BeCERTAINN holds on-air get-togethers called a "net". The purpose of this net is to allow anyone to become familiar with the use of their radio and good radio communications skills, so that in the time of an actual emergency effective use of radio communications is second-nature, and automatic. Making use of the repeater system a regular part of our lives will allow us to efficiently communicate between neighborhood groups to share resources and promoting an efficient, coordinated response.

Participate in the Net

First and Last Tuesday of each month at 7:30pm

Anyone with a repeater capable GMRS radio is welcome and encouraged to check in to the net. We recommend that you first listen to a net, or at least to the first few checkins, to get a sense for the pattern.

You will be asked to provide your callsign, name and neighborhood affiliation or location. It helps a lot to be able to say your callsign in "phonetics", using the ITU/NATO phonetic alphabet, available here and here.

The BeCERTAINN net is a "directed net", meaning that you should not interrupt unless you are checking in or called upon by net control. If you wish to speak, say your full callsign and wait for net control to come back to you. Emergency and priority traffic may interrupt at any time by saying "emergency" or "priority" followed by your callsign.

Repeater Details

• Receive Frequency: 462.725 MHz

• Transmit Frequency: 467.725 MHz

• Transmit PL Tone: 88.5 Hz (required for repeater operation)

• Receive PL Tone: 88.5 Hz (optional)

The repeater frequencies above are represented by GMRS Channel 22 R on many radios, but some use different channel numbers. You should be able to listen to the net on any GMRS radio set to channel 22, even if it doesn't support repeater functionality for transmitting. Note that the PL Tone of 88.5 Hz is represented on many Motorola radios as "Privacy Code 8". For more about getting set up, see the Radios page.

Backup Channel = GMRS channel 22 Simplex

If the repeater is not working for any reason, we will use GMRS channel 22 direct simplex (462.725 MHz for receive and transmit).

Backup Repeater

BeCERTAINN has a backup repeater with a slightly different setup, which may be enabled if the primary repeater is unavailable. It also uses Channel 22 R (Rx 462.725 MHz and Tx 467.725 MHz), with the same Transmit PL Tone of 88.5 Hz (required), but has a different Receive PL Tone: 71.9 Hz (optional). If you use tone on receive, you will either need to turn it off, or set the correct tone.

For more details on the repeater and compatible radios, see the Radios page.

Net Control Operator

We encourage anyone to try being the net control operator for a Tuesday evening net. It's a great learning experience! We recommend that you first listen to and participate in at least 5 nets, and spend at least 2 nets practicing writing down all the callsigns as others check in. Please contact us if you're interested.

Script

The latest version of the Net Control Script is available here: GMRS Net Protocol and Script (updated 2021-3-2)

There is a Short Version Script too

Participant List

The latest list of participating stations is available here: BeCERTAINN_participant_list.pdf

Suggested things to have ready for running the net:

• A comfortable, quiet location where you won't be interrupted

• Radio & antenna that can reliably reach the repeater from your location

• Fully charged battery and if possible, a backup power source

• Copy of the net script

• Copy of the participant list

• 2 pencils or pens

• Blank paper for writing down callsigns, etc.

• Glass of water