Aten Training Tips

1.  Checking back into the net using your suffix. Catch the NCS on a trailing of his/her transmission. Please have patience on this. Some stations continue to transmit right over others. Wait for a pause by the NCS.  Do not say "recheck" or "contact", use your suffix!!

2.  73 is never used in the Signature of the radiogram, only in the text.

3.  Use X (X-ray) in your text as a period or space, it is counted as a word, never used as the last word in a text.

4.  Experienced and new Operators will have on their desk for Net time the following:

     a.   Blank radiograms

     b.   Copy of the Latest ARL Numbered Radiograms 

     c.   Copy of the Handling instructions.

     d.   Copy of a blank ICS-213 form 

     e.   Access to the NTS Manual. Apendic B of the Public Service Communication Manual at

http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/nts-mpg/

See the home page on this website for further links

     f.   Emergency phone numbers

     g.  Telephone

5.   Please learn to send your messages slow enough for the receiving station to be able to copy everything accurately. Some new receivers may not indicate they need you to slow down. Practice writing the word down as you send it. This will give you the correct speed.

6.  Do not use extraneous words when relaying a message. Examples are Going to, Address figures, any of the words in the preamble boxes, such as Check of, City of and State, Time,  Todays Date, in the address, Direction W,N,E,S,  Common Spelling, Sounds like, Same as,  Zip figures,  Telephone figures,  in the text, Back stop, that's 2 words, Break for text, Break for signature. Black as night, Q signals.   "Common Spelling" is never used on Emergency Nets!!

7.  Do use Prowords such as, Number, End, Book of, Break, I spell, I say again, End more, End no more, Over, Roger, Affirmative, Negative, Go ahead.

8.   Do not use Q signals on voice nets.  Say it with words.The sign of a good Radio Operator, in any situation will say it in plain language to get the message across fast and accurate on voice nets. If you do not have traffic, then say "NO TRAFFIC"    NTS Manual 2.1.4.12  Q signals are designed for CW only.  Please do not confuse new operators that are coming aboard. I have many of them asking what the Q signals are. We do not use them on voice nets.  Please say it with plain words on the phone nets.

9.   Q signals can be used in the text of a message as initials.

10. Use The ITU Phonetics alphabet only. Some Amateur call phonetics are fun, but never used on an NTS net.

11. The NTS Training Manual can be found at  the link on the home page of this site.

12. NO early checks-ins on ATEN. If you have to leave early, check with the Net Control Station to see if any traffic is listed for your area. Our goal is to have stations available to take traffic for their area, not to justcheck in for the numbers.

13.  Please do not use chatter other than net information.  You can converse after net on any other subject.

14.  Phone numbers in a text counts as three groups or three words. Example: 928   123   4567

15.   Dates in a text are listed like, JAN   21    2008  three words or groups

16.   Emails are listed in a text as follows:    kf7gc   at    arrl   dot   net, this email has five words or groups.

17.   Love, sincerely, regards, take care, thanks again are used in the text only never in the signature

18.   Examples of word groups:

ONE WORD GROUP

x,      145R67,      34TH,      34TH/CMD,      SIXTY,      FIFTEEN,      7035R7KHZ

TWO WORD GROUPS

X  73,       555  5678,       34  TH,       34TH  CMD,       ARL  SIXTY,       FIFTY  SIXTH,       7035R7  KHZ

THREE WORD GROUPS

THANKS  X  73,       301  555  3456,       55  DASH  56XA,       34  TH  CMD,       ARL  SIXTY SEVEN,

THREE  ZERO  SIX,       7035  DECIMAL  7

19.   Note: 7035R7 means 7035.7.  The period symbol is not permmitted.  The letter "R" is used as a decimal point.  So you can put it in the text as 7035R7, one word group, or 7035  decimal  7, which is three word groups.

20.   OP Notes may be inserted after the signature, and are relating to a reply or servicing matters. Op Notes are optional and are not considered part of the message.  They are for the traffic handlers use only.

Example:  (SIG)  Diana OP NOTE Reply Via N1ABC QRZ OK phone 234  333 4567

21.   INTRODUCTORY WORDS:

Initial (s),     Figure (s),       Mix Group,       Mix Group Figure (s),       Amateur Call,       Email,      Website

22.   PROWORDS:

Number,       End No More,      Book of,       Break,       I spell,        I Say again,      Over,      End more,

Roger,       Affirmative (yes),       Negative (No),       Go Ahead

23.   When returing to the net after passing or receiving traffic off frequency, you do not have to tell the net control station in detail what you did unless asked. Just tell the NCS that you are back, "traffic passed".  The NCS has a record of who brought and recieved the traffic.  If you did not pass or receive traffic then you check back into the net using your suffix followed by "NO JOY"

24.   No letters, dashes, or leading zeros in the radiogram message number.

PRACTICE EMERGENCY DISASTER DRILLS

We had a Disaster Drill on May 11, 2007 on ATEN.   KF7GC was Net Control. The drill went on without a hitch and everyone had a good learning experience. We had 37 stations checking into the net to help with the handling of radiograms and ICS-213 messages

The Net handled 23 messages, consisting of Priority, Welfare and ICS-213 Traffic.  Time 65 minutes. Some difficulty getting Priority traffic into the Phoenix Area.

Joe, W7LUX, DEC, from the Coconino County ARES organization had organized ARES, SATERN, some RACES members, to join us in the NTS, and wrote well over 20 Welfare, Priority, and ICS-213 messages for the drill, thanks Joe.  We appreciate all your time and effort. 

The drill had activated ATEN to provide Emergency Communications in response to fires south of Flagstaff with two Red Cross shelters in Flagstaff for those evacuated from the affected area.  The drill was realistic.

The following stations not only checked into the net but sent, received, and or delivered traffic for the drill:

W7FSX Gene, Chino Valley

AB7NK Mary, Prescott Valley

KD7OED Lee, Sierra Vista

NN7D Rich, Flagstaff

W7JSW Bill, Scottsdale

W7VNO John, Payson

W7LUX Joe, Flagstaff

KE5PZ Jim, Vernon

WA6NWE Jim, Williams

K7PGT Paul, Casa Grande

N7SWI Fred, Las Vegas

WW7J Jim, Tucson

KE7HPI Bob, Flagstaff

K0LQB Bob ,Yuma

KC7PRC Dan, Flagstaff

Thanks, to everyone who took it upon themselves to join in the Drill and helped prepare the net for any future Emergencies that may come up. You Hams are the ones that will join with us in helping our Country, our families, and our community in a time of need. Thanks for a great job!  We hope there will be more of you next time.