80m/3.5Mhz band

Sunday night 9pm	3.571.5 CW	CW net called by WQ4RP (Knightlites QRP Assoc club callsign) Link
Daily evenings 7:30pm	3.923 MHz	Tar Heel Emergency Net. Since 1947. Traffic, ARES training, and ARRL business in NC.
Daily evenings 7:00pm	3.907 MHz	Coastal Carolina Emergency Net. Since 1954. Traffic and socializing.
Saturday morning 8:45AM	3.853 MHz	SSB net QWCA Chapter 126. Since 1981. Ragchew.

40m/7Mhz band

Every day 8am to 1pm	7.251 SSB	SouthCARS South Coast Amateur Radio Service
Every day 7:30am to 1pm or later	7.255 SSB	ECARS East Coast Amateur Radio Service
Every day 8:30am to 2pm	7.258 SSB	MidCARS MidWest Amateur Radio Service

20m/14Mhz band

7am to noon	14.300 SSB	Intercontinental Amateur Radio Traffic Net
noon to 10pm	14.300 SSB	Maritime Mobile Service Network

10m/28Mhz band

Monday night 8pm	28.450 SSB	Every week except the 2nd Monday of the month. Net control is in Chapel Hill
No Schedule, often?	28.370 SSB	South Wake ARC
Saturday night 9pm-ish	28.364 SSB	South Wake ARC

6m/50Mhz band

Saturday 8am	50.2 SSB	Down East 6m SSB Net - Net control is in Wake Forest or Zebulon. Covers Wake County to Rocky Mount to Fayetteville
Monday night 7pm	50.4 AM	Net control is in Apex.
Wednesday night 8:30pm	53.61 FM	88.5 PL DFMA repeater. .

2m/146Mhz band

There are many 2m nets. I don't know much about any of them. Please supply.
Note: 146.88 is at a temporary lower location and 145.21 is serving some SKYWARN functions

every day 7:30pm	145.21 FM	SouthWake Auburn repeater. 2m Rag Chew Net
every day 8pm	146.64 FM	RARS Raleigh repeater. RARS net
every day 9pm	146.88 FM	SKYWARN Auburn Repeater. Piedmont Coastal Traffic Net
every day 8:30pm	147.27 FM	JARS Auburn repeater. JARS nightly ragchew
M-F 6:05am	147.255 FM	DFMA Hillsborough repeater. POSSOM TROT
Tues night 9pm	147.27 FM	JARS Auburn repeater. JARS Preparedness
maybe Tue 9:15pm	145.21 FM	Backup SKYWARN until 146.88 back up top. SKYWARN net
Tues night 8pm 1st, 3rd, 5th Tuesday	145.21 FM	SouthWake Auburn repeater. Trader's Net
Tues night 8pm 2nd, 4th Tuesday	145.21 FM	SouthWake Auburn repeater. Tech Help Net
Weds night 8pm	147.315 FM	FCARC Rolesville Repeater. FCARC weekly 2m net
Weds night 8pm	147.27 FM	JARS Auburn repeater. JARS Traders Net
Thurs Night @ 8pm	145.45 FM	DFMA Durham repeater. DFMA ARES Thursday Night Net
4th Thurs Night @ 7pm	147.27 FM	JARS Auburn repeater. Johnston County ARES Training Net
Sunday 9pm	146.64 FM	RARS Raleigh repeater. Apex ERC net

1.25m/220Mhz band

Tue+Wed 7:00PM

224.16

91.5 PL Auburn PCRN repeater Rag Chew net

70cm/440Mhz band

There are at least a couple of 440 nets, and one of them on the Carolina 440 network, but again I don't know much about them. Please help.

Saturday 9:30AM	442.15	131.8hz PL OCRA SW of Chapel Hill repeater. Orange County ARES net
Thurday 7PM	442.15	131.8hz PL OCRA SW of Chapel Hill repeater. NCPACKET Voice Info Net
Friday Noon	444.525	82.5hz RARS N.Raleigh Repeater. NCPACKET Voice Info Net
Send info to KA2DEW	Carolina 440	Carolina 440 net.

Purpose of a net

The purpose of having a net, instead of just calling in the repeater like we usually do, is that a net can manage more people. It's just an organizational tool, but it's one that has caught on and stuck for generations, so there may be something to it.

Some nets are just for fun so everybody can find out what everybody else is up to.
Some nets are for handling traffic in an old fashioned but low-technology way.
Some nets are for handling emergency traffic when it is very important that communications be maintained.

In any net, if you have priority traffic, say your call when check-ins are welcomed. If it is life and death, say your callsign suffix as soon as the current speaker unkeys followed by "Emergency Traffic". Don't be too persistant because the whole point of the net organization is organization. If interrupting a running net IS the best way to handle a truly life and death situation, then go ahead. You'll be forgiven (or celebrated) afterwords.

Tactical Callsigns

Some special purpose nets require each station to maintain a separate position-title, like "on the beach", "1st crossroad", "starting point", or "finish line" etc.. These position titles are also called tactical callsigns. These are used so participants can quickly call the operators having a certain duty or post, without having to remember what ham is currently running that duty or post. When using tactical callsigns stations will announce their tactical callsign when talking so participants will know what duty or post is represented. Stations with tactical callsigns still have to use their FCC callsign every 10 minutes, but that can be done with closing transmission, or only every several minutes as usual during transmission. Usually tactical callsigns are established in a pre-net briefing. If the net is asking for your tactical callsign, and you don't know about it, you probably should make contact on another frequency or contact a net operator via a separate channel. Depending on the mission of the net, it may be important for you to make net control aware that you are on and need to be briefed. Use your head in this space, of course.

Before the net

For newcomers, the way the nets usually work is that you tune in to the frequency before the net, make sure your equipment is ready, and stand by for a net control to start things up. If you are around at least 5 minutes before, feel free to toss your call out and even converse, but make sure the channel is clear 60 seconds before the net start time.

Net Announcements

The net control will make some announcement and then ask for check-ins.

Instructions for Check-In

Listen carefully for the instructions because sometimes they will want your full callsign, and sometimes just your suffix. Sometimes they'll want only callsigns whose suffix (after the number) falls in some certain range, like A through N, meaning W4BXX is good, and W4XXB should wait. Sometimes they'll only want emergency traffic, or mobile traffic, or people who already took a shower this morning.
The point is to listen carefully to the instructions. That's part of the game.

During the net

Once you have called in, expect to be called back soon thereafter to fully establish your callsign. They may want you to quickly tell them your name and location and then wait. After all of the stations who want to check-in have been worked, they may want you to give some message. You'll get called on to do whatever the net is about.

If you are around for check-in, but don't think you can stay for the callback later, say "in and out" after your callsign.

If you have some issue that makes it important for net control to talk to you right away, and it isn't your turn, the word is "recheck".

Some nets have special rules. Most have some rules.

Pay attention. Don't be in a hurry. Practice taking notes, even if it isn't your net to call. See if you can write down every callsign as fast as they come. That's how to get used to net operations because one day you may be the only person who can call the net. One day there may be lives depending you being able to serve as net-control.

Tadd's net directory