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CX2SA > NTS 01.05.24 11:41l 301 Lines 14853 Bytes #159 (0) @ ARRL
BID : NTS042024
Read: GUEST
Subj: The NTS E-Letter - 04/2024
Path: IZ3LSV<I3XTY<I0OJJ<N6RME<CX2SA
Sent: 240406/1122Z @:CX2SA.SAL.URY.SOAM #:39037 [Salto] FBB7.00e $:NTS042024
From: CX2SA@CX2SA.SAL.URY.SOAM
To : NTS@ARRL
================
The NTS E-Letter
================
April 2, 2024
- New Features on the NTS 2.0 Website
- Treasure Hunt News
- Radiogram Portal Update
- History of NTS by Bud Hippisley, W2RU
- Best Practices: Traffic Deliveries and Numbered Radiograms
- From the E-Mailbox
- The Hit and Bounce CW Nets
- Spotlight: Jonathan Taylor, K1RFD
- NTS Resources
- Sign up to Receive The NTS Letter
- Support NTS: Join ARRL
New Features on the NTS 2.0 Website
-----------------------------------
To promote awareness of NTS, we have added a new page at
https://nts2.arrl.org/promo/ where you can find materials to help introduce
NTS to hams, new and old alike, as well as to the public. The page includes
an archive of all issues of The NTS Letter including a list of the content
in each issue. There is also a flyer that can be customized for your use,
printed out, and distributed at club meetings, VE sessions, hamfests, etc.
You can also find suggestions for promoting NTS at ARRL Field Day, including
helping your group get the extra points for traffic handling and
distributing information about NTS message handling to visitors at your
Field Day site. We expect more content will be added to this site in the
near future.
The site also features a series of brief training videos along with
downloadable PowerPoint presentations created by WNY Assistant Section
Traffic Manager Andy Harmon-Kimball, W2ZXN. The three-part series covers an
introduction to NTS, Radiograms, and Sending Traffic. It is hoped folks will
find these documents useful not only for themselves but also for
presentations to clubs and other gatherings.
The videos can also be found at https://nts2.arrl.org/training/, along with
an Introduction to the Radiogram Web Portal, How to Send an NTS Radiogram
with APRS, and Agency Traffic Handling Procedures and Forms.
Our goal is to create a library of content to make training and promotion
better and easier. Do you have ideas for promoting NTS? Let us know.
Treasure Hunt News
------------------
Hello, treasure hunters! Twenty stations participated in the March NTS
Treasure Hunt. The following stations successfully completed all three rounds:
03/07/24 2355Z KE4RS Stan
03/08/24 1557Z KY2D Jim
03/08/24 1502Z KC3QVF Chris
03/13/24 1447Z W2QMI Suzan
03/14/24 2250Z WB8RGE Al
03/16/24 1447Z W2OOD Carl
03/18/24 1431Z KE8HKA Matthew
03/19/24 2023Z N1CVO Shawn
03/22/24 1414Z W4BZM Michael
03/22/24 1440Z AB3WG David
The first three Treasure Hunt finishers in the inaugural NTS 2.0 Treasure
Hunt were awarded a specially designed mug courtesy of the NTS 2.0 planning
committee. This month's and future first place winners will be awarded one
of these mugs. Second and third place finishers will receive a certificate.
If you missed the official Treasure Hunt announcement in the December 2023
issue of The NTS Letter, here is a recap: This is a fun, on-air, multi-step
competition in which you will respond to a "judge" with your answer to an
initial clue or question via radiogram. The judge will reply via radiogram
with the identity of the next judge, along with the next question or clue in
the hunt.
The Treasure Hunt will be taking a break for the month of April and be back
in May, so check the May issue of The NTS Letter for the next question.
We had quite a few responses to our survey, and we will be trying to address
those.
Thanks for the feedback. Please fill out our survey here to let us know how
we are doing. Good luck!
Radiogram Portal Update
-----------------------
Efforts to implement and promote the NTS 2.0 Radiogram Portal are under way.
The brainchild of EchoLink inventor Jonathan Taylor, K1RFD, the Radiogram
Portal is a web-based tool designed to collect third-party messages for
injection into the National Traffic System via the public internet.
Radiogram Portal [Photo]
There are currently 25 volunteers, called "Radiogrammers," who have the
ability to log in and perform this task. Radiogrammers access a special area
of the Portal and accept texts deposited by third parties in their
respective regions for message origination by voice, CW, or digital modes.
The third-party identities are authenticated via email to eliminate spam,
and the message texts themselves are always screened by a licensed amateur
prior to message origination.
Thus far, the system has not experienced a lot of traffic, but it's
anticipated that this situation will change with the arrival of warmer
weather, when amateurs will set up message tables at fairs and other public
events.
The NTS 2.0 Advanced Access & Delivery working group is working on several
key modifications to the Portal, such as adding email notification to
Radiogrammers when traffic in their region is present on the Portal for
pickup. The Access & Delivery working group, in conjunction with the
Recruitment, Training, and Online Presence working group are continuing work
on how to better promote and educate traffic handlers on the Portal.
If you'd like to learn more about this exciting new tool, visit the
Radiogram Portal Quick Start
History of NTS by Bud Hippisley, W2RU
-------------------------------------
About the time you receive this issue of The NTS Letter you'll be able to
find a history of NTS on our website. The history began a few years ago as a
collaboration between Old Old Timers Club (OOTC) Executive Secretary Pip
Sager, WB4FDT, and Bud Hippisley, W2RU, as a brief overview of more than a
century of amateur radio traffic handling, written for the OOTC newsletter.
Bud has expanded the history to include additional detail related to the
creation and subsequent growth of NTS over the years. You can find the
article at https://nts2.arrl.org/nts-history/
Best Practices: Traffic Deliveries and Numbered Radiograms
----------------------------------------------------------
A fellow amateur recently recounted their experience of sending a radiogram
to a friend. This radiogram included one of the ARRL numbered texts. The
delivering ham read the message word for word as if he was sending it on a
net, including the ARL number, the Xray and the Break (BT). You have
probably heard of other such instances. Most of us are familiar with these
numbered radiograms, which are generally designed to shorten radiogram
content and therefore transmission time. They can be found here, and can be
downloaded as a handy reference. (Note: This version replaces the old list
of numbered radiograms found in the FSD 3 form on the ARRL.org website.)
This delivering ham was likely new and had not considered the recipient's
understanding of the message. While he may have been taught how to format
and send a radiogram, perhaps he had not been instructed in proper delivery.
Make sure your training program includes delivery techniques, which are an
important aspect of traffic handling. After all, we want to make a good
impression on those we serve.
From the E-Mailbox
------------------
Inviting New Amateurs to Traffic Handling Via Radiogram
"Bulk traffic" is a phrase that makes some traffic handlers cringe. But what
if we look at that phrase from the perspective of outreach? Don't we need a
deeper traffic handling base in nearly every sector of the NTS? Don't we
need a renewable resource to keep the NTS relevant and viable? What better
way than to get a radiogram in the hands of an amateur while their license
is fresh, and they are looking to see what role in the hobby suits them.
The Southwest Florida Traffic Net (SWFTN) has long enjoyed a close
relationship with the Fort Myers Amateur Radio Club (FMARC), and
consequently with the local Volunteer Examiners. For the last several years,
we have been generating radiograms on the net using the FMARC club call and
signature to new and upgraded amateurs. The radiogram is congratulatory (ARL
FIFTY SIX) and asks them to join the SWFTN. Since we are a local VHF net on
a wide area repeater, amateurs of any license class have a reasonably easy
time of joining in. The object is to get them familiar with a radiogram, get
them on the air and on an NTS net, and make them aware of the local club.
It has taken some time to pay dividends, but this year has seen results. The
SWFTN has seen a noticeable uptick in new amateur call sign check-ins (think
KO4s and KQ4s). Some of these are even taking the plunge and handling a
radiogram or two. I would encourage net managers, especially on the local
level, to forge a close relationship with your local clubs and VEs. Get a
list of those newly minted amateurs, regardless of license class, and get a
radiogram to them. Hopefully you can add a few new traffic handlers to our
ranks in 2024.
A final thought: send a monthly net report as a QNC radiogram on your local
net. The SWFTN also does this, and it gives everyone present on the first of
each month an opportunity to copy at least one piece of traffic a month.
This can also be a great tool for breaking the ice with a new
amateur/traffic handler. It allows them to copy traffic without necessarily
being in the spotlight. - SFL Section Traffic Manager Dave Sheppard, W2PAX
The Hit and Bounce CW Nets
--------------------------
Are you looking for some practice in message handling while also increasing
your code speed? Do antenna restrictions prevent you from participating on
the evening nets on 80 meters? Do you have traffic from the night before
that you wish to get on its way before work or other commitments? Check out
one of the Hit and Bounce traffic nets that meet every morning on 40 meters.
The Hit and Bounce Net (HBN) is one of the oldest CW traffic nets still in
existence. It was formed in the 1930s on the premise that CW operators would
like a morning CW net if they could quickly be in and out to continue their
usual business. The net meets daily at 8:30 AM Eastern Time on 7112 kHz.
While it is an independent net, participants generally clear traffic on
various NTS nets. Regulars come primarily from the eastern seaboard from
Florida to Maine and from as far west as Oklahoma and Texas. We have even
seen stations from the west coast when propagation permitted.
If you are looking for a slower speed net to build your code speed and
increase your confidence in CW traffic handling, HBN might be just what
you're looking for. It meets daily at 7:30 AM, also on 7112 Khz. The earlier
time might also work well for those who need to clear their traffic before
heading off to work or getting on with their day. If you would like more
information about these nets contact HBN manager Tom, W4KX, or Hit and
Bounce Slow Net manager Bill, W1KX.
Spotlight: Jonathan Taylor, K1RFD
---------------------------------
Our spotlight this month is on Jonathan Taylor, K1RFD, developer of the
Radiogram Web Portal software.
Jonathan Taylor, K1RFD, in his ham "shack" [Photo]
Most hams are familiar with the popular Echolink software, which is used by
hams worldwide. This software was developed in 2002 by Jonathan, who
continues to support it.
Jonathan grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and got interested in amateur radio
while listening to an old Hallicrafters shortwave radio his grandfather had
given him. As a kid he built a couple of electronics kits. This apparently
influenced his future career path. He was first licensed in 1974 and was
very active in NTS nets in the mid to late '70s, mostly on CW in the Eighth
Region, and then again during his first year at Cornell University in
upstate New York.
Professionally, Jonathan says he had two careers, first as an on-air radio
broadcaster in several cities, including NYC (a background which is notable
in his Radiogram Portal presentation), and then as a software engineer and
IT executive. He developed one of the early web browsers in the 1990s at
Prodigy, and then spent 19 years at the startup company Priceline.com in
Connecticut, where he now resides. He managed development teams at Gartner
before retiring last year.
We are very fortunate to have Jonathan with his amazing talents on the NTS
2.0 team. If any of our readers have talents that might help us further the
work of improving and enhancing NTS, please write to project leader Fred
Kemmerer, AB1OC, at AB1OC@xxxx.xxx.
NTS Resources
-------------
The National Traffic Systemİ (NTS) is a network of amateur radio operators
who move information during disasters and other emergencies. General
messages offering well wishes also move through the NTS to help test the
system and to help amateur radio operators build traffic handling skills.
While the NTS is primarily set up to serve the United States and Canada, it
is possible to move traffic internationally through the NTS through various
local, regional, area, and international network connections.
NTS 2.0
NTS Manual
NTS Methods and Practices Guidelines Table of Contents
Handling Instructions
Numbered Texts
Form Encoding Rules for Form
Sign up to Receive The NTS Letter
---------------------------------
The NTS Letter is published monthly and is free of charge to ARRL members.
Subscribe: arrl.org/opt-in-out
Editor: Marcia Forde, KW1U, Section Traffic Manager -- Eastern
Massachusetts, Western Massachusetts, and Rhode Island
ARRL Director of Emergency Management: Josh Johnston, KE5MHV
Support NTS: Join ARRL
----------------------
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