Hi Gary, that's all right. I was talking about an MMSN member checking in
with the net from the dock. If that's training, so be it.

I do it all the time. It IS good training and it serves to allow me to
determine
if my equipment is working. It also lets the net know that I am listening
and am available if someone has traffic for someone in my area. Or if
someone needs me to make a phone call on their behalf. This is how
a net operates.

I don't know if
there are ever missed calls because of that chatter, but it seems possible
there would be.

Net procedures take care of that. Although you are obviouly not aware
of it, there are pretty strict rules as to how the net operates. It may seem
informal, especially if there is not much traffic, but if a station does
check in
(or break in) with traffic or an emergency. Procedures change pretty quick.

Training with check-in chatter could be accomplished
off-net, much like the Sunday afternoon training already goes
off-frequency
for a short broadcast of interest to users of the net.

The check-in chatter IS the net. Although to a trained operator if is far
from chatter. I'm interested in understanding how you feel a net should
operate if not to call for emergency traffic and checkins?

Many Hams are
admittedly very skilled with break-in techniques that keep the MMSN full
of
non-stop chatter with few breaks for service, so to speak. Just my
observation from over a decade of listening to it!

You clearly haven't known what exactly you are listening to. What exactly
is a "break for service"?

Jack