so i finally got my general last spring and joined my county ARES group back in august. ive been to a few of the monthly nets and done two of the ICS training courses online (ICS-100 and 700 i think) but this weekend theres an actual activation for a local marathon event and they asked me to come help out as a relay station between the finish line and the EOC.

i know its just a marathon and not like a tornado or anything but i still feel like im gonna freeze up or forget proper net procedures. the EC has been super helpful walking me through how the net control does things but when youre actually on the radio with a bunch of people depending on you to pass traffic correctly it feels different ya know. anyone else remember their first real activation and does it get easier? also is there anything specific i should make sure i have packed, i know the basics like my HT and spare batteries but wondering if theres something obvious im gonna forget

oh man i remember my first one, it was a bike race and i was so worried i'd step on someone's transmission or completely butcher phonetics under pressure. honestly the marathon type events are great for exactly this reason -- the stakes are low enough that if you fumble something nobody dies, but it still feels real enough that you actually learn. your EC would not have asked you if they didn't think you were ready, these guys have seen enough activations to know who's going to be useful.

for gear i'd say bring a notepad and pen, like an actual physical one, and write down the net control's callsign and the frequencies you're supposed to be on before you leave the house. sounds dumb but when youre setting up and nervous your brain just goes blank sometimes. also snacks and water if you're gonna be out there a few hours, i forgot food my first time and by hour three i was useless. you'll do fine, just breathe and listen before you key up

yeah it gets easier, pretty quickly actually. after two or three events the net procedures just become muscle memory and you stop overthinking every transmission. the marathon stuff is honestly good practice because there's a steady rhythm to it -- runner checks, timing updates, the occasional medical call -- so you can get into a groove.

one thing i'd add is dont be afraid to ask net control to say again if you miss something. way better to ask than to guess and pass wrong info down the line. ive seen new folks try to fake it when they didnt copy a message clearly and it just makes more work for everyone. net control expects it from newer operators and any decent EC runs a group where that's totally fine