Our Metrolina 2 Meter Emergency Net (M2MEN) meets every day of the year at 9:00 PM local time. The primary frequency is our 146.94 repeater, with alternate backups using our 145.29 repeater, or 146.52 simplex. M2MEN is our club bulletin board where you can hear or ask about current club or ARES activities, or just check your equipment regularly. On the net we also become familiar with the voices, callsigns, names, interests, capabilities, and typical signal characteristics, of our local Hams. The rag chew session of the net is a great time to get to know more about our members, and it lets us put the face with the callsign and the voice at our club meetings. Yes, in times of emergency communications, all of this familiarity does help us communicate more effectively.
Sometimes we talk about our local ARES organization or upcoming ARES activities. We also practice traffic handling which is very important during ARES events. If you haven’t handled traffic yet, come join us, we love first time traffic handlers and we do go easy on them. After handling a few pieces of traffic, the process will flow more smoothly for you. If you happen to be the “end of the line Radiogram deliverer” to someone in town, about someone they care about who is far away, it’s a very special feeling.
The M2MEN is also a great chance to meet new friends. I like to play the game of memorizing callsigns and names without using those cheating computers. With all the recent callsign changes, that becomes more challenging.
Yes, YOU can also be a Net Control Station on our friendly net. Net Control is another operating skill where you learn by doing, the experience makes one a valuable part of any operating activity involving a bunch of Hams. Give our net manager Jim Payne N4JBP, a call and he will get you started with everything you need to be a Net Control Station. If you’re not ready for that now, at least you have to come check in with us (especially on the Tuesday night net).
Cutsie phonetics sometimes get a chuckle the first time they’re used, but then quickly wear thin. When we get into the habit of using standard phonetics especially on our regular nets, we can be understood more easily when it really counts. Let’s try these:
| A - Alpha | H - Hotel | O - Oscar | V - Victor |
| B - Bravo | I - India | P - Papa | W - Whiskey |
| C - Charlie | J - Juliett | Q - Quebec | X - X-ray |
| D - Delta | K - Kilo | R - Romeo | Y - Yankee |
| E - Echo | L - Lima | S -Sierra | Z - Zulu |
| F - Foxtrot | M - Mike | T - Tango | |
| G - Golf | N - November | U - Uniform |