SEPAR Net Protocol

SEPAR nets are designed for emergency situations. They are not conversational or social nets.  We focus on efficient, fast communication, with the minimum number of words necessary to communicate the information at hand.  To this end, we have designed the SEPAR Net Protocol, which is the format our members are encouraged to use when reporting to our nets.  This protocol is always optional.  If you prefer to check in differently, we welcome your participation.  We would request that you keep your check-in brief as these are emergency preparedness nets.

SEPAR members are encouraged to report using the following protocol:

• Callsign & Location

• Radio:  Green/Yellow/Red/Unknown

• Internet: Green/Yellow/Red/Unknown

• Grid Power: Green/Yellow/Red/Unknown

• Roads: Green/Yellow/Red/Unknown

• Mobility and Availability:  I have/do-not-have mobilility (by car/foot/bicycle/transit/other) and am available/not-available for assignment. Do not give reasons.

• Any further traffic: Be brief.

or

• Callsign & Location

• All conditions Green (except ___)

• Mobility and Availability: I have/do-not-have mobilility (by car/foot/bicycle/transit/other) and am available/not-available for assignment. Do not give reasons.

• Any further traffic: Be brief.

Example 1: 

Net Control Taking Check-Ins: Please come now with your call sign and name.

Station: VE7SAR

Net Control: VE7SAR, report.

Station: This is VE7SAR in North Surrey near Gateway Station.  All conditions Green.  I have mobility by car and am available if needed.  No further traffic.

Example 2:

Net Control Taking Check-Ins: Please come now with your call sign and name.

Station: VE7SAR

Net Control: VE7SAR, report.

Station: This is VE7SAR in North Surrey near Gateway Station.  Radio Status Green. Internet Green.  Grid Power Green. Roads Green. I have mobility on foot but am not available for assignment.   No further traffic.

• Callsign & Location: Self-explanatory.

• Radio:  Is your station fully operational, sufficiently charged (if portable), and ready for use?  Green means your station is fully operational and ready for use.  Yellow means it is operational but not perfectly functional.  Red means that while you are able to check in, your station is not expected to remain operational. A few words after Yellow or Red to briefly explain are welcome. 

• Internet: Do you have access to the Internet (either through your cell phone or your wired Internet)?  Green means you have full access to the Internet, either through your phone or via wired Internet.  Yellow means you have access to the Internet, but it is compromised. Red means you do not have access to the Internet.  A few words after Yellow or Red to briefly explain are welcome. 

• Grid Power: Is the power grid operational in your area?  Green means grid power is fully functional.  Yellow means power is available but it is intermittent or compromised.  Red means grid power is out.  A few words after Yellow or Red to briefly explain are welcome. 

• Roads: Are road conditions normal?  Normal includes routine traffic.  Green means roads are normal for that time and place.  Yellow means something unusual is happening, either an obstruction or higher-than-usual traffic.  Red means something severely unusual is happening.  A few words after Yellow or Red to briefly explain are welcome.

• Mobility and Availability: Do you have mobility and are you available for SEPAR assignments?   I am mobile/not-mobile by car/foot/bicycle/transit/other and am available/not-available for assignment.  Explanations are entirely unnecessary here.  If you are unavailable but anticipate being available later, please state this briefly.  

• Any further traffic:  Important issues only. Focus on conveying information as efficiently as possible, with as few words as possible.

Why this change?

We have acknowledged that our members are unpracticed at reporting their conditions, and we feel the best way to improve that is to make reporting of conditions a standard part of all SEPAR nets.  If members report their conditions every week, it is our hope that in an urgent situation, accurate reporting of conditions will be second nature to SEPAR members.

What else do you hope to achieve?

We hope to improve the professionalism of our nets and our members.  We hope to speed things up by eliminating "Can I get a name for the log?" and "Will you be joining us for simplex?" from our nets.  We hope to train our members to communicate more efficiently.  We hope to standardize the way of reporting issues to avoid miscommunication.

Why did you stop asking for names and whether we're in for simplex?

The decision was made to no longer ask stations for their names, and to call all stations in simplex in order to speed up the nets.  "Can I get a name for the log?" and "Will you be joining us for simplex?" were heard a dozen or more times per net, and neither added much value.  It is much faster to just call everyone for simplex.  If they don't answer, we'll just move on.  Stations are welcome to say "negative for simplex" during their report, but we won't ask them anymore.

I'm a Net Control Operator for SEPAR. What do I need to do differently?

Take check-ins one at a time, and ask each station to report (simply: VA7xxx Report).  Do not ask their name if they do not offer it.  Do not ask whether the station wants to participate in simplex.  Call all stations on simplex and move on quickly if they do not respond.  Do not correct stations that do not follow the protocol perfectly.  Do not ask stations protocol-oriented questions (Example: VA7xxx, is your Internet working?) unless you have a specific reason for needing that information.  We expect you'll find the nets go much faster, with even more information exchanged.