The goal of the system is to serve the EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS needs of southwest Missouri and adjacent states. The system is permanently linked so that it can be a “calling frequency” for anyone needing assistance. Because of this on-call status, the system is monitored by Emergency Management and similar agencies. The system is also available for making contacts among amateurs throughout the area. The following guidelines are intended to balance the priority of emergency communications with the ordinary use by amateurs making contacts and testing equipment.

Emergency communications always have highest priority for SMLRS use. If a request for emergency communications is heard on SMLRS, all other uses should be suspended.

Non-emergency communications should be follow these guidelines:

1.  Brief communications (less than 15 minutes) among 2 or 3 users are encouraged when no emergency communications are needed.

2.  Extended communications (15 minutes or more) among 2 or 3 users should QSY after initial contact to a simplex frequency or a local repeater, if practical. If QSY is not practical, the communications should pause once after 15 minutes and inquire on-line if there are emergency communications sought. Extended communication should be completed after 30 minutes.

3.  Network communications (groups of 4 or more users)should schedule use of SMLRS with a SMLRS administrator prior to initiating communications. If the network will be regularly scheduled (e.g. daily, weekly, or monthly), it should be scheduled for the same time and should be limited to one hour or less. This need for scheduling is to help monitoring agencies and personnel anticipate the increased non-emergency activity on the system.

Controversial communication topics which are generally considered bad operating practice must be avoided. For example, political and religious conversations are inappropriate for SMLRS. This not intended to restrict anyone’s right to self-expression, however, there are many other opportunities apart from SMLRS to discuss views on controversial issues. This system depends on the goodwill and professionalism of amateur operators to facilitate the integration of emergency communicators throughout the SMLRS service area.

If a user commits actions not in the spirit of amateur radio, or acts in such a manner as to jeopardize the tower lease agreements for system repeaters or jeopardizes the reputation of the system, its administrators or its supporters by either on or off air activities, the system administrators reserve the right to ask the offending party to cease use of the Southwest Missouri Linked Repeater System indefinitely or until the situation is resolved.

If the administrators of SMLRS have concerns that a user is failing to follow the guidelines in good faith, they reserve the right to advise the user of their concerns and take actions (including limiting user access to SMLRS) to protect the reputation and usability of SMLRS for its intended purpose.

Any questions regarding these guidelines should be pursued with SMLRS Contacts listed on www.smlrs.info.