ATEN RadiogramTraining 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 or blank paper b. Copy of the Latest ARRL Numbered Radiograms c. Copy of the ARRL Handling instructions or the Pink Card available at ARRL.org d. Copy of a blank ICS-213 form e. Access to the NTS MPG Manual. AS Apendic B of the Public Service Communication Manual at http://www.arrl.org/table-of-contents-nts-methods-and-practices-guidelines See the home page on this website for further links f. Emergency phone numbers g. Telephone h. Latest copy of Common Messages from this website I. Plenty of pencils and pens 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, Signed by, Q signals. "Common Spelling" is never used on Emergency Nets!! 7. Do use Prowords: 2.1.4 Such as, Number, End, Book of, Break, I spell, I say again, End more, End no more, End Book no more Over, Roger, Affirmative, Negative, Go ahead, Charley. These words are spoken to begin or end the message, indicate information for the receiving operator, or to seperate parts of the message or books. they are not counted in the check. 8. Do use Introductory Words: 2.1.5 Such as Initials, figure(s), Mix Group, or Mix Group Figure(s), Amateur Call Sign, (not used in the preamble), I Spell, Email Address, Internet Address, Telephone Figures, used to introduce the telephone number in an address or signature when no zip code is used. All Characters in introduced groups are voiced one character at a time. All letters in introduced groups are voiced with ITU phonetics The letters ARL precede the check in messages containing ARRL numbered radiograms in the text. They are voiced as 3 letters without introduction, as in ARL 20: "ARL TWO ZERO" The letters ARL are customarily voiced without Phonetics, but may be so voiced in severe conditions. ARL In the text: simply voiced as "ARL" Not spelled phonetically. The spelled out numbers of the radiogram are each spelled out phonetically using the introductory words "I Spell" Such as "ARL Sixty One": ARL Sixty I spell SIERRA INDIA X-RAY TANGO YANKEE. ONE I spell OSCAR NOVEMBER ECHO. Three Groups. 9. Do not use Q signals on voice nets. Say it with words.The sign of a good Radio Operator, during drills, and an emergency 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. 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 Methods Practices and Guidlines 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 just check 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 APR/22 TWO WORD GROUPS X 73 555 5678 34TH CMD ARL SIXTY APR 22 7035R7 KHZ THREE WORD GROUPS THANKS X 73 301 555 3456 55 DASH 56XA ARL SIXTY SEVEN, THREE ZERO SIX 7035 DECIMAL 7 APR 22 2010 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 traffic handlers use only. Example: (Signature) Diana OP NOTE Reply Via N1ABC QRZ.COM phone 234 333 4567 21. 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", or "mission accomplished," 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" No Joy means the traffic that was listed was not passed. 23. No letters, dashes, or leading zeros in the radiogram message number. EXCEPTION: SVC" precedes the message number for Service messages see Common Messages for example. 25. Book Traffic: Can be used if you have the same Addressee or the same text in multiple messages. See Common Messages for an example 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. | 
