The job of the NCS is perhaps a more important one than you have realized as an observer. Aside from the obvious function of keeping the flow of traffic moving in an orderly and efficient manner, the NCS also serves in a teaching capacity. The NCS should be aware of the abilities and stage of development of each station, and exercise good judgment in attempting to provide enough material for them to challenge further development, but at the same time never permitting an operator to get into such a position that they feel that they have made a fool of themselves. By your keying and lucid instructions to net members, the net control station should be the kind of operator to inspire confidence - especially with the inexperienced stations. The NCS should take time to welcome new members, making a point to call them by name the next time they QNI so that they might feel as part of the group. When a NCS is confused, and it will happen, every attempt should be made to avoid having it show. When a leader becomes rattled, the entire group tends to become so; making the entire task much more difficult.

The NCS is the primary person responsible for establishing the "tone of the net". The tone of the net should be friendly group whose purpose is to pass traffic efficiently.

The following is an attempt to answer in some detail the most frequently asked questions about the NCS job. Please keep this copy for your reference.

Time: The net starts promptly 7 P.M. local time. Try to check your station clock with WWV at regular intervals. At 7:02 P.M. it is considered fair game for anyone to QNG the net. If you are a regular NCS and no one has shown up to run the net at 7:02 P.M. please feel free to pick up the net. Before you do so, try and be certain that the NCS isn't off net frequency, or is otherwise QNP at your location. One of the most confusing things is to have two net sessions at the same time! Also, it is equally bad not to have any leader what-so-ever!

Most of the time NCN is over and done with in 15 minutes. Please schedule your time such that you have a minimum of 40 minutes available to NCS the net. If you know you have to QRT fifteen minutes after the start of the net, please let someone else take the net. It is worst of all to have the NCS QRT during mid session.

From time to time (pardon the play on words) NCN will move the start time earlier in the evening, typically 6:30PM. This may occur during the winter months during sun spot cycle minimums. During these times, the skip conditions maybe too long for "local" communications. The net manager is responsible for announcing the start and end date of any possible start time changes.

Frequency: 3533 KHz is the nominal net frequency. The NCS has the option to move the up or down 3 KHz in either direction. Please double check the RIT and XIT on transceivers so that you are listening to and transmitting on the frequency you think you think you should be. Once the net has started, the NCS transmit frequency should not QSY unless necessary. If possible "lock" your transmit frequency. Remember NCN does not have ownership to 3533 KHz, if the frequency is in use at 7 P.M. find a good frequency nearby and start the net.. The NCS determines the net frequency not the digital readout on the transceiver.

Starting the Net Although not mandatory, the customary initial call up is as follows:

or some variation of this. The general idea is to have it long enough so people can tune you in and zero beat, without being too boring.

Speed The nominal CW speed of the NCS should be 25 wpm. It is essential that all stations are able to copy any instructions sent to them, NCS should keep strict control on their speed and spacing during the net, regardless of any provocation to do otherwise.

Traffic Listings NCN is a "local" net of the National Traffic System. Traffic for within the Northern California area is listed by city name. Traffic for cities in Nevada is listed by city name and state. Any traffic going outside of the Northern California area is directed to the Sixth Regional Net [RN6]. SCN or the Southern California Net is the other local CW net sending representation to RN6. The exact boundary line between NCN and SCN is defined by the ARRL sections. Northern California includes the following ARRL sections:

SF, EBay, SJV, SCV, SV and Nevada.

New stations should, at the earliest convenience be asked for their name and QTH and be welcomed to the net. Unless you can tell from the manner in which they QNI, or know in some other way that they have had prior CW net experience, it is best not to use "Q" signals when addressing them. It is also best to allow them to pass their traffic on net frequency if possible or if time does not permit. Make sure they understand what to do when asked to go off frequency, perhaps by having the receiving station "QNV" first. Remember, the newcomer is not familiar with our calls and names, let alone procedures. Under no circumstances should we permit a new station feel that he made a fool of themselves before the entire net. Please report the name and QTH of new stations in your net report. This aids the net manager in greeting new comers who show up more than once!

On nights when there is any doubt in your mind that two stations can not copy each other well enough to pass traffic, make liberal use of the sign "QNV" in moving them off frequency. If any difficulty is encountered, select a third station who is able to copy both to take them off and QNB; and again, take the precaution of having the QNB station check for readability by having him QNV each of the other two stations on net frequency first. This may well save you a good deal of trouble later on.

• Making a fellow member feel like a fool, or otherwise look bad by the members of the net.
• Sending a pair of stations to a frequency where there is already a pair of stations passing traffic.
• QNF the net early and having someone return to net frequency looking for the net and have it not be there. The proper thing is to QNF the net then QSY to still active frequency and inform the stations that the net is QNF.
• "Overstacking" a station. This is an example of overstacking. W6ABC is loaded with traffic. He is sent up 5 to clear one message from W6DEF. W6GHI is sent up five to get another message from W6ABC after W6DEF. W6JKL is sent up five to get another message from W6ABC after W6DEF. W6MNO is sent up five to get another message from W6ABC after W6JKL....etc. As a general rule, only have one station waiting in cue for a sending station at any given time. If something goes wrong, you will feel like a juggler who has just dropped a load of balls.
• Even worse, overstacking a receive station and then QNF the net!

Net Reports: or QNS are to be submitted to the net manager as soon as possible following the net. Reporting to the ARRL is done at the end of the month, so prompt submission is even more important near the end of the month. Net reports should contain, the date of the net in UTC time, which is always a day ahead of Pacific Time, Traffic Count, the number of messages actually cleared on the net, Time the total number of minutes from start to QNF, List of Stations on the net. The list of stations should start with the NCS, your call, followed by the station going TO RN6. From that point on the list can be in any order. If there is a new station on the net, which is not on the roster, or that you know is new to the net, please pass along the persons name and QTH. Net reports should be in ARRL message format if the message will be relayed to the net manager, if you are sending them to the net manager directly, you can forgo the formalities. An example QNS is given below:

In this short hand notation the first station is assumed to be the NCS and the second station is assumed to be the RN6 rep (e.g. K9JM is the NCS, and W6VOM is the RN6 rep).

To be most explicit the following is more general and is fine:

Length of net On slow night, and there can be some very slow nights, the minimum time the net should be in session is five minutes. Otherwise, the net should be as long as necessary to get the job done. Net control stations should strive to improve their skills such that every member can clear their traffic in the minimum amount of time. This should not be done at the exclusion of being a "friendly net".