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CX2SA > NTS 06.10.24 12:34l 342 Lines 17477 Bytes #223 (0) @ ARRL
BID : NTS092024
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Subj: September 2024 NTS Letter
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Sent: 241006/1133Z @:CX2SA.SAL.URY.SOAM #:44327 [Salto] FBB7.00e $:NTS092024
From: CX2SA@CX2SA.SAL.URY.SOAM
To : NTS@ARRL
=========================
September 2024 NTS Letter
=========================
September 3, 2024
-"Happy 75th, NTS" (Part 1)
-Treasure Hunt Update
-NTS at the New England HamXposition
-From the Field: Daily SSB Nets Provide Backbone for Florida
-Traffic Tip from the Wisconsin STM
-New Section Traffic Manager Group
-Spotlight - Tom Doligalski, W4KX
"Happy 75th, NTSİ!" (Part 1)
----------------------------
Bud Hippisley W2RU
October 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the National Traffic Systemİ.
When I peruse net bulletins and correspondence that accompanied the birth
and infancy of NTSİ, I am amazed the system even survived the early years!
Of course, not only did it survive, it went on to thrive in subsequent
decades! As George Hart, W1NJM, wrote later in the '50s, it did so not
because HQ attempted to force it on amateurs but, rather, because of the
"dogged determination" of a majority of traffic handlers of the day. This
month and next, I'm describing a few of the challenges NTSİ faced at the
beginning.
October 1st was the target date publicized in September 1949 QST, but -
because traffic nets of the era generally only formally operated Monday
through Friday local time - full-up system operation began on the evening of
Monday, October 3rd (which, of course, was really October 4th UTC). That's
when the four newly appointed area net managers had agreed to hold their
nets' first sessions, and most region net managers were planning to start as
well. Nearly all section nets were already in existence; all that becoming
part of NTSİ required of them was to assign representatives to take
out-of-section traffic to the new region net each weekday evening and bring
back incoming traffic later that evening.
"Doc" Hayes, W1IIN / W2BYF, the first EAN manager, saw to it that EAN led
off at 0130z that Monday evening on 3705 kHz. (EAN moved to 3670 on July 30,
1951, shortly after creation of the 3700-3750 kHz Novice band by the FCC.)
The other three area nets (Central, Mountain, and Pacific) followed with
their initial sessions one, two, and three hours later, on 3670, 3540, and
3670, respectively.
Yes, that's right - four area nets! That's because the original NTSİ plan
included a Mountain Area Net (MAN) so that each time zone in the "Lower 48"
had its own daily cycle of section, region, and area net operations based on
"local" time. But in the Mountain time zone in 1949, nets at all levels
struggled, thanks primarily to sparse population density, few active traffic
handlers, and abysmal HF propagation.
To that last point: The start-up of NTSİ in October of 1949 could not have
come at a worse time: HF conditions from then through at least the fall of
1952 were "the pits"! Two years in a row, EAN Manager George Sleeper, W2CLL,
who replaced W2BYF in December of '49, wrote to W1NJM that he could not
remember conditions ever being as bad in his entire ham career! Sunspot
Cycle 18 was approaching its nadir and Cycle 19 - the strongest and best of
all the sunspot cycles we older hams have had the privilege of enjoying -
had not yet begun to ramp up. Winter long-skip zones afflicted even the
relatively well-staffed EAN, which often had to rely on helpful CAN
operators for intra-EAN relays between reps. So, when most of the country
shifted to daylight saving time in the spring of 1950, the managers of PAN
and MAN found it best to officially move those nets to 40 meters until the
return of standard time in the fall.
But in May of 1950, MAN's manager chose to stay on Standard time rather than
meet at 8:30 p.m. MDT, which would have been an hour earlier relative to
"sun time" or UTC, as System sequencing anticipated. Suddenly, MAN and PAN
were meeting at the same time and handling their traffic in what quickly
became a single PAN session each evening. After reviewing the realities of
the Mountain time zone activity and staffing with the affected net managers,
W1NJM removed MAN from the NTSİ structure and reassigned each region net in
the Mountain time zone to CAN or PAN, as appropriate.
[To be continued next month.]
Treasure Hunt Update
--------------------
Dan Rinaman, AC8NP
Hello, treasure hunters! Twenty stations participated in the July NTS
Treasure Hunt. The first-place finisher in the July Treasure Hunt, as well
as in future treasure hunts, will be awarded a specially designed mug
courtesy of the NTSİ 2.0 Planning Committee. The other finishers will
receive a certificate courtesy of the NTS 2.0 Treasure Hunt Committee.
On With the Hunt
The NTSİ Treasure Hunt for September round #1: What radiogram information is
essential for transmission on the Digital Traffic Network?
Send a radiogram through NTSİ to Ray Webb, KB8GUN, Laurelville, OH 43135.
The text of the radiogram should consist of the word "THR1" meaning
"TREASURE HUNT ROUND 1," followed by your answer. Be sure to format the
message properly, with the message number, the station of origin, and the
correct check. You will receive a confirmation radiogram back with the next
clue or question and addressee; or a message explaining that your answer is
incorrect and to please try again. The judges send their messages via
Digital NTSİ, voice nets and CW nets. The relay stations may use other
methods to deliver the message to you. We use your QRZ information so it may
go to your email in some cases. Check your spam messages. You can use OP
notes to help direct a path to you (phone #, traffic nets).
The judges do not monitor their personal Winlink accounts for this exercise;
they are on NTSİ and NTSD nets almost daily. Your THR1 message must be
received by September 30th to be responded to.
There is a new tool you may use to send your radiogram, via the Radiogram
Portal.
The NTS 2.0 Radiogram Online Tool
Good luck!
If you missed the official Treasure Hunt announcement in the December, 2023,
issue of The NTSİ 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. If you have any comments or suggestions, please use the survey
form or email Dan Rinaman, AC8NP, at ac8np@xxxxx.xxx. 73, Dan, AC8NP
NTSİ at the New England HamXposition
------------------------------------
A very successful annual New England Division HamXposition was held August
22-25. Beautiful New England weather helped bring many hams to Marlborough,
Massachusetts, where they enjoyed meeting with friends, attending a wide
variety of forums, and picking up some new and not-so-new goodies from the
vendors and the outdoor flea market.
Most noteworthy for traffic handlers was an extensive display by the Nashua
(NH) Area Radio Society highlighting NTS 2.0 and some of its
accomplishments. A trifold pictured the NTS2 website, The NTS Letter,
training videos, a downloadable handout available for clubs and public
gatherings, the Radiogram Portal, the APRS to NTS Gateway and more.
A display at the New England HamXposition presented by the Nashua (NH) Area
Radio Society highlighting the National Traffic System
In addition, a monitor featured a continuously playing video describing
information available on the NTS 2 website. A laptop with the Radiogram
Portal software installed was set up to allow visitors to send radiograms to
friends and family as local hams were available to assist. Handouts were
also available promoting amateur radio to the public and which also included
a list of traffic nets throughout New England.
One of the highlights on Saturday was the operation of a traffic net
operating remotely into an amateur radio station in New Hampshire. With John
Gotthardt, K1UAF, as Net Control, a regular session of the First Region Net
was conducted for the benefit of visitors to observe how a traffic net
operates.
John Gotthardt, K1UAF, operating remotely as Net Control of First Region Net
from the New England HamXposition with Marcia, KW1U, observing.
A presentation was also given on NTSİ, including its background, the present
featuring the various accomplishments of the NTS 2 working groups, and some
planned future projects. It was encouraging to see non-traffic handlers
present who were engaged and who asked some good questions. One person who
worked for an emcomm agency stated how pleased he was to see the
presentation of the encapsulated ICS-213 radiogram. Another question raised
asked, in an emergency, how can a member of the public find an amateur radio
operator to send a message when internet and cell service is down? Good
topic for NTS 2 groups to be considering! We welcome your ideas.
There was also a meet-and-greet for current traffic handlers to get together
and talk about what is going on traffic-wise in New England. It is always
fun to have an "eyeball" with the folks with whom we pass messages over the
air.
It is hoped that sharing experiences such as this can be encouraging and
promote an exchange of ideas. What's going on in your area?
From the Field: Daily SSB Nets Provide Backbone for Florida
-----------------------------------------------------------
Dave Sheppard, W2PAX, SFL STM and Helen Straughn, WC4FSU, NFL STM
Florida is fortunate to have a deep and dedicated traffic handling base. The
two daily SSB nets, the Florida Phone Traffic Net (FPTN) and the Tropical
FAST Net TFN), provide a conduit into and out of the state to reach that base.
The Florida Phone Traffic Net operates daily at 0700 ET on 3940 kHz. FPTN
tends to be more of an "inbound" net, on which the traffic load tends to be
coming into the state. This net liaises with the Digital Traffic Network
(DTN) and the Fourth Region Net (4RN) for traffic coming from outside the
state. Local net liaisons include:
Southeast Florida Traffic Net (Miami/Fort Lauderdale/West Palm Beach)
Southwest Florida Traffic Net (Fort Myers/Naples/Port Charlotte)
EagleNet (Tampa/Lakeland/Sarasota)
Volusia County Traffic Net (Daytona area)
Seminole VHF Traffic Net (Orlando/Sanford area)
FPTN operates on a roster check-in system. Frequent check-ins who are part
of the roster are called after net liaisons and stations with traffic. Other
check-ins ("visitors") are called for last. For more information about FPTN,
please visit fptn3940.net.
In the evenings, the Tropical FAST Net (TFN) calls daily at 1800 ET. (The
full name is Tropical Florida All Sideband Traffic Net.) In the winter,
usually October to April, TFN is called on 3940 kHz. In the summer months,
due to shorter band conditions, TFN is called on 7238 kHz. TFN is more of an
"outbound" net, on which the traffic load tends more to be going out of
state. TFN liaises with the DTN and QFN (evening CW net) for out-of-state
traffic, as well as the same local nets as FPTN.
TFN is conducted as an open check-in net after the net liaisons and traffic
stations are handled. For more information about TFN, please visit
tropicalfast.net.
Traffic Tip from the Wisconsin STM:
-----------------------------------
From the Wisconsin section FAQ # 276: When sending messages of any type in
any mode, it's important to know your receiver. If you send faster than you
can write, it's probably too fast for the receiver. If you are hearing
interference on frequency, your receiver probably does, too. If you wouldn't
understand something without explanation in an operator's note, your
receiver will be puzzled as well.
Plain text wording, short sentences, and easy-to-understand terminology can
help as messages are composed. Clear, methodical, sending will eliminate
errors. In other, less famous, words - send unto others as you would have
them send unto you. - Dennis Rybicke, K9LGU/STM
New Section Traffic Manager Group
---------------------------------
Because appointed section traffic managers throughout the country share much
in common, including recruiting and training efforts, coordination of
traffic and traffic nets throughout their sections and more, a new forum has
been created at groups.io to encourage communication among them. Topics
include message traffic happenings, suggestions, questions, special events,
special recognition, and anything else you would like to share with others
in this group including input for The NTS Letter. An invitation was sent to
56 STMs. If you are an STM but haven't signed on yet, please do so. We look
forward to your input.
Spotlight - Tom Doligalski, W4KX
--------------------------------
Tom Doligalski, W4KX, operating Field Day
Tom says when he was a young boy, his father got him interested in
electronics and when Tom was in junior high school, his dad encouraged him
to join a local Boy Scout Explorer post which revolved around amateur radio.
He was first licensed in 1970 while living in Racine, Wisconsin. It was this
interest in amateur radio that influenced him to go to Purdue University to
study engineering and where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in
1976. He went on to receive a Masters degree at Purdue followed by a Ph.D.
in mechanical engineering from Lehigh University. Tom ultimately retired as
Director of the U.S. Army's Basic Research in Engineering program.
Early on in Tom's ham radio career, he attended the local ARRL Field Day and
was immediately accepted by the CW operators (despite his only being a
novice). His interest in traffic handling and traffic nets was piqued,
leading him ultimately to serve as the ARRL Route Manager (RM) for the
Wisconsin Intrastate Net (WIN), a position he held until going to college in
1972. He has been participating in amateur radio on and off since 1970,
having taken time off to pursue college studies.
Upon moving to North Carolina in 1987, several local hams, including Will
Harper, K4IWW, enticed Tom back into CW traffic handling. For a long time,
he served as NCS on the Carolinas CW Nets, which serve both North and South
Carolina. After retirement, he became active on the Hit and Bounce Net
(HBN), which operates daily on 7112 kHz at 0830 ET, and for which he
currently serves as Net Manager. HBN is a traffic net frequented by seasoned
traffic handlers from all points east of the Mississippi and even beyond. He
has promised to write an article about that net, which will appear in a
future issue of The NTS Letter. Tom has also been a valuable contributor to
the NTS 2 effort, serving on one of the working groups helping to improve
and enhance the National Traffic System.
NTSİ Resources
The National Traffic Systemİ (NTSİ) is a network of amateur radio operators
who move information during disasters and other emergencies. General
messages offering well wishes also move through the NTSİ to help test the
system and to help amateur radio operators build traffic handling skills.
While the NTSİ is primarily set up to serve the United States and Canada, it
is possible to move traffic internationally through the NTSİ through various
local, regional, area, and international network connections.
NTS 2.0
NTS Manual
NTS Methods and Practices Guidelines
Handling Instructions
Numbered Texts
Form Encoding Rules for Form
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Editor: Marcia Forde, KW1U, Section Traffic Manager -- Eastern
Massachusetts, Western Massachusetts, and Rhode Island
ARRL Director of Emergency Management: Josh Johnston, KE5MHV
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