Altadena Local Emergency Radio Team’s NET Script

ALERT (Altadena Local Emergency Radio Team)

Script for 07.2025

Changes have been made to this training/evolving script.

Use this basic template; add your personal style, plus your level of net control experience.

We are all Net Control …

Five Minute Announcement  Good evening this is: give your name/call sign Net Control Operator for the Altadena Local Emergency Radio Team. A Net will be held on this frequency in five minutes.  Stations with routine traffic are requested to move to an alternate frequency or wait until after the net. Everyone is encouraged to check-in to the ALERT net. The cooperation of all amateurs for the duration of the Net to begin at 1900 hours (7PM) is greatly appreciated. This is (give your call sign) standing by for Altadena Local Emergency Radio Team net.

NOTE to Net Control: Every ten (10) minutes give station ID and name of net so listeners know where they are. Information in italics is for net control; do not read that part aloud.

Open the Net

Good evening, give your first name and call sign in phonetics your Net Control Operator this evening. Who would like to be our backup net control? Pause for a response, if no response then continues with the script. This Altadena Local Emergency Radio Team Net meets every Monday night at seven o’clock, nineteen hundred hours (1900), on the DARN repeater system.  Although, this Net is informal and open to all licensed amateur radio operators, it is a directed Net. Please, only speak after being recognized by Net Control or when issuing a break.

Emergency or priority traffic may break in at any time during this net, and the net will standby. Is there any emergency or priority traffic at this time?

Net control says… Even if you are not the assigned net control operator practice taking notes in case net control cannot continue due to his or her own emergencies or problems with radio equipment. We are all net control. We practice for efficiency during an actual emergency…Please, do not leave the net until you have cleared with net control.

Give the DARN linked repeaters time to connect, that is, avoid “quick keying”. Wait a beat or two after pushing your PTT button and then speak. 

Give your call sign in ITU phonetics – Alpha, Bravo, Charley, etc. Use the Interoperability Communications Order when checking in. For example, if I were checking-in I would open with “Net Control this is [my call in ITU phonetics] on [DARN 7 repeater] If I have traffic, I would say “with traffic”. 

I will now call for stations by call sign suffixes, letters after your call sign number. Please give your call sign using ITU phonetics (Alfa, Bravo, Charlie…) Listen for your SUFFIX group then check-in with your complete call sign. FIRST Listen, and THEN speak clearly at writing speed.  Indicate if you have traffic for the net, net control will call for your traffic after visitor check-ins.

Alpha through Foxtrot

Golf through November

Oscar through Sierra

Tango through Zulu

Now listening for missed check-ins and visitors: Alpha through Zulu, check-in now at writing speed.

Net Control will now call stations with traffic for the Net.

Note to net control… Facilitate comments, questions during this time.

Note to Net Control: It is understood that no one owns the frequencies. It is generally respected/expected that when an established team is using the frequency others listen for a time to break or respectfully contribute to the established simplex or net. We will continue to us our ALTA simplex frequencies, although, we do not give frequencies during the net.

Note to Net Control, NCS decides if migrating to simplex either ALTA-1 or ALTA-2 after the net for an informal roundtable: Let operators know that the frequencies are listed on AltadenaRadio.com website in Net Script. We do not list the frequencies on the air.

Simplex: ALTA-1        147.4800

Simplex: ALTA-2        146.5350 (this is our usual frequency for the roundtable)   

This is (net control’s call sign for ID every ten minutes) net control for the Altadena Local Emergency Radio Team net. If you want more information about ALERT frequencies, send your call sign, first name, and location to K8NBD@ARRL.net and you will be included in the ALERT email list. Altadena Local Emergency Radio Team’s MISSION STATEMENT can be found at AltadenaRadio.com.

Net control announcements:

This is (net control’s call sign for ID every ten minutes) net control for the Altadena Local Emergency Radio Team net.

1. Net Control will now ask for late or missed Check-ins, and visitors. Please check-in now at writing speed.

Hearing none…  we will proceed to the closing roll call.  When called, please respond with your call sign. Who would like to call the closing roll call? (Pause for a volunteer) If no one volunteers to close the roll then net control will close the roll.

Decision of net control. When called for checkout let net control know if you plan to migrate to (give the ALTA number, as in ALTA 1 or ALTA 2). Net control, this is your decision as we can use our ALTA’s and TELCO for an extended exercise.

2. Is there anyone who would like to call the closing roll call?
3. If yes, give net control to other operator taking closing roll call

Close the Net The purpose of this net is to practice communication throughout the Altadena and surrounding communities in preparation for an emergency event.

The Altadena Local Emergency Radio Team Net convenes every Monday evening at 1900 hours on the DARN repeater. Participation is open to all individuals holding a valid amateur radio operator license.

We would like to thank all stations that checked in. I would also like to thank those stations that helped with the net tonight. [Backup call sign] for serving as backup, and [Closing Roll call sign] for doing the closing roll.

Thank you to all participating stations and a special thanks to K6VGP, Dick McKay, and K6MJU, Mike Lee, for the use of the DARN System. We also encourage everyone to consider becoming a DARN member. Find out how to support this linked repeater network that covers most of Southern California, and extends into portions of Lake Tahoe, Colorado, and Florida. darn.org   

The cooperation of all amateurs for the duration of the Net just completed is greatly appreciated. This repeater is returned to regular use at xxxx hours.

This is (your name and call sign) look forward to hearing from you next week.