Newbie question: Any benefit to checking in to a net if you have nothing to add?

Thanks for the input everyone. I'll err on the side of calling in.

 

Go for it. Its not a Radio Crime. You may meet some interesting people once the clique begins to recognize you.
Years ago back in my hometown we set up a 2m repeater. Most all of the active hams came around and we had the Scotland County Emergency Net every evening. Never handled any emergency - haha. But it was a get together where we basically did nothing other than show up and say hey to everybody. Or "where's Tom tonight?"
We eventually attracted some guys from nearby towns and they too became part of the group.

 

It does demonstrate that your setup is working, which could be important some day. I did discover the other week that my antenna connection was loose on my mobile rig when I checked into the EmComm net on my way home from work and did not have a consistent Tx into the RACES repeater.

 

Never heard that one before. We used to just say, no traffic, it is plain English and gets the point across. All of this quasi CB Roger Dodger stuff is just too much for me.

I think I'll start a " How to talk like a real ham" net. I'll teach them handy ham radios phrases like, " How are you doing today", and I'm doing just fine thank you".

 

The No True ScotsHam Net

 

"Negative Traffic" probably carries over from Public Safety. Affirmative and Negative are generally used instead of Yes and No to avoid misunderstanding or needing repeats when a unit's signal is received with noise.

A police officer or team who had been out of the car at a call or on break would usually check back in with dispatch when clear and available. Dispatchers often advise "Negative Traffic" if there are no additional requests for service waiting until such time that the unit became available.

 

On 2 meters, net participation is a great way to meet the locals and more than likely make some lifelong friends. And nets can be a great way for the locals to regularly do wellness checks, of sorts, on elderly or otherwise house bound net members. It's not just radio - it's also about community and looking out for one another.

 

This specific thing happened while I was on a net in DFW. A regular hadn't checked in on the nets all day despite normally being active. This helped his local friends complete a welfare check on him.

 

If the net has a semi-useful purpose, say listing equipment for sale, then stations "checking in for the numbers" are a huge waste of time and very rude. (in my humble opinion, thank you).
The net could do the actual listings and be done in 10 minutes but it drags on for 45 minutes with all the social stuff.

 

QSL I'm mo-bile, destinated, with negative traffic, back to NCS QSL?