by
Patricia Urie W7ZIW
PARTS OF A MESSAGE
A SAMPLE MESSAGE
PRECEDENCES
HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS
HANDLING TRAFFIC BY VOICE
ARRL NUMBERED RADIOGRAMS
BOOK MESSAGES
SERVICING A MESSAGE
1R HXG W7ABC 18 Spokane WA OCT 1
JANE DOE 1234 ICICLE LN
FAIRBANKS AK 99015 - Tel 509 - 261 - 1234
JANE IT WAS NICE TO SEE YOU ON YOUR SUMMER VACATION X PLEASE KEEP IN TOUCH X LOVE JOHN
(1.) 1R signifies the message is number 1 and it is a routine message. The originating station is W7ABC. Messages can be numbered consecutively starting at 1. Most people choose to start with 1 at the beginning of each month and then start over the next month at nr 1.
(2.) The check, (word and character count) is 18. This encompasses the text which is counted from the word Jane to the word Love.
(3.) The preamble 1r hxg w7abc 18 podunk wa oct 1, is not part
of the text and neither is the address or the signature and should not
be counted. Characters, like X (meaning the end of a sentence or
period,
are counted as one "word". See below for significance of HXG.
The message precedence is one of 4 kinds and follows the message number.
ROUTINE traffic is the most common. In disaster situations traffic labeled Routine will be handled last. On cw, inserted into preamble as R.
EMERGENCY traffic, will have life and death implications and used only when regular commercial facilities are unavailable. On cw, "Emergency" is always written out.
PRIORITY precedence is used when there is a specific time limit. Notification of death or injury in a disaster area, personal or official. Traffic listed Priority is handled first after Emergency. Inserted into preamble as P.
WELFARE precedence is used when the health or welfare
of
persons during a disaster is requested. Used after Emergency and
Priority, but before Routine. On cw inserted as W.
Handling instructions always start with an H.
HXG, the most common. Delivery by mail or landline toll call not required. If toll or other expense involved, cancel message and service originating station.
HXF, followed by a number means hold delivery until ________ date. Used for birthday greetings etc., in the preamble it follows the HXF.
HXA, (followed by number.) Collect landline delivery authorized by addressee within _____miles. (If no number, authorization is unlimited.)
HXB. (Followed by number.) Cancel message if not delivered within_____hours of filing time: service originating station.
HXC. Report date and time of deliver to originating station.
HXD. Report to originating station the identity of station from which received, plus date and time. Or if delivered report date, time and method of delivery.
HXE. Delivering station get reply from addressee, originate
message
back..
Using the message on page one as the example. When relaying a message to another station you would say.
Please copy number 1 Routine, a group of letters HXG, I spell, Hotel Xray Golf (phonetics), from W7ABC ck 18 Spokane Washington Oct 1
Going to Jane Doe, I spell Jane Juliet Alpha November Echo. Doe, I spell Delta Oscar Echo, Address One two three four Icicle I spell Icicle, India Charlie India Charlie Lima Echo. Lane. Fairbanks Alaska, niner niner zero one five, (I say niner for nine, because it sounds much like 5 especially in qrm.) You can use your own descretion with this Telephone, five zero niner two six one one two three four. (say numbers distinctly and in groups.)
Break for the text (to see if receiving station has copied you so far or needs fills, and to alert that text is next) If receiving station copied ok, he will say "go with text".
Continuing on, Jane it was nice to see you on your
summer
vacation xray (X) Please keep in touch xray (X) Love
BREAK
(to let him know the text is finished), and the signature is
John,
I spell Juliet Oscar Hotel November.
Quite frequently you will find in the preamble a check with ARL in front of it. This signifies that there is an ARRL Numbered Radiogram within the message. The number after ARL is still the text count. The numbered Radiograms are a way of compacting what you want to say.
1R W7ABC ARL 23 Spokane WA OCT 1
Jane Doe
1234 Icicle Ln
Fairbanks AK 99015 Tel - 509 261 - 1234
ARL fifty X It was nice to see you on your summer vacation X Please keep in touch X ARL seven X Love John
RELAY If you were relaying the message to another station it would be relayed as above.
DELIVERY Upon delivery the message text would read:
(ARL fifty) Greetings by Amateur Radio . It was nice to see
you
on your summer vacation x please keep in touch . ( ARL seven) Please
reply
by amateur radio through the amateur delivering this message.
This
is a free public service Love John
Book messages have one thing in common, the preamble and the text. Book messages are sent like this example:
Here is a book of two Routine from W7ABC 22 Spokane Wa. Oct 1
(The common text), Good to see you all on our summer vacation x I hope you can come and see us next year x Love John and Pamela
Nr. 2 Pat and Henry Miller- 1234 Afghan Way-Port Orchard
WA 98367
Tel 360-876-1223
Nr 3 Jack and Harriet Watson- 3351 Carriage Ln.- Tacoma
WA 98323
Tel 206-332-6875
If you are relaying both messages to one station only, you would send as above. If you were relaying to delivering stations, you would break the messages up like this:
2R W7ABC 22 Spokane WA Oct 1
Pat and Henry Miller- 1234 Afghan Way- Port Orchard WA 98367
tel 360-876-1223
(break)
Good to see you all on our summer vacation x I hope you can come and
see us next year x love (break)
John and Pamela
3R W7ABC 22 Spokane WA Oct 1
Jack and Harriet Watson-3351 Carriage Ln-Tacoma WA 98323
Tel 206 332-6875
(break)
Good to see you all on our summer vacation x I hope you can come and
see us next year x
Love (break)
John and Pamela
You service a message for various reasons. The usual being that the
receiving party cannot be located by telephone. They either have had
their
number disconnected or have moved or have a new but unlisted
number.