ok so i've been licensed for about 8 months now and i still feel kind of awkward about this whole thing. like i know there are scheduled nets on certain frequencies and i've checked in a few times to the local 2m net on monday nights, that part makes sense. but then outside of net times i'm never sure if i should just start calling CQ on that same frequency or if that's considered rude or something.

also related - what do you do when you tune in and someone's already having a ragchew on what's listed as a net frequency but it's like 2 hours before the net starts? do you just find another frequency? i dont want to be the guy who rolls in and acts like he owns the repeater but i also dont want to miss the net if they're still going when it starts.

sorry if this is a dumb question, ive just been lurking here for a while and figured someone would know the unwritten rules better than anything i've found online

not a dumb question at all, this stuff trips up a lot of new hams because honestly nobody writes it down clearly anywhere. the short answer is that net frequencies kind of belong to the net during net time and that's it - outside of that window they're just regular frequencies and anyone can use them. so yeah calling CQ or having a ragchew two hours before a net is totally fine.

now the situation where someone's already on when the net is about to start, that's where it gets a little more art than science. most net controls will just come on at net time, announce the net opening, and the folks ragchewing will usually wrap up or QSY on their own. good operators know the deal. if they don't move, net control might politely mention the net is starting on that frequency, and 99% of the time that handles it. you dont need to do anything as a regular participant - just check in when net control asks for check-ins and let them manage the frequency.

the main thing i'd say is just listen a lot before transmitting. you'll pick up the rhythm of how your local nets run faster than any guide will teach you.

yeah what he said, and also dont stress too much about the etiquette stuff early on - like the worst that happens is someone politely tells you the frequency is in use or whatever. nobody's going to bite your head off. well, mostly nobody, haha there's always that one guy on every repeater but that's a whole other thing.

i remember being new and just frozen about keying up for like the first three months. just do it, you'll figure it out as you go and people are usually pretty welcoming especially on nets