so i've only had my general for about four months and i've been trying to get comfortable on HF, mostly just listening and occasionally checking into the local traffic net on 40m. last night there was a frequency that seemed clear to me so i called CQ a few times and then this guy came back pretty annoyed saying i'd been transmitting right on top of a slow speed CW net that apparently meets there every tuesday. i honestly had no idea, i listened for maybe 30 seconds and heard nothing.

i apologized and moved but i still feel kinda bad about it. is there a way to know where nets meet ahead of time? i looked around and found some stuff about the ARRL net directory but im not sure how comprehensive that is. also the guy was pretty short with me which i get, i would be annoyed too probably, but is there like an expected way to handle that situation when it happens? do you just move immediately, do you say something? i kind of panicked and just went QRT for the night which was probably not the best move either.

ah dont beat yourself up too much, genuinely happens to everyone at some point especially when you're new to HF. the band conditions play tricks on you and a net that's totally inaudible on your end might be booming in somewhere else — that's just propagation being weird. you did the right thing apologizing and QSYing, that's really all anyone can ask.

the ARRL net directory is decent but yeah it's not exhaustive, and some of those listings are outdated too. honestly the best thing is just to listen a little longer before calling CQ, maybe a full minute or two, and also to ask if the frequency is in use before you start. just a quick "is this frequency in use?" before your CQ goes a long way. the old timers appreciate it and it gives anyone running low power a chance to say hey we're here. the guy was probably just caught off guard more than anything, i wouldnt take the tone personally.

yeah i went through almost the exact same thing when i first got on 40m, it can be a jungle down there especially in the evenings. one thing that helped me was just finding a few regulars on the bands i like and asking them where the usual net frequencies are in my region. people are generally happy to share that stuff. and honestly sometimes you just gotta QSY and move on, not every interaction on the air is gonna be perfect and the experienced ops know that too.