ARRL RADIOGRAMS The handling of radiogram traffic was the basis for the formation of ARRL, and a sizable segment of amateurs still makes this its principal Amateur Radio operating activity. Amateur radiogram service does not compete with other services, since there are no charges and can be no guarantee. Provided FCC and international regulations are complied with, messages may be accepted from anyone for sending by Amateur Radio. What constitutes "legal" messages, or any other kind of third party communication, has been a matter of considerable discussion and various interpretations throughout the years. The pertinent regulations sections are 97.3b, which defines an amateur operator as being a person "without pecuniary interest"; 97.112, which forbids any remuneration or other kind of compensation for use of an amateur station; and 97.114, which details certain prohibitions on third-party traffic. Generally speaking, unimportant, personal, non-business messages may be exchanged between different countries only after a special agreement has been reached between the countries. A list of countries which have signed such agreements with Canada and with the U.S. appears frequently in QST. In addition, most countries do not object to actual emergency radiograms being handled in the amateur bands if government or commercial facilities are not available at the time. Individual amateurs handle radiograms in a number of different ways. Some are "free lancers" who handle their traffic on individual schedules without recourse to regular nets. Most traffic operators, however, participate in nets of various kinds. The largest organized system of nets is the ARRL National Traffic System. Others include networks organized by individuals for traffic-handling purposes in which individual amateurs participate out of preference. ORIGINATING RADIOGRAMS Any amateur can originate a radiogram on behalf of another individual, whether such individual be a licensed amateur or not. It is the responsibility of the originating amateur, however, to see that the message is in proper form before its first transmission, because under most circumstances it is improper for a relaying or delivering station to make changes. Each radiogram originated and handled should contain the following component parts in the order given: (a) Number (d) Station of (g) Time Filed* (b) Precedence Origin (h) Date (c) Handling Instruc- (e) Check (i) Address tions* (f) Place of Origin (j) Text (k) Signature *Optional with originator a) Every radiogram transmitted should bear a number. Keep a sheet with a consecutive list of numbers (beginning at 1) at your operating position. When a radiogram is filed at your station for transmission, complete all parts of the preamble except the number, leaving this blank. When you send the radiogram, assign a number to it from the number sheet, crossing out numbers on the sheet as they are used and making a notation, after the number, of the station to whom the radiogram was sent and the date. Such a system is convenient for quick reference purposes. Most traffic handlers start with number 1 at the beginning of each year. (b) Every radiogram has a precedence in amateur procedure. This will normally be "Routine" (R). It is a separate part of the preamble and is transmitted as such, not as part of the number. Other precedences are "Emergency" (never abbreviated), "Priority" (P), and "Welfare" (W). (c) Handling Instructions (HX) are available prosigns for use when or if desired by the originator or the originating station, whenever special instructions are required in the handling of the radiogram. (d) The "station of origin" is the call of the station from which the radiogram was first sent by Amateur Radio and is included so that handling stations will be able to communicate with the originator if something interferes with the prompt handling or delivery of the message. (e) The "check" is the number of words and numerals in the text of the radiogram. Handling stations should agree on the check before the message is considered handled. Full information on checking radiograms is given later. (f) The "place of origin" is the name of the place (city or town) from which the radiogram was started, not necessarily the location of the station of origin. The preamble of a radiogram filed at League headquarters in Newington Conn., might read as follows: NR 457 R W1INF 21 NEWINGTON CONN 2057Z JUNE 11. If a message is sent to your station by mail or otherwise not filed in person, the preamble should show the place the radiogram originally came from. If the radiogram came to League Headquarters by mail from Wiscasset, Maine, the preamble would read: NR 457 R W1INF 21 WISCASSET MAINE 2057Z JUNE 11. Any radiogram received at an amateur station by any means other than Amateur Radio is an origination when put on an amateur circuit by that station. (g) The time filed is the time at which the radiogram is received at the station from which it is to be sent. Standard practice is to use UTC. This part of the preamble is optional with the originating station. (h) The month and the day of the month that the radiogram was filed at the originating station. The year is not included. If the filing time is UTC, be sure the date agrees. (i) The address is the name, street and number, city and state of the party to whom the radiogram is being sent. The telephone number should be part of the address. A complete address should always be given to ensure delivery. When accepting a radiogram for origination this point should be stressed. In transmitting the message by CW, the signal AA is used to separate parts of the address and the address is followed by BT or "break" before the text is started. In street addresses where the words east, west, north, south are part of the address, spell out the works in full. Suffixes "th," "nd," "st," etc., are not recommended. Example: "19 W 19th St" should be "19 West 19 St." It is not good practice for the relaying station to change address format, but the originating station should observe the above practices to insure clarity in retransmission. (j) The text consists of words in the body of the radiogram. No abbreviations should be substituted for the words in the text of the radiogram. The text follows the address and is set off from the signature by another BT. (k) The signature is usually the name of the person originating the message. The signature follows the BT or "break" at the end of the text. The abbreviation "sig" is not transmitted. After the signature, say "end" or transmit AR. If more to follow, say "more." On CW, use the prosign B. If no more, say "no more." On CW use the prosign "N." COUNTING WORDS IN RADIOGRAMS The amateur radiogram "check" is the count of the number of words in the text only. It is essentially an "as sent" count. While it is assumed that the rules of grammar and spelling will be followed, the check count is determined principally by the spacing used by the transmitting operator in sending the text. Since the first operator to transmit the radiogram is the operator of the originating station who enters the check in the preamble, this check should carry through to destination. The relaying operator has no authority to change the check unless it is definitely determined that the check as he received it is incorrect, then he should confirm with the transmitting operator before making the change. When such a change is made, the original check should remain in the preamble. Example: an original check of 10 corrected to 9 would be sent "10/9" on CW. The check is a means for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of your copy. It also indicates to the receiving operator how many words the radiogram he is about to copy will contain. Inclusion of "check" in a message preamble is not optional. Numbers, ciphers, mixed groups and punctuation each count as one in the check, regardless of length. It is recommended amateur practice not to use punctuation, fractions or other unorthodox or seldom-used code symbols in messages as such, but rather to spell these out when used in the text of a message to avoid complications in checking. The letter X or "X-ray" is used in place of a period or semicolon and is counted in the check. Special note: The ARRL-recommended procedure for counting the telephone number in the text of a radiogram is to separate the telephone number into groups, with the area code (if any) counting as one word, the three-digit exchange one word, and the last four digits one word. For example, 203 666 1541 counts as three words in the text of a message; 666 1541 counts as two words. Separating the phone number into separate groups also minimizes garbling. The principle of counting words as sent can be illustrated by a few examples, as follows: New York City....3 words 527B.............1 word NYC..............1 word H O Townsend.....3 words Fifty six........2 words W1YL/4...........1 word A few rules have to be observed in sending words so this principle of "counting as sent" will not be abused: 1) Make your spacing methodical and accurate on both phone and CW. 2) Follow the dictionary wherever possible. 3) Do not waste time in traffic nets arguing about "how to count." The purpose of the "check" in amateur work is to confirm the number of words or groups in the text. QTB is a useful signal in confirming check. Once you are sure that you have copied it correctly, QSL (on CW) or "roger" (on phone) the radiogram and get on with the next one, correcting the check when you relay the radiogram. In copying traffic, whether by pencil or typewriter it is quite easy, with a little practice, to count the words in the text as you copy. When using pencil, copy five words to a line. At the end of the radiogram, you can readily figure the number of words by the number of lines (plus how many words over ) you copied. By typewriter, it is more convenient to copy ten words to a line, and this can easily be done by copying five words, hitting the space bar twice (instead of once), copying five more words, then linespacing to begin a new ten-word line. At the end of the Radiogram a glance at the number of lines will show you how many words you copied. You can then query the sending operator if your figure does not agree with his. When traffic is heavy and time is precious, it it not considered advisable practice to query a check unless you have reason to believe that a mistake was made, either in sending or copying. ARL Check Messages containing ARRL numbered radiogram texts (see form FSD- 3) have the same form as any other radiogram, except that the symbol ARL (NOT ARRL) is used before the check. This symbol indicates that a spelled out number in the text of the radiogram refers to a complete text bearing that number on the ARL list. In delivering a message with an ARL text, one of course delivers the complete text. It is therefore very necessary that the symbol ARL be included with the check to avoid the possibility of delivery of a meaningless number to the addressee. Use of ARL text is a special tool for special occasions. When used, it should be used properly to avoid delays and confusion.