The following items must be addressed when requesting the use of the W5NC repeater system to provide communications support for a public service event or a net other than the NARS club weekly nets published in the club newsletter, NARS News.
§97.101 General standards.
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(a) In all respects not specifically covered by FCC Rules, each amateur station must be operated in accordance with good engineering and good amateur practice.
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(b) Each station licensee and each control operator must cooperate in selecting transmitting channels and make the most effective use of amateur service frequencies. No frequency is assigned for the exclusive use of any station.
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(c) At all times and on all frequencies, each control operator must give priority to stations providing emergency communications, except for stations transmitting communications for training drills and tests in RACES.
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(d) No amateur operator shall willfully or maliciously interfere with or cause interference to any radio communication or signal.
Use of W5NC Repeaters for Nets and Public Service Events
Training drills and emergency communications activities may be conducted on the W5NC repeater system outside of regularly scheduled NARS nets. Refer to the latest NARS Newsletter or the Nets section of this website for current net schedules.
Emergency Communications
Emergency communications always take priority over scheduled nets, as permitted under FCC rules. During severe weather or other emergencies affecting the Houston area:
- Notify Callsign Trustee, Paul Owen, N5NXS, by email as soon as practical.
- The Trustee will inform the NARS Board and serve as the primary point of contact for repeater use and status updates during the event.
Requesting Repeater System Use
Any licensed amateur operator may request use of the W5NC repeater system for a public service event or a recurring net that does not conflict with an existing NARS net schedule.
Requests must:
- Be submitted to the NARS President at least two weeks before the next Board meeting.
- Include:
- Purpose of the net or event
- Proposed day, start time, and end time
- Names of participating NARS members for recurring nets (not required for public service events)
Approval Process
- The NARS Board and the Trustee will review the request.
- If approved, the applicant will be notified and authorized to use the repeater for a period determined by the Board.
- Authorization for non-NARS nets may be modified or revoked at any time by the Board.
- The Board may request that the net organizer attend a Board meeting to discuss the net or any proposed revocation of the assigned time slot.