This is not the end-all of repeater usage. This is just my understanding of repeater operations.
1. There are always people listening. Any inappropriate words or statements will come back to you.
2. Keeping the repeater tied up for extended periods of time is unfair to fellow hams that might need to use it. After a few minutes of talking, ask if anyone else needs to use the repeater.
3. If you do get into a long discussion with someone who is within simplex range, move to a clear frequency to continue your conversation in simplex mode.
4. Someone owns and maintains repeaters which costs money. Therefore, respect the owners and show your appreciation by avoiding needless repeater “kerchunking”.
5. When checked in on Storm Warn nets, listen to the net instructions. Usually the NCS is only interested in SEVERE weather. Keying up the repeater to simply say something like, “It’s raining at my house”, could prevent a more important report from getting through. I personally know of a few times when this happened.
Remember, using repeaters is a privilege not to be abused. If we all operate them courteously, we’ll all be better able to enjoy our ham hobby using them.
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