The Pacific Northwest 10 Meter CW Net

The Pacific Northwest 10 Meter CW Net is a directed net on 10 meters.

The Net is the CW oriented net, described below.

Any amateur radio stations anywhere are welcome to join.

Details

When	Pacific: Tues at 19:30 (always local time 7:30pm) Hawaii: Tues at 17:30 Alaska: Tues at 18:30 Mountain: Tues at 20:30 Central: Tues at 21:30 Eastern: Tues at 22:30
Where	28.040 Mhz
What	CW, directed net with a process outlined below
How	The process for check-in and directed net is different than the SSB net. The key steps are listed below.

NET CALL-UP PROCEDURE

PLEASE NOTE: The net is a directed net. This means, when you hear QNI? that is your indication to send ONE LETTER (you pick the letter). When you hear YOUR LETTER, THEN YOU GIVE THE NCS your callsign AND ONLY YOUR CALL SIGN. DO NOT BEGIN YOUR STATUS MESSAGE. You will be called for your status. It will be obvious that the NCS is calling you for status with a message or simply asking YOU: QRU?

AGAIN: Please do not begin your status when you simply checkin. There will be turns for each checked in station to give status. PLEASE read through the process below. THANKS!

The Call-Up Procedure is three phases:

Call the Net and take checkins. (Listen for QNI)
Each station is called to send their message (Listen for YOUR CALL and QRU)
The NCS closes the net. (Listen for QNF)

During the first phase, when the Net Control Station (NCS) is calling the net, the NCS will send QNI ?. This is the NCS asking for checkins. When the NCS sends QNI the NCS is asking for checkins. To check in, send ONE MORSE CODE LETTER. Just one. Any letter you wish.

If the NCS calls your LETTER, then send your call-sign to NCS. Later, after checkins, You will be called by your CALL SIGN, in turn to send your traffic when the NCS sends you the message QRU (NCS may not send QRU and just may send another prompt. But your callsign will be used to direct you to send your message).

For illustration this icon represents the NCS sending to the net:

For illustration this icon represents YOU sending to the net:

Phase 1 - Start the Net, Accept Check-in

The Net will start when the NCS calls the net:

CQ NTMN CQ NTMN DE (NCS) QND QNZ NTMN QNI K
Example:
CQ NTMN CQ NTMN DE K7NCG QND QNZ NTMN QNI K

Code	Translation
CQ NTMN	Calling the Northwest Ten Meter Net
DE (NCS)	This is Net Control Station (NCS)
QND	The net is directed
QNZ	Please zero beat - tune to signal of (NCS)
QNI	Check in now
K	Go ahead

After the NCS has called the net, in order to prevent a major doubling situation the following procedure is used to check in. To check in, send a single Morse letter of your choosing. For example, station checking in sends letter:

F ( or G, or X, etc...)

(NCS) acknowledges by sending same letter

F ?

Once recognized by the NCS, then station checking in gives their callsign:

DE (call letters) GE ( or K)
Example: DE W9BFP K

Code	Translation
DE (Call sign)	This is (Call sign)
GE	Good evening
K	Over

The NCS will acknowledge.

(Call sign) (NCS) GE (Name) R AS
Example: W9BFP K7NCG GE DICK R AS

The AS means that the Net Control Station wants you (and everyone else) to Stand By because the NCS is going to try to get the NEXT station checked in.

When the NCS recognizes your call FOR CHECKIN, do NOT begin sending your general status. That comes later. We're simply taking check-ins at this point.

Code	Translation
(Call sign) GE (Name)	(Call sign) Good evening (Name)
R	OK
AS	Stand by Note: AS is run together as one character.

If you are new to the net, NCS may ask you for your name and QTH.

NCS will continue with additional checkins.
NCS will then call stations to allow them to report their information.
After all stations have reported, NCS should ask for additional check-ins.
If no more stations, NCS choose either another round or close the net.

Phase 2 - The Directed Net Begins

AFTER ALL CHECKINS ARE DONE -- the NCS will then go back to the top of the list of checked-in stations and call each one and ask for Status.

Wait for your call sign to be called. Refer to the pattern below:

When your Callsign is called the exchange will be like this:

NCS will send:

(YOU) (NCS) QRU ? K
Example: W9BFP K7NCG QRU ? K

Code	Translation
QRU	Do you have anything?
K	Over

In response, the station being directed can send a message, or indicate there is no message.

Example of a station sending a message, when directed:

The amplifier and antenna is now working, All good here

The station sends:

(NCS) (YOU) MESSAGE K
Example: K7NCG W9BFP R R AMP ES ANT NW WRK OK FB HR BT K7NCG DE W9BFP K
(Translation: K7NCG this is W9FP, Roger Roger, Amplifier and antenna now working OK. Fine business here. K7NCG this is W7BFP)

Or, the alternative case when there is no message to send:

(NCS) (YOU) QRU DE (YOU) K
Example: K7NCG W9BFP QRU K7NCG DE W9BFP K
(Translation: K7NCG this is W9BFP No message.)

Code	Translation
QRU	No Message.
DE (YOU) K	This is YOU Over

Phase 3 - Closing the Net

Eventually, when the Net is wrapped up, the NCS will do so with this pattern:

NTMN NW QNF GE DE(NCS)
Example: NTMN NW QNF GE DE K7NCG
(Translation: The Northwest Ten Meter Net is now closed, Good evening, this is K7NCG.)

After CW-Net

Now everyone should QSY to 28.380 to share. We can chat about what the copy was and go through the results, etc...

Example CW-Net

To demonstrate the CW-Net procedure, here is a fictional example involving one NCS station and three other stations joining. Use this example as a guide for a minimal process CW-Net. Actual net procedures may be changed by adding follow up questions, or late-checkins, or second round, etc...

In this example, the NCS is K7NCG.

The NCS is identified as K7NCG (in the black font) in this example (DE K7NCG)
Three stations check in. For demonstration each station is color coded to find their transmissions below:
1. W9BFP
2. KB7TBC
3. WQ7C

The Transcript:

Check in to CW-Net

CQ NTMN CQ NTMN DE K7NCG QND QNZ NTMN QNI K
F
G
X
F ?
DE W9BFP GE
GE DICK R AS ?
X
G
X ?
DE KB7TBC GE
GE AL R AS ?
G
G ?
DE WQ7C GE
GE GARY R AS ?

Begin Round

Then the NCS will begin with the top of the list

W9BFP K7NCG QRU ? K
K7NCG W9BFP R R NEW ANTENNA UR SIG FB WILL BE AT BREAKFAST FB HR DE W9BFP K
W9BFP K7NCG TU DICK FB C U SAT KB7TBC K7NCG QRU ? K
K7NCG KB7TBC OK SORE THROAT SO CW IS FB HIHI FB HR DE KB7TBC K
KB7TBC K7NCG TU AL FB HP FEEL BETTER WQ7C K7NCG QRU ? K
K7NCG WQ7C R R R GD CPY BUT ANTENNA NEW HR HW CPY ? K
WQ7C K7NCG OK GARY UR RST 469 46N QSL ? K
K7NCG WQ7C R QSL TU NOT ABLE TO GO TO BREAKFAST SAT QRU K
WQ7C K7NCG FB GARY GL ANT IS FB TNX
DE K7NCG OK HAD FUN WITH POWER SUPPLY HIHI
FIXED BAD FET ES LM723 BOARD TRACE ES FB NW
WILL BE AT BREAKFAST ES BRINGING FOTOS OF NW PROJECT

Closing The Net

If there was no break or interruption AFTER K7NCG gave report, then K7NCG would close down net.

NTMN NW QNF GE DE K7NCG QSY 28 380 PSE QSY TNX K

Common Abbreviations

When sending CW, it can be efficient to use short abbreviations so for benefit of those copying the message here is a quick summary of abbreviations often used:

Code	Translation
ANT	Antenna
AGN	Again
BT	Break in transmission (like ";")
CQ	Calling any station
CPY	Copy (used like HW CPY? -- how do you copy?)
CU(L)	See you (later)
ES	And
FB	Fine business (great, good, etc.)
GE / GM	Good evening / Good morning
GD or GUD	Good
HI HI	'laugh'
HR	Here or Hear (depends on context)
HW	How
NW	Now
PSE	Please
TNX or THX	Thanks
TU	Thank you
UR	Your
WX	Weather

CW Nets may use other QN-codes. There is a summary here: List of QN Signals used on CW Nets These codes are abbreviations for messages routinely used on Nets primarily in the CW mode.

The NTMN CW Net only uses a handful of these (and they are shown above -- QNI, QNZ, QND, and QNF

There are also some short cuts that you might here (not necessarily on the net but when using CW in general)

Code	Translation
5NN	The signal report 599

The Pacific Northwest 10 Meter Net

CW Net