If you’ve just passed your exam, or you’re still studying for it, one of the easiest ways to get comfortable on the air is to join your local club’s nets. In Lethbridge, that’s the Southern Alberta Amateur Radio Club (SAARC). The club was formed in 1932 and is one of the oldest in Canada.
Weekly nets
- CAM Net: Wednesday nights at 8:00 pm on the VE6CAM repeater, 146.880 MHz. Tomorrow, November 4, is the first one this month.
- HF Breakfast Club Net: Saturday mornings at 9:00 am on 3.690 MHz.
The Wednesday CAM Net is a friendly place for a first check-in with a handheld or mobile radio. Our Local Repeater Quick Reference has the details you’ll need to program your radio.
The Saturday net is on the 80 metre band, so transmitting there needs HF privileges. In Canada those come with Basic with Honours or the Morse code qualification. Anyone can listen, though, and listening is one of the best ways to learn how a net runs.
The November meeting
SAARC holds its regular meetings at 10 am on the fourth Saturday of the month. This month, that’s Saturday, November 28. The club lists its current meeting place as the Oilseed Room at Lethbridge Polytechnic. Meeting spots can change, so check the club’s website before you head out.
Meetings are a good chance to put faces to callsigns, ask questions and hear what the club has planned.
Tips for your first check-in
- Listen for a few minutes first so you know who net control is and how check-ins are being taken.
- When net control calls for check-ins, give your callsign clearly, using phonetics.
- Keep it short, and wait for net control to come back to you before saying more.
- Don’t worry about getting it perfect. Every regular on the net had a first check-in, too.
For more on how nets work and where to find others, see our Nets page. Still working on your licence? Start with Getting Your Licence.