Toward the end of 2024, I began looking for opportunities to get more involved in the local Amateur Radio Community, as well as kind of obligate myself to some sort of regular service to at least get me into my shack for 30 minutes once a week. Originally licensed in 2020, I came to realize I would go whole hog for maybe 3 months at a time with radio, then abandon it completely for 6-9 months (and sometimes longer) before coming back. At this point, I had to re-learn all my equipment, update all my software, and re-acquaint myself with the folks I had left behind during my previous active period.  I figured being responsible for running a weekly net was a pretty good obligation that would force me to stay consistently involved - and it's worked so far!

By the December 2024 meeting of the DIAL Radio Club I had reached out to a few folks to ensure I wasn't stepping on anyone's toes, and we proposed the Wednesday night @8PM slot, which I'd landed upon to align best with my own availability throughout the year, while also not competing directly with other nets in the area.  The only question that was offered up before unanimous approval was from Roy N8LRN, "when do you want to start?"  On the spot, I was able to agree to January 8, 2025, since January 1 was New Years Day and we host a family gathering.

That very first net we had 15 check-ins, and I immediately became aware that my ears were not conditioned well enough to just hear names and callsigns.  I made some notes from the first week, amended the script for the net, and since week 2 I have asked for "name and callsign, then give your callsign phonetically."  That has led to much better copy when we get new visitors checking in.

I had the mobile rig connected via Anderson Powerpole Connectors to the front of an Astron RS-35M power supply that was also powering my HF rig (the HF rig never had these issues).  I had suspected the DIY'd connectors but I wasn't initially able to confirm or correct that, so I swapped a new mobile radio in, and the power drops continued. 

In June, about 30 minutes before the weekly net, we lost power here at the QTH.  I saw it as an opportunity to exercise my generator for running the net, in advance of getting the house's critical systems powered for an unknown duration.

Another time, after purchasing a 20Ah LiFePO4 battery for a fully portable VHF/UHF setup, I challenged the weekly net participants ahead of time to try to operate off-grid if possible, and I did the same.  This actually identified for Ernie W8EH that he had some power related anomalies that he now knew to work on.

Throughout the year I have somehow managed to come up with a question of the week nearly every week I've served as Net Control. While there were perhaps 3 weeks I reached out to a few of our "regulars" individually for ideas, and around 4 weeks over the year where I was either out of town for work or on vacation with family, I have been able to maintain a consistent proposed question each week, along with my own attendance.

You may have read this far, and are wondering, "Okay, so how has this made you better?" I have noticed some things, and others have mentioned things they've noticed about me as well:

• I know the voices of our net regulars, and as soon as they key up and I hear the first syllable come through my radio, I'm already writing down their name and callsign.
• My ability to ask questions has vastly improved (though still a lot of room for growth). Historically, I have subconsciously tried to figure out answers to question I may not have put words to. Unfortunately I do this even when it's best to ask questions.
• I'm less rattled when I have an issue with my station during a net. The combination of being more comfortable as a net control operator (especially with operators who are comfortable with me) and my collection of successes in overcoming challenges, I'm no longer panicked when something doesn't go quite right. I just roll with it. Sometimes I still have to ask someone to repeat their callsign, but not very often anymore.
• My conversational proficiency has grown. I only know the question I'm going to ask, and not the other operators' responses. This has taught me to think more quickly on my feet, and to look for common ground and a meaningful response to whomever is currently responding to my question of the week.
• My baseline comfort with public speaking has increased dramatically. I was asked to share something with my church during a service preceding Thanksgiving. Having rediscovered my voice thanks in large part to my time serving as Net Control for our weekly net, I was excited (the good kind of excited) on the way to church that morning, and experienced none of the "scaries" I've felt in the past when standing in front of at least a couple hundred people with stage lights beating down on me. I can only attribute this growth to the time spent throwing myself out there weekly on the net and simply building up experience.

As I close out this first year serving as the primary Net Control Operator for the DIAL Radio Club's weekly VHF/UHF net, I have nothing but gratitude for being given the opportunity by the club to provide this service. Further, I am in awe of the growth and development I've seen in myself, and others have shared they've seen in me over this past year. The progression has vastly outstripped any expectations I had going into this. If you want to hone your radio craft, or are looking for a challenge to grow yourself in ways you can't even imagine, I HIGHLY recommend getting involved in serving as Net Control. You don't have to commit to doing it every week. Volunteer for once a month, quarterly, or even as a one-time trial. I know at DIAL we have plenty of space to give our club members the opportunity to test drive as Net Control if and whenever they feel inclined to do so.