BREAK TAGS

There are currently seven one word Break Tags.  They are: answer, question, info, priority, medical, emergency and your call sign.  Most of these tags were used with great success for the first time at the 2004 Muskegon Air Fair.

Here is how they are used.  Instead of saying 'break' in between transmissions during a directed net you use the word Break Tag without your call sign.  They are to be used only when your traffic will be appreciated by net control and results in more efficient communications.  They are to be used wisely, as net control is directed to stop and turn over the net to the breaker.  The message that follows a break should be as short as possible.  Here are their intended uses:

Answer:     To be used when you have the answer to a question currently being discussed on the air.

Question:    To be used when the answer of a question can't wait, for instance when the Mayor is standing next to you and requested you to get some info using your radio.

Info:    To be used when information needs to be transmitted rapidly but is not related to what is being said on the air.  For instance if something that net control needs to know about is going to happen in the next few seconds or if waiting for the end of an exchange will negate the value of the information.

Priority:    To be used to report an important but non-life threatening situation such as a fender-bender that just happened.

Medical:    To be used to report a minor medical incident that affects the operator in some way, like having to leave their post for a few minutes to walk someone with a minor cut over to a med tent.

Emergency:    Only to be used to report an ongoing life or property threatening or damaging incident.

You’re Call Sign:    An indication that you have traffic that can wait and does not require the stoppage of the ongoing exchange.  This tag is and expectation to be put on hold and in queue for your transmission.

This method takes very little training.  Its use is contagious and comes very naturally.  I hope that everyone adopts it.  I would like to hear if other groups try it and how it works.  It will be a part of our communications from here on in.