WCF NETS ON THE NI4CE REPEATER SYSTEM AND ELSEWHERE

NI4CE REPEATER SYSTEM

WCF INFORMATION NET:

Held every Sunday evening at 7:30 PM, this net is intended to provide information to the amateur radio operators in West Central Florida. The information provided concerns amateur radio club meetings in the area, special events scheduled in the near future, training opportunities that are coming up and the like. Section officials will also advise hams about upcoming events, hamfests, and nets that may be of interest to the amateur radio community. All amateur operators are encouraged to check into the net.

WCF SKYWARN NET:

This net meets on Tuesday evening at 9:00 PM. Operated with the cooperation and amateur radio licensed personnel of the Ruskin NWS Office, this net provides information and some training for Skywarn volunteers including amateur radio operators. Upcoming Skywarn Training sessions are highlighted and questions about the specifics of the Skywarn Program are answered. All amateur operators are invited to check into the net.

WCF TECHNICAL NET:

The Tech Net meets at 9:00 PM on Thursday evening. Its purpose is to provide a forum for amateur operators to meet, ask questions about the technology that creates and surrounds amateur radio. This may include, but is not limited to, problems with the radio equipment used by the amateur operator, computers and software, operating procedures, designing and building equipment to be used in any and all aspects of amateur radio. Technical Specialists (ARRL members who are appointed to that position by the Section Manager because of their special skills or knowledge about some aspect of amateur radio) are on hand to field these questions. Answers may also come from other operators during the net because they have seen and handled the specific problem before. All amateur operators are encouraged to check into the net.

WCF ARES NET:

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service Net meets on Monday evening at 7:30 PM. The Net Control Station is normally the Section Emergency Coordinator. This net provides information and training for the ARES County Emergency Coordinators and ARES members throughout the section. Information about upcoming training opportunities and other meetings and events of interest to those in the emergency communications community is presented. All amateurs are welcome to check in.

WCF EAGLE NET (NTS TRAFFIC NET):

This net meets every evening at 8:30 PM even on weekends and holidays to pass formal written message traffic both within the Section and to and from other areas of North America. Various operators who check into the net (and all are welcome) take the incoming messages for delivery to the person the message is intended for. This delivery will usually be by telephone, but other methods of delivery are permitted. Operators with outgoing messages will transmit them to a liaison station if going outside the section. If intended for a recipient inside the section, they may be delivered to the recipient operator (if they check in) or to another operator who will deliver the message to the intended recipient. The purpose of all of this is several-fold. To provide experience and practice in handling formal message traffic, to keep the national and local message handling system in good operating shape, and to prepare the amateur radio community with skills that will be vital in the event of a local, regional or national emergency due to natural or other disastrous occurrences  such as hurricanes, fires or the like.

OTHER NETS:

There are other nets that take place on the NI4CE system. These are not official Section Nets but all are worthy of your interest and participation.

The Tampa Bay REACT Net which meets at 9:00 PM on Monday evening. Operated by the Tampa Bay REACT organization, this net is open to any and all amateur radio operators.

The AMSAT-Florida Net which meets at 7:30 PM on Thursday evening. This net also links to several other repeaters to the East of the WCF Section, creating a truly cross-Florida net. All operators are welcome to check in.

The QCWA Net which meets at 9:00 AM on Saturday mornings. Specifically for the Quarter Century Wireless Association members in the section however all amateur radio operators are welcome to check in to the net.

The YL Net which meets at 7:30 PM on Saturday evenings. Operated by and for the female operators in the section, it is nonetheless open to all amateur operators of either gender. All are welcome.

OTHER REPEATER SYSTEM NETS:

Elsewhere, on the West Central Florida Section Web Site, there is a listing of many of the nets that occur with regularity on many of the repeaters within the section. Many of them are local amateur radio club information nets, some are local nets devoted to some specific aspect of Amateur Radio like Skywarn or ARES/RACES. A few are devoted to swaps or "Traders Nets" so that operators can buy or sell used radio gear. The nets that occur in your local area are there to be of benefit to you, the operator. The operators of these nets put forth considerable effort to make these nets interesting and informative. That benefit is lost if you do not participate, so whenever possible, participate in your local and section-wide nets whenever possible.