ok so i've been licensed about 8 months now and i still get a little confused about when its appropriate to just start calling CQ versus checking into a net or whatever. like last week i was on 40m and found a frequency that seemed clear, did my checks, called CQ a few times and then this guy came back pretty annoyed saying that was a weekly net frequency and they were about to start. i had no idea. i felt terrible about it.

i guess my question is how do you guys keep track of all the net frequencies in your area or on HF? is there like a master list somewhere or do you just kind of learn them over time by listening a lot? also is there a standard way to check if a frequency is in use before transmitting, i thought i was doing it right but apparently not enough

oh man i remember doing almost the exact same thing when i was newly licensed, dont feel bad at all. the honest answer is yeah you kinda learn the common net frequencies over time just by being on the air a lot. but there are some good resources -- the ARRL has net directories and a lot of clubs publish their schedules online. your local club probably has a list of the repeater nets in the area too if you ask around.

for the "is this frequency in use" thing, the standard move is to listen for a minute or two, then transmit your callsign and ask if the frequency is in use before you start calling CQ. something like just "W5XXX, is this frequency in use?" and wait. most net control operators will come back and let you know. the guy who snapped at you wasnt being totally fair honestly -- nets should be announcing themselves when they start anyway, thats kind of on them too. you did the right thing by listening first, sometimes you just cant know everything up front and thats fine.

yeah the frequency coordination thing is genuinely tricky on HF. i've been licensed 15 years and i still occasionally stumble into something. one thing that helps me is i keep a little notebook near the radio with the regular nets i know about on 40 and 80. also the HF nets tend to have a window where they meet pretty consistently so after a while it just becomes second nature like "oh its tuesday at 7pm, stay off 7.280" or whatever.

the other thing worth mentioning -- if you ever do accidentally step on a net or cause QRM just own it quickly. a quick sorry and QSY goes a long way. most people are pretty understanding about it especially when its clearly not intentional.