our local repeater group asked if i wanted to try being net control for the thursday night tech net next week and i said sure without really thinking about it. now im kinda freaking out a little bit because ive never done this before and dont want to sound like an idiot on the air. i know the basic format from listening but what are some things i should know beforehand? like what if nobody checks in or what if someone has an emergency or something

oh man you'll do fine, everyone was new at some point. just have your script written down beforehand and dont worry about being perfect. the biggest thing is keeping track of whos checked in - i use a simple notepad but some folks have fancy computer logging. if its a slow night with only a few checkins thats totally normal, just keep things moving and maybe ask for any comments or questions. been doing net control for our sunday morning net for about 3 years now and still learn something new every time

I was terrified my first time too but the regulars will help you out if you get stuck. Most important thing is just speak clearly and dont rush through everything. Oh and have the repeater frequency and offset handy in case someone asks, you'd be surprised how often that comes up. If someone has traffic just let them handle it, you're mainly there to facilitate not solve problems