so i finally got my technician last month and ive been listening to the local 2m repeater for a few weeks now. theres a net every tuesday night and i keep chickening out on actually checking in. i know its probably not a big deal but i just dont want to sound like an idiot and mess up the whole thing for everyone else. like do i just say my callsign and wait? do i give my name and location? is there some script i should follow or does it vary by net? i heard some nets are really formal and some are just people chatting but i have no idea which kind this one is. ive been listening and it seems pretty casual but the net control guy sounds like he knows exactly what he wants and it makes me nervous. anyway any tips would be great

oh man i remember feeling exactly this way before my first check in. honestly just listen to what other people say when they check in and copy that. most casual 2m nets the format is just your callsign, first name, and maybe your city or signal report if they ask for it. net control will usually tell you what he needs. if you miss something he'll just ask. nobody's going to be annoyed, trust me most of us were right where you are not that long ago. the nets that are more formal like traffic nets or ARES stuff will usually have net control spell out exactly what format they want right at the opening, so youll know. just key up when he asks for check ins and give it a shot. worst case you fumble a word and laugh it off and nobody cares.

yeah what he said. also some nets have a specific website or facebook group where they post the net format, might be worth checking if your local club has one. i checked into my first net super nervous and all net control said was "copy, welcome" and moved on. totally anticlimactic in the best way lol. also theres special event stations and on-air events sometimes that are even more forgiving because theres so much activity going on nobody cares if you stumble a bit. those are actually great practice if you ever see one advertised.