CARS Repeater Committee and Operating Policy
CARS Repeater Committee and Operating Policy
The Charlotte Amateur Radio Society, Inc. (CARS) repeaters are licensed by the
Federal Communications Commission and the users of said repeaters MUST comply
with ALL FCC-mandated rules and regulations.
IN ADDITION, beyond the minimum required by law, CARS has established a Repeater
Committee and Operating procedures to optimize the use of the repeaters and to define
a level of quality representative of the club.
The Repeater Committee shall consist of at least four (4) members, one of which shall
be the Trustee of the club station license(s). This Committee shall be responsible for
maintaining, servicing, and upgrading the club repeater systems. Additionally, this
committee will provide an annual report to the Board on the current function and
reliability of the repeater system.
The club station license trustee should be considered the “chief control operator” for the
club station license(s). It is the duty of the trustee to act in the best interests of the club;
after all, the station license belongs to the club, not to the trustee individually. The
equipment used to operate the club repeaters is owned by the club and is managed by
the Board of Directors for the benefit of the club membership. Any changes or
modifications to the equipment require the approval of the Board of Directors.
While not all-inclusive, the following procedures establish a baseline for all repeater
users to follow:
1. The CARS Repeater Systems are owned and maintained for the use of club
members and local amateur radio operators. Any use of the CARS Repeater
Systems for activities including nets and other scheduled usages involving more
than casual communication between two amateur stations must be approved in
writing beforehand by the Charlotte Amateur Radio Society Board. Requests for
repeater activities must be submitted in writing and detail the nature of the event,
the requested date(s), and time(s). Any events not having written prior approval
are not permitted.
2. Station Identification- All stations should identify using their FCC-assigned call
sign upon initially transmitting on the repeater. All Stations are required to follow
the current FCC regulations for station identification. In addition, when operating
in a net or “roundtable” your call sign should be announced more frequently if
needed to facilitate efficient communication.
Approved by the Board on 03/03/2023
a. When initially coming on the repeater, when not previously in use
(verified by LISTENING for a few minutes PRIOR to transmitting), it is
only necessary to announce your call. If you are trying to contact a
specific station, you should announce … “K2XXX from WB2XXX”. Be
sure to wait at least 2 seconds after “keying up” before speaking to allow
all repeaters to sync up.
b. If the repeater is already in use, please wait for a pause between
transmissions to announce your call, and be sure to always wait for the
courtesy tone before beginning your communication.
c. All stations using the repeater should pause after the previous station
drops to minimize inadvertent “doubling” (simultaneous transmission)
and to allow time for new stations to identify. All stations should wait for
the courtesy tone before attempting to transmit. Failure to wait for this
tone may cause timing issues which may affect all transmissions on the
repeater system.
d. When a new station enters the roundtable, those stations using the
repeater, and the next station in rotation should acknowledge the new
station AND turn it over to them. Also, indicate whom they should turn it
over to in order to keep the rotation intact.
e. If a station announces an “emergency”, the repeater is to be given to
them IMMEDIATELY for their traffic and offer any assistance we can
provide.
3. Communication should be in plain language. “Q” codes are generally not used on
repeaters but are permissible if correctly used. “10” codes are not permitted.
Similarly, phonetics should be reserved for those instances when they are
required (minimal signal/emergency traffic for example).
4. Extraneous Tones and Identifiers – Except when required for control or
identification purposes, extraneous audible content should NOT be transmitted
before, during, or at the completion of a transmission.
5. Simplex vs. Repeater – If you are close enough to another station to hear them
directly and all stations can communicate, move to a simplex frequency.
Transmitting on the repeater OUTPUT frequency, while the repeater is operating
is prohibited.
Approved by the Board on 03/03/2023
6. Content – While certain topics and vocabulary are not “illegal” within amateur
radio transmissions, CARS, as the operator of the club repeaters DOES prohibit
those communications which are considered by our membership
to be in poor taste or a waste of the repeater facility. While the following should
not be considered all-inclusive, it will establish a baseline for behavior that is
NOT PERMITTED by the club on CARS Repeaters:
a. “Off-Color” comments, sexual innuendo, and ANY double entendre.
Remember, the use of codes and ciphers is NOT permitted by FCC
regulations. If it can’t be said in plain English, it should not be said on
the repeater.
b. Commercial communication – you can, certainly, identify your
occupation, however, if you are, for example, a car salesman, you
CANNOT try to sell your wares on the repeater. This applies to the
regular sale or regular repair of any equipment or service for profit within
the course of your normal employment.
c. Derogatory remarks directed at any group (political, ethnic, racial,
religious, sexual, etc).
d. “Bathroom Humor” – If you wouldn’t tell the joke to your ten-year-old
child, don’t tell it on the repeater.
e. Any activity in violation of FCC rules and/or any other Federal, state, or
local laws or ordinances (including, but not limited to: jamming,
“stepping on”, broadcasting of music, unidentified carrier, etc). Note:
intentionally transmitting simultaneously with another station (“stepping
on”) is prohibited by FCC regulation… even if the intent is good-natured.
f. Discussion of a personal or intimate nature such as detailed medical
conditions, disabilities, ailments, and maladies as well as details of intra
and/or inter-family relationships and events should be curtailed. These
are not considered appropriate for general public knowledge. This is for
your protection as well as the courtesy of other CARS repeater users.
g. The repeaters are privately held and operated for the sole benefit of the
CARS general membership. The repeaters cover a very large area. You
never know who may be listening in!
Approved by the Board on 03/03/2023
7. Malicious Interference – When subject to interference that is clearly intentional,
a. DO NOT RESPOND TO THE INTERFERING STATION.
b. DO NOT MAKE ANY ON-THE-AIR REFERENCE TO THE
INTERFERENCE
c. It not only provides encouragement if the individual is unlicensed YOU
would then be operating illegally. Further, it acts against our efforts to
bring these offenders to justice. Make note of all pertinent information
(date and time of occurrence, your location, fixed or mobile, if you can
hear the interfering station on the input, was your signal heard above
the interfering signal, type of equipment you are using) and report this
incident to CARS by emailing the information to info@carsfl.org.
8. CARS CONTROL OPERATORS and/or OFFICERS of CARS shall have the
authority to address any member or guest on the repeater who in the opinion of
the CONTROL OPERATOR or OFFICER is in violation of any of CARS
standards of conduct or repeater procedures.
9. ANY repeater user(s), who violate the above rules or policies, procedures or
protocols may or may not be warned of their infraction by a CONTROL
OPERATOR or OFFICER at the time of the occurrence. The CONTROL
OPERATOR or OFFICER shall report to the Board any such warning, and any
action the CONTROL OPERATOR or OFFICER may have taken in response to
repeater rules violation.
10.If the repeater user(s) negative behavior reoccurs, steps will be taken by the
Board of directors, up to and including revoking the person’s membership, as
provided for in the CARS By-Laws.
Proper and legal operating etiquette is 95% common sense. While the above limits on
content are not all-inclusive, they should make clear the type of communication which is
NOT appropriate as defined by prevailing community standards.
Approved by the Board on 03/03/2023
In general, if what is being said could be construed as embarrassing or hurtful by a
listener, it is probably NOT permitted. Always err on the side of caution. When in
doubt… DON’T.
Approved and Adopted 03/03/2022
Contact List:
The primary Contact is our club license Trustee – David Weinstein, K3FHP
K3FHP@ARRL.NET
Members – Dennis, W6BFK, Marty AA5UN, Tom K9XV, Doug KM4LKC
Approved by the Board on 03/03/2023