Repeater operating "Do's and Don'ts"
Phil Temples K9HI
 
DO let the repeater tail drop between transmissions. This lets the timer
reset, and gives others the opportunity to break in.
 
DON'T ever acknowledge any unidentified transmissions, or stations who you
think are illegal.  If you do, you're giving them the attention they're
looking for.
 
DO immediately recognize "Call Please."  This is a way of indicating you
wish to contact a station and communicate briefly, in order to arrange to
move to another frequency.
 
DON'T say "Break" or Call Please" if you merely wish to join a conversation
in progress.  Just say your callsign during a pause.
 
DO try and be a good listener.  If you are unfamiliar with a topic being
discussed, use the opportunity to listen, ask questions, and learn.
 
DON'T discuss the same topic time and time again. Others who are listening
appreciate variety.  Too much of a "good" thing can quickly drive other
users to another frequency, or to the on/off switch on their radio.
 
DO try and limit the amount of time you spend on the air daily. The
repeater is like a telephone party-line: the more you talk, the more you
discourage others from initiating their own calls and conversations.  Keep
an "internal timer" running in your mind, and consider how many minutes per
day constitutes your fair share of operating time.
 
DON'T tie up the repeater for local or base-station conversations.  The
Boston repeater is a wide-area coverage system;many people benefit from its
operation. After establishing contact, move to a simplex frequency, or a
local-coverage repeater if possible.  Give mobiles and portables priority
for the repeater's use.
 
DO get into the habit of asking, "Is the frequency (repeater) in use?"
before making a call or announcing that you are listening.  It is not
enough to merely listen for five or ten seconds.  You could find yourself
interupting an ongoing conversation, or even a traffic accident report in
progress.
 
DON'T use excessive ham "jargon".  Say "my name is..." rather than, "handle
(personal) on this end is...".  Similarly, avoid Q-signals, which were
invented for Morse code communication.  Avoid the use of non-existent words
and phrases such as, "I'm destinated."  Just say, "I'm at my destination."
And stay away from "cute" phonetics that may confuse non-native English
speakers (and English speakers, for that matter!).  Use the approved
international phonetics if it is necessary.  Speak with normal inflection
and a normal tone of voice, as if you were talking to someone face-to-face.
 
Finally, DO act toward others on-the-air as you would want them to act
toward you.  We all deserve to be treated with respect and kindness.  But,
we all have different levels of skill and expertise.  Don't be so quick to
judge when the other person fails to measure up to your standards. 
Remember, we were all "new" at this once.