Repeater Procedures and Policies

LIMARC Repeater Procedures and Policies Version 2.0 Effective12/5/2015

The LIMARC repeaters are licensed by the Federal Communications Commission and the users of said repeaters MUST comply with ALL FCC mandated rules and regulations.

IN ADDITION, beyond the minimum required by law, LIMARC has established operating procedures to optimize the use of the repeaters and to define a level of quality representative of the club.

While not all-inclusive, the following procedures establish a baseline for all repeater users to follow.

  1. Station Identification- All stations should identify using their FCC assigned call sign upon initially transmitting on the repeater and every ten minutes thereafter. In addition, when operating in a net or “roundtable” your call sign should be announced more frequently if needed to facilitate efficient communication.

    1. When initially coming on the repeater, when not previously in use (verified by LISTENING for a few minutes PRIOR to transmitting), it is only necessary to announce your call. If you are trying to contact a specific station, you should announce … “K2XXX from WB2XXX”. Be sure to wait at least 2 seconds after “keying up” before speaking to allow all repeaters to sync up.

    2. If the repeater is already in use, please wait for a pause between transmissions to announce your call and be sure to always wait for the courtesy tone before beginning your communication.

    3. All stations using the repeater should pause after the previous station drops to minimize inadvertent “doubling” (simultaneous transmission) and to allow time for new stations to identify. All stations should wait for the courtesy tone before attempting to transmit. Failure to wait for this tone may cause timing issue which may affect all transmissions on the repeater system.

    4. When a new station enters the roundtable, those stations using the repeater, and the next station in rotation should acknowledge the new station AND turn it over to them. Also indicate whom they should turn it over to in order to keep the rotation intact.

    5. If a station announces a single or double “emergency” the repeater is to be given to them IMMEDIATELY for their traffic.

       

  2. Communication should be in plain language. “Q” codes are generally not used on repeaters but are permissible if correctly used. “10” codes are not permitted. Similarly, phonetics should be reserved for those instances when they are required (minimal signal/emergency traffic for example).

  3. Extraneous Tones and Identifiers – Except when required for control or identification purposes, extraneous audible content should NOT be transmitted before, during or at the completion of a transmission.

  4. Simplex vs. Repeater – If you are close enough to another station to hear them directly and all stations can communicate, move to a simplex frequency. Transmitting on the repeater OUTPUT frequency, while the repeater is operating is prohibited.

  5. Content – While certain topics and vocabulary are not “illegal” within amateur radio transmissions, LIMARC, as the operator of the club repeaters DOES prohibit those communications which are considered by our membership

    to be in poor taste or a waste of the repeater facility. While the following should not be considered all-inclusive, it will establish a baseline for behavior which is NOT PERMITTED by the club on LIMARC Repeaters:

    1. “Off Color” comments, sexual innuendo and ANY double entendre. Remember, use of codes and ciphers is NOT permitted by FCC regulations. If it can’t be said in plain English, it should not be said on the repeater.

    2. Commercial communication – you can, certainly, identify your occupation, however, if you are, for example, a car salesman, you CANNOT try to sell your wares on the repeater. This applies to the regular sale or regular repair of any equipment or service for profit within the course of your normal employment.

    3. Derogatory remarks directed at any group (political, ethnic, racial, religious, sexual etc).

    4. “Bathroom Humor” – If you wouldn’t tell the joke to your ten year old child, don’t tell it on the repeater.

    5. Any activity in violation of FCC rules and/or any other Federal, state or local laws or ordinances (including, but not limited to: jamming, “stepping on”, broadcasting of music, unidentified carrier etc). Note: intentionally transmitting simultaneously with another station (“stepping on”) is prohibited by FCC regulation… even if the intent is good natured

      kidding among friends… it is still illegal.

       

    6. Discussion of a personal or intimate nature such as detailed medical conditions, disabilities, aliments, maladies as well as details of intra and/or inter family relationships and events should be curtailed. These are not considered appropriate for general public knowledge. This is for your protection as well as the courtesy of other LIMARC repeater users.

       

    7. The repeaters are privately held and operated for the sole benefit of the LIMARC general membership. The repeaters cover a very large area. You never know who may be listening in!

       

  6. Malicious Interference – When subject to interference which is clearly intentional,

    1. DO NOT RESPOND TO THE INTERFERING STATION.

    2. DO NOT MAKE ANY ON THE AIR REFERENCE TO THE INTERFERENCE

    3. It not only provides encouragement, if the individual is unlicensed YOU would then be operating illegally. Further it acts against our efforts to bring these offenders to justice. Make note of all pertinent information (date and time of occurrence, your location, fixed or mobile, if you can hear the interfering station on the input, was your signal heard above the interfering signal, type of equipment you are using) and report this incident to LIMARC using the “RFI REPORT LINK” on our homepage (WWW.LIMARC.ORG)

       

  7. LIMARC CONTROL OPERATORS and/or OFFICER of LIMARC shall have the authority to address any member or guest on the repeater who in the opinion of the CONTROL OPERATOR or OFFICER is in violation of any of LIMARC standards of conduct or repeater procedures.

  8. ANY repeater user(s), who violate the above rules or policies, procedures or protocols may or may not be warned of their infraction by a CONTROL OPERATOR or OFFICER at the time of the occurrence. The CONTROL OPERATOR or OFFICER shall report to the Board any such warning, and any action the CONTROL OPERATOR or OFFICER may have taken in response to repeater rules violation.

     

  9. If the repeater user(s) negative behavior reoccurs, steps will be taken by the Board of directors, up to and including revoking the person’s membership, as provided for in the LIMARC By-Laws.

Proper and legal operating etiquette is 95% common sense. While the above limits on content are not all inclusive, they should make clear the type of communication which is NOT appropriate as defined by prevailing community standards.

In general, if what is being said could be construed as embarrassing or hurtful by a listener, it is probably NOT permitted. Always err on the side of caution. When in doubt… DON’T.