Radio nets for the non-amateur

I recently gave some training to the Ottawa County Medical Reserve Corp on radio use.

Part of the training I was asked to provide is on a principle called radio nets.  If you're familiar with working with a dispatcher, you'll be used to how radio nets function.

You can see the presentation here. 

In a normal radio setup, everyone can talk to everyone else.  There's no control except self-control.

Under a net, that changes.  All communications go through a Net Control station:

 

Why?  Three main reasons:

1. It's clearer who is talking to who
2. There's less talking over each other
3. There's less confusion

This ultimately results in a better response to emergencies.

A net might seem slower than free-for-all, but it actually works out to be more efficient in the long run;  like how a four-way stop works: if everyone treated it as a free-for-all, there wouldd be chaos and collisions.  Instead, with the rules in place, everyone knows when to take their turn, and everyone makes it through safely.

 Normally, if person A wants to talk to person B, they would just call them on the radio and ask for what they need.  In a net, person A explains what they need to Net Control, who then relays the request to the relevant person.

What if person B:

• Is busy
• Is not on that channel
• Is not be the best person to respond?

Net Control will (should) have the information required to make the decision as to who needs to respond.

Using a Radio

There are a few basic controls you'll need to be familiar with to use a radio.  The image below shows the Motorola PR1500 used by the MRC, but all radios will have similar features.

 

There might be other buttons and knobs, but under normal operation, you won't need to worry about them.

To talk on a radio, press the big PTT button, wait a moment, then start speaking.  When you're done speaking, wait a moment before letting go of the PTT. This prevents that start and end of your message getting cut off.

If you want to reply to someone, wait a moment, then press the PTT, then pause, then talk.  This allows space for people with urgent messages to "break in", which I'll talk about in a bit. 

You will usually not need to change channels on your radio unless directed to by net control - stay obn the channel you are assigned.

Radios like the ones used by the MRC exhibit a phenomenon called FM Capture.  That means that only one person, the strongest signal at a given receiver, will be heard at a time.  Due to this, it's important to let other people finish talking before jumping in with something to say.

Breaking In

If you have an urgent message, typically involving an emergency or a medical issue requiring immediate attention, you can do what's known as breaking in.  Wait for the gap created when someone waits to respond, and use a single word like "Emergency" or "Medical".  Net control will decide who has the most important message to hear first, and will instruct the other person to wait.

Another important thing is to identify yourself at the start and end of a conversation.  In the MRC, we usually use real names instead of specific callsigns, but if you have been assigned a callsign, use that instead.

Common Phrases and their meanings

• <name> this is Net Control
• Net Control wants <name> to respond so they can talk to them.
• Net Control, this is <name>
• <name> wants to talk to Net Control.  Note that in both of these, the person being called is mentioned first.  This is known as, and might be remembered as "Hey you, it's me".
• <name>, go ahead.
• I can hear you, send your message. 
• Acknowledged
• Understood
• Affirmative
• Negative
• We like long words on the radio, because single syllables can be hard to understand if there's a noise or the signal cuts out
• <name>, out.
• <name> has finished with their current conversation, someone else can start one. 

Callsigns

I mentioned them briefly, but in cerytain circumstances, it makes more sense to use callsigns than names on the radio.  Usually it will be because the station is role based rather than person based. If more than one person is at a place with a radio, it might make more sense to use callsigns, or if the person at a location needs to hand over to someone arriving later.

Callsigns can be anything, but will usually be consistent across an event.  Examples include

• Medical 1
• First Aid Tent
• Team Alpha

Whenever the example phrases use <name>, you would instead use your callsign.

Going Direct

If you absolutely must have a conversation with someone during a net, it is called Going Direct.  You should ask Net Control for permission to do so before you start:

    Net Control, This is <name 1>, can I go direct with <name 2>? 

Keep the conversation short, and remember that it is an open channel, anyone could be listening in.  If you need to talk about a private matter, it is best to use cellphones.

Conclusion 

Nets are simple in practice, but might seem confusing at first.  I promise you'll get the hang of it once you start using them.  They're invaluable in case something big happens at an event.

A note to those involved in formal emergency communications

You'll note that I've made no mention of any ICS forms, Auxcom, or anything like that. This was on purpose, since if an event involves that, the MRC will most likely be augmented by trained communicators from the Ottawa County Emergency Communications team.

Get Involved

If you live in Ottawa County, Michigan, and this sort of thing sounds fun, I'd encourage you to apply through the Sheriff's Department website, https://miottawa.org/sheriff/volunteer/.  There are a variety of teams you can get involved with, all listed on that website.