Welcome to
THE JAMAICA AMATEUR RADIO ASSOCIATION  

 

Image of a towerRepeater Operating Priorities

Outlined below in the order of precedence that should be followed when communicating on the JARA repeater network.

  1. Emergency traffic has absolute priority over any other type of communication. THIS IS THE ONLY TIME THAT "BREAK" OR "BREAK-BREAK" SHOULD BE USED.
  2. Maintenance and administration of the repeaters.
  3. Nets.
  4. QSOs exchanging specific information such as directions, Formal messages, etc.
  5. Communications involving unusual weather or traffic information.
  6. Mobile & Portable Communications
  7. General QSOs

 

For General Use

  1. The repeater network is for all members. Members can speak freely on any topic they choose as long as the Post & Telegraph regulations that apply to your station are observed.
  2. To protect the JARA station license trustee, the Technical Committee has been appointed to observe the operation of the repeaters. They have the obligation to disable any functions of a repeater being used improperly.
  3. Courtesy and proper operating practices are required.
  1. AVOID USING CB JARGON.
  2. NEVER KERCHUNK A REPEATER
  1. If you need to test if the repeater is online or if you are getting into the repeater, simply say ‘6Y5KW repeater check"
  1. Think before you speak;
  2. Speak clearly. Remember RSVP:

RHYTHM have natural sensible pauses;

SPEED slower than normal;

VOLUME HF, raise volume slightly; VHF, normal;

PITCH higher than normal

  1. WAIT FOR 2 TO 3 SECONDS after each transmission. Failure to observe this practice can not only time-out the repeater, but prevent others from entering the QSO or permitting a BREAK for emergency traffic.
  2. The hours between 6:30 AM to 8:00 AM (morning rush) and 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM (evening rush) Monday through Friday (except holidays) have been established as PEAK operating hours. During these hours, QSOs between two stations should regularly invite other stations to join into the QSO in a similar manner to the Myers Net. This should be specially observed when experiencing unusual weather conditions, unusual traffic, or other special conditions, allowing the free dissemination of meaningful information.
  3. Monitor the repeater for a short while (about 10 seconds) before initiating a call, so as not to interfere with others using the frequency. This also implies that if you and another station are involved in a paused QSO and that pause lasts for more than 10 seconds, another station could initiate, make a contact, and gain access to the repeater.
  4. When coming on frequency when you haven't been monitoring for awhile, it is good practice to identify and ask if the frequency is clear (just like on the HF bands).