NTS

Greetings from your STM. I hope all our friends are remaining well and safe from the Covid virus and that amateur radio may be helping some from going stir-crazy due to activity restrictions resulting from the virus. The nets continue to be busy and we have been adding new net attendees and traffic handlers. Peter KC1HHO reports Jack KB1SYL has begun the training program available on EM2MN and Shannon KC1OHT has expressed interest in getting involved. We welcome these newcomers to the program. Other newly licensed hams have also been checking into that net. Also Bob KC1KVY has become a …

November was a busy month. Following the ARES Academy in October our traffic handlers put out over 400 radiograms to participants of that event, getting experience in originating third party messages. They were advised to add an op note at the end of each message regarding servicing messages to the station of origin (themselves), which is proper protocol, rather than the signer of the message. Since we see so little real third party traffic these days a lot of confusion has grown up over this procedure. Great job all! With the help of the above our nets saw a big …

It is almost Thanksgiving although it hardly seems like it as it has been 70 degrees the past few days. Good weather for last minute preparations for New England winter. As many of you know, the New England ARES Academy was conducted during the month of October as part of our virtual HamXposition. Yours truly, along with K1UAF SM of NH and participant on MARIPN conducted the session on message handling. All the programs were recorded and are available on YouTube under New England ARES Academy. There were 400 to 500 registered participants from all over, and thanks to our …

Greetings all. We’re well into fall. The weather is changing, the leaves are turning beautiful colors and we have apparently entered into a new sun spot cycle, hopefully signalling improved band conditions. We in NTS are privileged this month to participate in an interoperability exercise with MARS, the Military Amateur Radio Service. ICS-213 messages are being injected into NTS nets and the Digital Traffic System, requesting recipients to call Chief of MARS to confirm delivery. The exercise focuses in part on success of delivery and time of transit. Instructions for this exercise were sent out to MA traffic handlers. We …

Greetings to all. I hope you had a great summer in spite of all the pandemic restrictions. Now that we are getting into fall perhaps there is time to consider some why’s and wherefores of handling message traffic on voice nets. We have some very good training programs on the nets but I would also like to call attention to the Methods and Practices Guidelines (MPG) available on the arrl.org website (http://www.arrl.org/files/file/NTS_MPG2014.pdf) with link also on the ema.arrl.org website (https://ema.arrl.org/national-traffic-system/nts-resources/) under NTS Resources. This is not meant to be a training manual but rather a resource document covering various topics …

Greetings all traffic handlers and would-be traffic handlers. I hope you are all staying safe and cool. My apologies for not hosting the annual traffic handlers picnic this year, but the current pandemic situation was a primary factor. I hope to be able to have one here next year. I have mentioned in the past that the Public Service Enhancement Working Group of the ARRL was turning their attention to NTS this year. Unfortunately that has been on hold due in part to the search for an emergency communications manager, one who would also be overseeing the role of the …

Greetings all. Hope summer and the partial reopening of activities in the Commonwealth is finding all you great folks doing well. June was a very active month as far as the traffic nets and message handling was concerned. From Peter KC1HHO, manager of EM2MN: the training program has been going well and three new traffic handlers, Bernie KC1MSN, Scott N1KMX and Steve KC1NBI are becoming quite proficient and are on the road to becoming Official Relay Stations. Peter’s training has included radiograms containing Trivia questions which require a radiogram response in proper format and transmitted according to standard NTS protocol …

Happy June and happy beginning of summer.  Happiness is also seeing sun spots for a change,  giving operation on HF a bit of a boost.  Also nice to be able to get out more although hoping folks will remain careful, safe and healthy. It has been exciting to see an uptake in the number of check-ins to the traffic nets with a number of those requesting training in handling message traffic. Peter KC1HHO, manager of EM2MN on the Boston repeater has been using radiograms with Trivia questions requiring a radiogram response to promote training in proper message origination and over-the- …