National Traffic System ARRL Eastern New York (ENY) Section Nicholas S. Castellano, N2QZ ARRL Section Traffic Manager Net Manager, NYS/E CW Net

What is the National Traffic System? The National Traffic System or NTS is a system that organizes Amateur Radio Operators for the purpose of providing timely and reliable movement of third-party message traffic from origin to destination as a free public service to the amateur community and the general public Our goals are efficiency and accuracy

Goal 1: Efficiency Efficient net operation  Participants Maintain proper net discipline Proper pace for radiogram transmission  Conditions  Ability of the receiving station (know your stations!)‏  NCS Sending stations off frequency to move traffic in parallel (know your stations!)‏ Prioritizing traffic based on quantity

Goal 2: Accuracy Never change a message in transit for any reason!  If you feel that corrections are necessary, add an op note instead. Follow proper net procedure, and use proper voicing techniques to help ensure accurate copy.

History of the National Traffic System The National Traffic system (NTS) has its roots in the earliest days of Amateur Radio The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) was founded in 1914 by Hiram Percy Maxim to facilitate the relay of radiogram message traffic The ARRL organized amateurs as Official Relay Stations The ORS appointment still used today in the ARRL Field Organization

Why should you get involved? Great public service opportunity Great training opportunity for ARES/RACES Great opportunity to earn wallpaper  Public Service Honor Roll (PSHR)‏ Certificates are available for repeated qualification (12 months straight or 18 months out of 24)‏ See your callsign in QST every month you qualify  Net certificates  ORS Appointment  STM Appointment Lots of fun and camaraderie

How message traffic moves NTS (Phone and CW modes)‏  Structure NTS operates in four daily Cycles which are structured to provide 24-hour transit from origin to delivery anywhere in the US and Canada under ideal conditions  Transit Origination Local, section (state), region, area nets, Trans Continental Corps (TCC)‏ Delivery

How message traffic moves (cont'd)‏ NTSD (Digital Modes)‏  PACTOR I & PACTOR II  VHF Packet Independent (Non-NTS) traffic nets

Typical radiogram messages Common (routine) message traffic  Holiday and birthday greetings  Callbook or roster traffic Examples (paraphrased)‏  Congratulations on your new callsign  Your amateur radio license is about to expire  Congratulations on your recent license renewal  Please join a slow speed CW net  Welcome to FISTS Purpose of callbook traffic

Typical radiogram messages (cont'd)‏ Uncommon message traffic  Health and welfare  Emergency traffic

NTS Message Format NTS Radiogram Messages Made Easy

Message Number Serial Number assigned by originating station. Many stations begin with number “1” at beginning of each year or month. Allows easy reference to message in the event of service or delivery problem

Precedence Indicates importance of message to originator (or served agency)‏ Provides guidance for Net Operators

Precedence (cont'd)‏ Four Categories  Emergency: Life or Death – always spelled out!  Priority: Time sensitive – abbreviated “P”  Welfare: Information pertaining to the well being of an individual in a disaster area – abbreviated “W”  Routine: Casual greeting or routine public service message – abbreviated “R”

Handling Instructions (HX)‏ Optionally provide instructions to delivering station or those handling the traffic HXA Collect landline delivery authorized by addressee within ___ miles (or unlimited if blank) (A150 = collect call authorized within 150 miles; A = collect call authorized regardless of miles)‏ HXA Collect landline delivery authorized by addressee within ___ miles (or unlimited if blank) (A150 = collect call authorized within 150 miles; A = collect call authorized regardless of miles)‏ HXB Cancel message if not delivered within ___ hours of filing time & service originating station (B72 = cancel if not delivered within 72 hrs and send message to originator to notify them)‏ HXB Cancel message if not delivered within ___ hours of filing time & service originating station (B72 = cancel if not delivered within 72 hrs and send message to originator to notify them)‏ HXC Confirmation of delivery requested by originating station (“DELIVERED 1014 JULY Z X 73” or “ARL SIXTY SEVEN 1014 PHONE INCORRECT NO REPLACEMENT FOUND X SENT US MAIL X 73” HXC Confirmation of delivery requested by originating station (“DELIVERED 1014 JULY Z X 73” or “ARL SIXTY SEVEN 1014 PHONE INCORRECT NO REPLACEMENT FOUND X SENT US MAIL X 73” HXD Report to originating station the identity of the station from which received, plus date and time. Report identity of station to which relayed, plus date and time, or if delivered report date, time, and method of delivery. Provides full trace of message through the system. Not to be used without good reason! HXD Report to originating station the identity of the station from which received, plus date and time. Report identity of station to which relayed, plus date and time, or if delivered report date, time, and method of delivery. Provides full trace of message through the system. Not to be used without good reason! HXE Delivering station to get reply from addressee and send to originator as a new message HXE Delivering station to get reply from addressee and send to originator as a new message HXF Hold delivery until ___ (numbered day of month) – great for birthday or anniversary messages (F14 = deliver on 14 th of the month; F1 = deliver on the 1 st of month after date filed)‏ HXF Hold delivery until ___ (numbered day of month) – great for birthday or anniversary messages (F14 = deliver on 14 th of the month; F1 = deliver on the 1 st of month after date filed)‏ HXG Delivery by mail or toll call not required, service originating station. HXG Delivery by mail or toll call not required, service originating station.

Station of Origin Call sign of first station to place message on air Example: If W8ZZ calls W8IHX on the phone and asks the later to originate the message, the Station of Origin is “W8IHX.”

Check The number of words or groups in the text Does not include address or signature Mixed groups, such as “6TH” or “FSD212” count as one word The “X-ray” (“X”), used in place of a period, counts as one word The word count is preceeded by “ARL” when ARRL Numbered Radiograms are present in the text

Place of Origin This is the location of the individual whose name appears in the “Signature” portion of the message It is not the location of the station that places the message on-air

Time Filed Four figure time group in UTC (GMT)‏ Example: 2330Z Never use local time Indicates the time the message was drafted or the time the event occurred

Date Filed Always expressed as a three-letter month and day  Examples: “JUN 10” or “JUL 4” Always read on phone as full month name  Examples “June One Zero” or “July Four” Must reflect date in UTC (e.g. new day starts at 7 PM EST or 8 PM EDT)‏

Address Should be as complete as possible Include telephone number In some cases, it may be abbreviated When an agency has a direct liaison on air:  “NWS-DTX” for National Weather Service  “MSP-EMD” for Michigan State Police EOC When addressed to a radio amateur active on a net  e.g. WC8EOC for State E.O.C.

The portion of the message containing the preceding service information is called the Preamble

The Text Try to limit to 25 words or less for routine messages Keep as brief as possible for official traffic Avoid difficult or confusing language Utilize the “X” for a period.  Never end a radiogram text with an X Always convert the “X” to a period when delivering traffic in writing.

The Signature The name of the individual or agency originating the message. May include additional data, such as address or telephone number, title, etc.

Op Note Conveys additional information to relay or delivery stations Two kinds of op notes  Address op note, after name /address / phone number  Signature op note, after the signature

Example of a Routine Message

ARL Texts Common message texts designated by a code to speed transmission of traffic Example: ARL One = “Everyone safe here please don’t worry” ARL numbers are always spelled out

ARL Numbered Radiograms FSD-3

Routine Message with ARL Numbers

Radiogram Form Record Keeping REC'D  Record callsign, net, date, and time of receipt SENT  Record callsign, net, date, and time of relay THIS RADIO MESSAGE WAS RECEIVED AT  Record your contact information when providing paper delivery by US Mail or by hand

Record Keeping Example

Voicing on phone nets It is important that you use prowords properly to ensure correct copy Once you begin transmitting a message, every word you say should be either part of the written message or a proword. Traffic handling is a formal procedure and is not an informal conversation. NTS MPG has all the details on voicing and prowords. Basic prowords are on the next slide.

Voicing on phone nets (cont'd)‏ Basic prowords  Number  Figures  I spell  Initials  Mixed Group  Amateur Call  Break  I say again

Voicing Example

Book Traffic Groups together messages with similar contents for convenience Eliminates the need to repeat the same information multiple times “Basic Book” has the same text for every message in the book, with varying message numbers and recipients Other permutations are less common but are perfectly legitimate

Net Operations NTS Traffic nets are formal, directed nets. The Net Control Station is in charge. Be sure to follow instructions from NCS accurately to the best of your ability.

Delivery Confirmed delivery (preferred)‏  Telephone  By hand Unconfirmed delivery  Voice mail or answering machine  U.S. Mail Service originating station if they requested confirmation, or if delivery was unsuccessful or unconfirmed

Delivery (cont'd)‏ You are representing all Ham Radio operators Make the call Identifying yourself  Non-Hams  Hams The Message  Radiogram vs. Telegram Hardly ever bad news Example: “My name is Nick and I'm a ham radio operator. I have a radiogram message of greeting for David Smith from Steve Jones in Dallas, Texas. May I please speak with David?”

Reporting Station Activity Report (SAR)‏  Mandatory for stations with ORS appointment  Appreciated from any station handling traffic  Use a log sheet to keep track of your messages Originated, Received, Sent, & Delivered Public Service Honor Roll (PSHR)‏  Keep another log sheet with tally of number of net checkins, total time of participation in nets and other public service activities (planned and unplanned)‏ Report SAR and PSHR totals to STM and SM STM = Nick Castellano, N2QZ SM = Pete Cecere, N2YJZ

International Third Party Traffic You may handle international third party traffic as long as the US has signed an official third- party traffic agreement with that particular country, or the third party is a licensed amateur.  The traffic must be noncommercial and of a personal, unimportant nature. During an emergency, the US State Department will often work out a special temporary agreement with the country involved. But in normal times, never handle traffic without first making sure it is legally permitted.

How can you get involved? You do not need to make a big time commitment Start by just checking in to the local nets  Casual checkins are OK up to the section level  Learn the basic checkin procedures  Maybe take some traffic for delivery or originate a piece Substitute for a missing liaison or NCS Regularly filling one assignment would be a big help to the system

Getting your Feet Wet All NTS nets are for training  Local VHF nets are specifically intended for training Do not be afraid to make mistakes. You will receive tips and guidance from more experienced operators, which will help you learn how to do it. “Anything that's worth doing, is worth doing poorly.” 

Please help! We need help at every level of NTS from local nets to TCC Phone operators are needed! CW operators are needed! Digital operators are needed! Personal training is available  or call me!

Eastern New York nets Capital District Traffic Net (CDTN) on CS / PL100 at 18:45 local Sn-F  Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren, Washington Hudson Valley Net (HVN) on Mt. Beacon at 19:30 local daily  Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Sullivan, Ulster Southern District Net (SDN) on WECA at 21:30 local daily  Rockland, Westchester

HF Phone Nets serving NY 3.925MHz LSB  Clearing House Net (CHN) [Independent], 11AM  New York Phone (NYP), 1PM S,Sn  New York Public Operations Net (NYPON), 5PM  New York State Phone Traffic and Emergency Net (NYSPTEN) [Independent], 6PM

Finding more information NTS-ENY web site  Through the ENY Section web page  Click on “NTS”  Direct link NTS MPG  or call me!

Thanks for listening! Contact information:  ENY STM Nick Castellano N2QZ   Any questions?

Credits Thanks to the following sources:  The American Radio Relay League, Inc Steven R. Ewald, WV1X, ed., The ARRL Net Directory Edition (Connecticut: The American Radio Relay League, Inc., 2001), back cover. Chuck Hutchinson, K8CH, ed., The ARRL Operating Manual Seventh Edition (Connecticut: The American Radio Relay League, Inc., 2000), p  James Wades K8SIW, and the Michigan Net, QMN / National Radio Emergency Net (with permission)‏  Jim Shultz W5OMG (with permission)‏