Amateur Radio / Net Control Phraseology

Net control training – 09/16/2025

Overall progress – GREAT!!!  This is a huge/important assignment – we want to work through all our problems now rather than during an emergency.  So, problems = learning to troubleshoot, work as a team = growth = practice = good!!!  Builds spiritual, emotional, personal resilience – of primary importance for last days.

Common Phrases & Meanings – ham radio operates globally, a common standardized language is important and helps different areas operate seamlessly by all using the same phraseology.   Some phrases are a bit longer to allow radios to key up, transmit, for repeaters to come up online so a recognizable part of the traffic can be heard, so even if cut off, people recognize what’s being said.

• “Please come now” – An invitation from Net Control for stations to transmit.
• “Your report please” – Asking a station for its check-in details (callsign, location, traffic).
• “Roger” – I received and understood your transmission (Old phonetic alphabet for letter “R” for “received”).
• “I copy” / “Copy that” – Same as Roger; acknowledgment that the message was understood - “Roger I copy emergency power, no traffic.”  Or even “KG7HVE I have you.”
• “Go ahead” – Your turn to transmit – “Go ahead comment.”
• “Traffic” – A message for relay (sometimes formal, sometimes just info) – “This is KK7BKR, emergency power, one traffic.”
• “Stand by” – Wait, I’ll get back to you.
• “Break” – Used to separate parts of a transmission, or request urgent access.
• “Hearing nothing” – informal but super common, lets everyone know you paused, waited, no responses were heard, and you’re moving on.
• “All stations please hold traffic” – do not transmit. 

Practice taking notes while others are doing net control – “The shortest pencil is longer than the longest memory.”

Call sign + first name works really well – “N7RWC your report please.”

Call by chapel, instead of wards – we have 11 wards, this saves extra traffic, speeds net up, can conserve power, nets are getting and are expected to get fuller. 

Start getting comfortable relaying for others, listen to flow of the net, you’ll know if they were heard by whether net control acknowledges them, be aware of your signal strength to net control to know if you can relay effectively.

Watch signals on your meter so you know who to call for relays from – “K7RHB, can you call for relays or any missed operators in Ontario?” “This is K7RHB, assisting net control calling for any stations wishing to check into the net, please come now” “This is K7RHB, nothing heard, back to net control.”

Fall/winter is coming, propagation will be changing with fog, frost, ice, moisture, electrical grid – listen for changes.