‘wiser’ — like carefully pondering/taking in what was said before responding. 🙂 Also, when you’re in a conversation it’s polite (and necessary in repeater operation) to wait until the other person has finished before responding but you don’t have to wait until the repeater times out (stops transmitting) before you respond. Once the other party has finished, go ahead and respond — the repeater receiver is open and ready for you!
4. Typical call protocol — When calling someone on the repeater, the normal protocol is to announce the name of the party you’re calling, then your name (i.e. “Victor Echo Seven Roger Bravo Bravo, this is Victor Echo Seven Alpha Tango Juliet calling.”) Then wait for a count of ten for a response and repeat. Only repeat this call sequence three times. If you don’t get a response, then let people know that you are finished by saying “Victor Echo Seven Alpha Tango Juliet clear”.
5. Use the phonetic alphabet for call signs — As you probably noticed in my example above, all call signs were spelled out using the international phonetic alphabet. It’s good practice to do this for all call signs and for spelling out important pieces of information in a message. When you only say the letters (e.g. ‘vee ee seven ay tee jay’) it’s too easy to mishear or misinterpret the letters, especially for those whose pronunciation uses the same endings. (B, C, D, P, T, etc. etc.) Also, learn and use the proper internationally recognized phonetic alphabet. A chart of the letters, their equivalents and pronunciation are shown below.

Avoid using geographic alternatives (e.g. America Tokyo Japan) or ‘cute’ versions (Another Terrible Joke) unless you are in a situation with difficult intelligibility at one end or the other (unlikely on a repeater, but…) where providing an alternative may provide additional clarity.

6. Modulating your signal — Especially for new hams, it takes a little while to get used to how to speak into a mike to get the most efficient signal out of the radio. Again, this is where ‘listening’ can be a big help. Other hams will let you know if your voice is sounding weak or difficult to hear or is muffled or distorted. Remember, don’t take it personally — they’re just providing information and pointers to make you a better operator. The microphones provided in handheld transceivers and the hand mikes attached to radios are meant to be held within about 2 to 3cm (about an inch) away from the mouth — not touching it, but very close — and at an angle of about 20 to 30 degrees away from the mouth. Speaking directly into the front of the mike is likely to overdrive the mike element and cause distortion. Holding the mike too far away from your mouth will result in low modulation (‘weak audio’) and the possibility of background noise taking over the signal. Speak in a ‘normal’ voice, as if the person you were talking to was about 7 to 8 feet (1.5 to 2m) away from you. There’s no need to shout, but do get in the habit of using your ‘outdoor’ voice to make sure you get the most out of your signal. Of course, if you’re using a mike on a boom attached to a headset (like many of the hams in MIRA do on zoom calls, etc.) then you can lower your voice a bit, but remember the goal here is clarity of communication. Remember too, to enunciate (again, as if you were speaking outside) and not mumble. Be clear with your communications.
7. Don’t ‘kerchunk’ the repeater — Yah, we’ve ALL been guilty of this one. Kerchunking is when you simply key your transceiver for a moment without saying anything to see if the repeater kicks in. We all do it, just to make sure the repeater can hear us. It’s not really appropriate to do this and to be truthful, it’s not actually legal. According to the regulations, we’re supposed to identify ourselves at least at the beginning and end of all transmissions, so kerchunking is basically sending out an unidentified signal. Please try to avoid doing this. If you want to make sure the repeater can hear you, or your radio is working at least identify yourself and say this is a test transmission. Who knows? You may even get a QSO out of it!! 🙂
8. Don’t call ‘CQ’ (calling anyone) — Calling CQ is fine and expected on the HF bands and on simplex frequencies in VHF and UHF, but on a repeater it’s considered better form to simply announce your presence on the repeater and that you are monitoring the frequency if anyone wants to talk. The form would be “This is Victor Echo Seven Alpha Tango Juliet monitoring”. Don’t repeat it, just say it once and go into monitoring mode. It’s OK to repeat the call maybe 10 or 15 minutes later, but no more.
9. Don’t ‘hog’ the repeater — Remember that the repeater is a shared resource for all of the local hams, so if possible, establish communications on the repeater then move off to a simplex frequency or another, less-used repeater to carry on your conversation. This is especially true in ‘crowded’ ham communities around large metropolitan areas like Victoria and Vancouver. It’s not as much of a concern here in Oceanside, since there is a smaller ham population, we cover a wide geographical area and communication without the use of repeater may not be possible. Also, because of their remote locations, repeaters have limited power availability — many of them running off batteries backed up by solar panels and/or diesel generators. So, it’s a good idea to limit conversations to 10 or 15 minutes over the repeater. Better, if a longer conversation is required either call them on the phone or arrange an in-person meeting!
10. Signal Reports — In voice communications, the typical rating system for signal reports is a shortened version of the Readability, Signal Strength, Tone (RST) system used in CW wherein only the R & S values are used. (See chart below)

For repeater communications this is redundant since in most cases you will either be heard by the repeater or not. People may however, let you know how your signal sounds coming out of the repeater. If they say it is ‘full quieting’ that means that you have a clear, strong signal into the repeater with no background noise or distortion and you are perfectly readable.

11. Breaking into an ongoing conversation — If necessary to interrupt an existing conversation or a Net, don’t say ‘Break’. Instead, use ‘Contact’ or just say your call sign (again, using phonetics) and wait for one of the parties to acknowledge you. If they don’t respond, wait until they’re finished their conversation. If it’s an emergency then try again and maybe add the word ’emergency’ to your call sign to let them know your communication is urgent.
12. Personal Information — In this age of identity theft and spoofing, remember that the airwaves we are using are considered ‘public areas’, so be careful what personal information of yourself or others you share on the air. If in doubt, it’s probably best to not broadcast it. 🙂

So, with all this under your belt you’re ready to go onto the air! (At least from a repeater standpoint :-)) Now, protocols on a digital repeater such as DMR, D-Star or Fusion/C4FM are a bit different, but we’ll cover that in a different blog.

Until then, 73 (best wishes). We can’t wait to hear from you!

Don VE7ATJ