Spring has officially sprung. The daylight hours have increased and thoughts turn to outdoor activities, be they POTA activations, leaf raking or antenna work. The nets continue to thrive. A special commendation to the Mass Rhode Island Phone Net under the leadership of Ralph N1LAH which takes the prize for most traffic handled in February (207) and the most check-ins (250), including 14 different stations. Great job to all those folks.
Peter KC1HHO reports that EM2MN has been seeing new check-ins with at least one of those taking advantage of the net’s training program. We love seeing new check-ins and hope they will take the training and become proficient and enjoy the excitement of a new skill mastered and the fun and camaraderie of the traffic nets.
It has been reported that Echolink has returned to the Mount Greylock repeater so we hope to see more from the western part of the state joining in the Heavy Hitters Traffic Net. It has been great to see a number of folks from Worcester County checking in via the Fitchburg and Gardner repeaters. Western Mass Section Manager Ray, AA1SE has been a regular on that net, and I suspect has been an influence in the increased number of check-ins from Worcester County. With its nearly statewide coverage HHTN has been a good outlet for traffic throughout the state.
This month I would like to focus on our section CW net, MARI. In earlier days it was referred to as EMRI, as it served only the Eastern Mass section and Rhode Island. In the early 80s when I began my journey into traffic handling, the net was quite active, experiencing a good number of QNI (check-ins) and QTC (traffic). However the proliferation of home computers and the internet led to diminished interest in NTS and message relay via amateur radio. The FCC’s elimination in 2006 of the CW requirement for licensing also likely contributed to the decrease in activity on the CW nets. Not long after that there were often only two regulars on EMRI available to assume net control and liaison to the region net, so the decision was made to discontinue the net. In 2011, with the encouragement of the section managers of both Eastern and Western Mass, MARI was formed which would include Western Mass along with Eastern Mass and Rhode Island.
This net continues today with a core group of very dedicated regulars who keep the net operational every evening at 7:00 PM local time with assigned net control stations and 1RN liaisons each night. The net operates at approximately 15 words per minute for up to 45 minutes per session, allowing it to clear a number of messages prior to the first region net at 7:45 where “thru” traffic is moved on toward its destination. While we understand the speed of the net can be intimidating to the newcomer to CW traffic nets, the speed is necessary to get traffic cleared. However it is net policy that anyone wishing to check in is welcome to do so at the speed with which they can copy, and net control stations are asked to acknowledge and communicate with that individual at that same speed. There are opportunities for training in CW and CW traffic nets available via slow speed nets and Zoom, as well as an introductory article on CW nets at https://ema.arrl.org/basic-cw-net-procedures/, and anyone interested can contact Section Traffic Manager KW1U for more information.
So, what do these net regulars have to say about the net and why they enjoy it?
Here are some comments I received from them.
(Net meets) “At a convenient time of day for me, after work and dinner.”
“Well organized regarding assigned liaisons to region net.”
“Early on when I was re-learning CW, it was and still is good practice for maintaining CW skills and improving them.”
“As an NCS it can be an interesting puzzle to try to get all business done quickly, efficiently.”
“Narrow bandwidth of CW – can fit in on a busy band”
“Using adjacent frequencies is reliable and routine”
“The letter by letter nature of CW makes it easier to send complicated text vs voice”
“I like CW because it’s not as vulnerable to propagation changes as the daytime phone nets are. It’s also usable even when digital signals are present, as often happens on 1RN/early on 3.998.”
“What I enjoy most about traffic is meeting other hams, especially new ones. (I recall) my very first delivery which led to a new friendship where I was able to elmer the guy through his first VHF and HF QSO’s.” “each one of those new friendships is a treasure.”
Thanks to our regulars, W1RVY, WA1VAB, WA1LPM, W1TCD, K1GRP, AJ1DM for their support of MARI. They make a great team! If anyone would like more info, ask any of these folks as well as net manager, KW1U. We look forward to meeting you on MARI.
Traffic tips: You may have wondered why some folks sending a radiogram voice the two letter state code in the preamble phonetically, while others voice the full name of the state. For example Boston MA might be voiced as Boston initials Mike Alpha, rather than Boston Massachusetts. The Methods and Practices Guidelines (MPG) 2.2.4.1 states: “Say STATE as full name, even though it is written as two letters. (If you feel you must say the state as a letter group, then introduce it as “initials” and voice the letters with phonetics.).” In other words either way is correct, but pronouncing the state name is preferable unless one has reason to use the initials. On voice nets particularly on HF where conditions may not be optimal, it is apparent that using initials phonetically can more likely be understood correctly by the receiving station and traffic is less likely to be misrouted. While this is less a problem on VHF, writing the wrong abbreviation for a state is still a possibility. Note for example the number of states beginning with MI: Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, and yet their two letter designations make a big difference in how they are routed. For this reason it would be a good idea to keep handy a list of correct state abbreviations.
So, while best practices recommends generally voicing the state name, conditions and specific net procedure may suggest otherwise.
That’s it for this month. Thanks to all for your participation and support of the traffic nets. The February report is below. Scroll to bottom of page 1 to find page 2.
73, Marcia KW1U
STM EMA WMA RI