Tonight we will briefly review some operating procedures that are valuable when assisting in an emergency.
When transmitting, always talk across the front of the microphone, not directly into it. You will want to speak slowly, distinctly, and clearly. Hold the microphone button down for at least two seconds before beginning your message. This will assure that the first part of your transmission is not cut off. You should know what you are going to say before you push the mic button. If you are still formulating your message after the PTT is pressed there will likely be long pauses, and the message will take longer to transmit.
Many new or stressed operators have a tendency to talk fast. Even if you are in an emergency situation, remember to speak slowly and clearly. Try to remember that accuracy is your number one goal and speed will come.
Net Control Stations are also frequently busy with work that is not on the air. If you call the NCS and do not get a reply, be patient and call again in a minute or two. If it is an emergency or priority, use the proper break tag; otherwise you should space out your calls to the NCS. Only transmit facts. If your message is a question, deduction, educated guess or hearsay, identify it as such, but avoid non-essential information.
If you must leave the frequency for any reason, ask permission from the NCS. Advise NCS when you return to the frequency as well. It is important that the NCS knows the whereabouts of each station on the net.
Make sure you always acknowledge calls and instructions. Silence in response to a message is very disruptive to the flow of traffic on a net. When contacting Net Control, wait for NCS to acknowledge you before giving your traffic. NCS may not be ready to accept your traffic and it could cause confusion, or at the very least, you most likely will need to repeat yourself.
When passing a message, act as if you were writing the message as you speak it. That way you’ll slow down so the recipient can copy the message. When in doubt, always slow down for a good copy.
Try to use a headset whenever possible. Often there are people or other distracting noises near your position that are not involved in the operation and are not aware of what is happening. Words from others could be misunderstood or drown out actual instruction. False information could also cause a lot of problems for your operation. In a high ambient noise level environment, a headset is mandatory so NCS and other stations can hear you.