Once you’ve successfully tested and received your license, the net or roundtable is a great way to get involved in “phone mode” right away.  Most are radio club based, and many are open to non-members as well as members. See the FINDING HAMS ON THE AIR page for local info.

Nets – Call it “scheduled on-the-air get-togethers.”  You’ll discover a WIDE range of formality in nets, based on their purpose and organization. Many have emergency preparedness as a purpose, while others meet for the purpose of weather or club business.  The host of a net is commonly known as “net control.” At a scheduled date/time on a particular frequency, net control begins the net and goes through the process of registering participants who “check in” by name and call sign.   It varies with what the “check-ins” respond with.  The less formal nets tend to be more conversational, the more formal nets lean more toward procedure. In many parts of the country, groups of nets organize and operate in collaboration for a common purpose, such as to pass along emergency messages in time of disaster. One such system of nets is the National Traffic System (NTS), organized and operated by members of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) to handle routine and emergency messages on a nationwide and local basis.  Be sure to look into Netlogger, a free online tool that allows a net control to keep online check-in records and, in many nets, allow you to check-in online, ready to be called on.  You can also use it to browse the nets currently in session, worldwide.  See the Beacon Link below for the free download and more info.

Roundtables – As with nets, roundtables meet at a scheduled time/date and frequency. Roundtables are typically less formal than nets and more conversational.