Greetings traffic handlers,
Upcoming events to mark on your calendars:
- Field Day Jun 27-28; Help clubs gain points with NTS radiograms relayed over the air.
- Traffic handlers picnic Sunday August 2, 12PM. Food and conversation with fellow traffic handlers under the shade of a big maple tree. More details to follow.
- HamXposition August 14-16 with two NTS programs planned including the annual Meet and Greet. A second NTS forum is planned to promote amateur radio message handling and some of the new changes and activities. Also, would you be willing to help with an NTS table such as we had last year, to distribute information and answer visitor questions? Flyers will be available to hand out and possibly a laptop for sending messages via the Radiogram Portal. Its an easy job and even an hour or so would be most helpful. Let me know if you can possibly help. [kw1u@ arrl.net or kw1u@comcast.net]
CW traffic nets help train in efficient message relay and provide a sense of accomplishment and pride. Voice nets can learn from the their efficiency. Many training programs are availaable for getting started in CW and CW traffic nets provide opportunities for practice, for increasing sending and copying code speed, for feeling a real sense of pride and accomplishment , and, incidentally, being able to relay a message when conditions make voice modulated signals difficult to impossible to copy. MARI meets nightly at 7 PM ET on 3565 kHz. We are a section net, handling not only local traffic but serving as a liaison to the region net, and we need to be able to accomplish a lot in a given amount of time. Therefore the speed may be a bit fast for some, although net control stations are advised to slow down to the speed of those checking in. However, here is a suggestion: listen to the net. Copy as much as you can and don’t sweat what you missed. Keep at it and you will find you are copying more and more. It’s a great way to increase your code speed. By writing everything down that you can, you will begin to see patterns as to how a net operates including what all those Q signals mean. I did this when i was first licensed as a Novice and still remember writing everything down I could copy. I also got a lot of help from the net manager and I am equally available for any help needed today. Give this a try. I’m quite sure you will find this rewarding.
Traffic handling via Winlink makes it easy. Templates help form messages into radiograms. A click of a button and the radiogram is on its way to destination. Done. Just a couple of benefits lost however. No computer? Would you know how to find and handle a message on a traffic net? Or can a traffic net even be found if they have been starved for traffic and disappeared altogether? Checking into a traffic net helps keep a net alive as well as provide an opportunity to hear how messages can be quickly and accurately sent toward destination. Winlink, DTN, and APRS are great tools for sending message traffic, but isn’t it also important to keep the nets alive and you skills attuned for those times when digital may not be available. Food for thought.
The April STM report is below. Many thanks to all who participate and support this valuable aspect of the hobby.
73, Marcia, KW1U, Section Traffic Manager