One of the activities that Hams participate in is an amateur radio net which is is an "on-the-air" gathering of amateur radio operators. They can be found all over the radio dial. They can occur daily, continuously, weekly or as needed. They are really a formal operation which is under the direction of a net control station (NCS). This is both discipline and courtesy because only one station can transmit at a time. As a discipline every ham knows how it works and abides by the rules. I will mention that some nets are initiated for emergencies like inclement weather and hurricanes. Because most hams have portable equipment the members of the net can be quite mobile and respond to situations as they develop. Another activity is to provide communications support for civic events like fun runs and the like. It is all a great deal of fun.

Anyway, one very common type of net is a weekly gathering organized by a radio club. Tonight I participated in the Johnson Space Center Amateur Radio Club (JSCARC) weekly information net. The hand held radio works just fine because I am only a couple miles from the repeater (W5RRR). There was lots of information passed along to the club members. I am not a member because I am not a NASA employee or contractor. Nonetheless, every ham in invited to join in. So I had a 45 minute listening session about that club's upcoming activities. It was interesting.