You may run into the term “overscore” while studying the Morse code. This term is used to indicate a change in how characters in the Morse code are sent. Prosigns are often used in sending Morse code as a means of conveying information in an abbreviated format. For […]
The subject of using punctuation in a formal radiogram came up on the Ohio Single Sideband Net (OSSBN) a while back. It seems that not everyone understands exactly how to use punctuation in a formal NTS message. In order to understand why the standard practices in NTS traffic […]
Nets generally have an assigned net frequency. Under normal circumstances, the net control station (NCS) will call the net on the published net frequency. All of the net member stations will set their frequency to the same net frequency and all is well. There are a few things […]
NTS message traffic handlers are encouraged to file a Station Activity Report (SAR) monthly and a Public Service Honor Role (PSHR) report when qualified. These reports require you to know how many nets you checked into, how many messages you handled, and other detailed information about your networking […]
QNZ is an ARRL NTS prosign that is used by net control stations on CW nets to instruct net members to zero-beat their transmit signal with net control’s transmit signal. If every station does this correctly, then all stations should hear each other with a pleasant audio pitch. […]
From the ARRL web site: Each month in QST‘s Field Organization Reports column, the Public Service Honor Roll (PSHR) recognizes the efforts of Amateur Radio operators who are active in many aspects of public service. This includes net operations, traffic handling, emergency operations and public service communication support. […]
The Station Activity Report, or SAR, is a report of the traffic handled at your station. It is filed monthly, normally with your Section Traffic Manager (STM). In the report, you provide a count of the message traffic handled by your station for the previous month. This information […]
Operating signals, also called Q and Z codes, are used throughout the world. They are used by both civil and military organizations. The most complete list of both Q and Z signals is found in ACP 131(F). This is the standard guide for use by the NATO military […]
The essence of public service communications is in getting the message from point A to point B. This sounds simple enough when points A and B are in the same county and you have a local repeater that covers the whole county, but, what if point A is […]
Have you ever heard someone send a signal report of 5NN? Perhaps you knew it was the same as an RST of 599. Sending the letter ‘N’ for a figure ‘9’ is called sending a cut number. While the N for 9 is the most common, there is […]
For anyone interested in handling message traffic via cw, a slow speed cw training net is a very good place to start. These slow speed nets exist to help the new traffic handler to learn the ropes of message traffic handling at slower speeds than are typical for […]
This article introduces the International Morse Code as used by radio amateurs. The formal document that describes the International Morse Code for use in radio telecommunication is ITU Recommendation ITU-R M.1677-1 (10/2009). While there are extensions to handle languages other than English, we will be concerned with the […]