——– Forwarded Message ——–

Subject:NTS Letter for October 6, 2026
Date:Wed, 7 Oct 2026 20:03:16 +0000
From:ARRL <memberlist@…>
Reply-To:ARRL <memberlist@…>
To:KB2YAA@…
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Editor:
Marcia Forde, KW1U –
October 6,
2026

ARRL
Homepage
NTS
Letter Archive

In this Issue:

Obsidian Wave 1
Report

The Obsidian Wave 1
exercise,
September
19-21, was a
dry run of the
technologies
and procedures
that would be
required in
the case of a
nationwide
“Black Swan”
event in which
electricity,
internet, and
commercial
communications
were
interrupted
across the
country. Under
these
conditions, HF
communications
would be a
critical
long-distance
communications
capability.

The exercise included
the following
activities:

  • an activation of the
    net using
    HF-only
    alerting

o This included
check-in of
all HF
participants

o Selection of net
control
stations for
directed net

  • a directed net on 20
    meters during
    which a
    message was
    successfully
    passed across
    the country

  • an HF-only Winlink
    exercise in
    which a simple
    status message
    was passed by
    the
    participants

and in parallel…

  • Health and welfare
    messages were
    passed using
    the Digital
    Traffic
    Network and
    National
    Traffic System

A total of 48
stations,
including two
from Puerto
Rico,
participated
in the first
three
activities. A
map of the
participants
is shown
below:

Obsidian Wave 1 QSO
Map

The NTS2 Digital team
is reviewing
data from the
exercise and
an
after-action
report is
expected to be
issued by the
end of
October. Based
on the
improvements
identified in
that report,
it is
anticipated
that a second
exercise will
be held in
early 2027,
probably in
March.

 

Our thanks to the
stations who
participated
in the
exercise and
to Mark
Jensen, KKØV;
Brian Wright,
W7OWO, and
John Uhorchak,
W2JMU, for
taking NCS
duties for the
directed net,
and to Steve
Hansen,
KB1TCE, for
organizing the
health and
welfare
portion of the
exercise.

Obsidian Wave “I Am
Safe” Welfare
Messaging
Component

As the plan for what
was to become
Obsidian Wave
was being
formulated, it
was decided to
have an “I Am
Safe” welfare
messaging
component. The
logical
primary
initiator of
the messages
would be
Seattle
Emergency
Hubs, the
driver for the
development of
the I Am Safe
program, along
with Radio
Relay
International
(RRI). Radio
support is
provided by
the Seattle
Auxiliary
Communications
Service
(Seattle ACS).

 

For those who may be
unfamiliar
with the
process,
people wishing
to send a
message to
family or
friends from a
disaster area
fill out a
form with
addressing
information, a
selection of
up to three
“standard”
messages, and
some free
text. The
addressing
information is
used to
determine the
routing. If an
email address
or SMS-capable
phone number
is provided,
the Winlink
RRI Quick
Welfare
Message form
is used, and
the message
goes directly
from Winlink
to the
service. If
only the
postal address
or landline is
known, the
message will
go using the
Winlink RRI
Welfare
Radiogram.
Radiograms are
sent by
Winlink to
regional
Winlink-RRI
Liaison
operators who
then move the
messages to
the traffic
system for
further
handling and
delivery. Full
information is
at
https://radiorelay.org/iamsafe/.

 

During the exercise
period, we
received fewer
messages than
were expected.
The liaisons
received a
total of five
TEST WELFARE
messages from
the Seattle
area addressed
to diverse
locations. Two
were for
Alabama, one
was for
Maryland, and
two were for
delivery
within
Washington
State. The
liaisons
handled the
messages
within hours.
However,
delivery was
much slower
with messages
arriving
between 9/20
and 9/23.

 

Puerto Rico’s
relatively new
program is
based on the
Seattle model
but with
traffic being
directed to
the mainland
RRI DTN
(Digital
Traffic
Network) Hub,
W4DNA. One
message was
originated by
NP4ZB and
relayed to the
island Hub
using the
recently
established
digital VHF relay
system
, and then to the
mainland. The
relay to W4DNA
went
efficiently
but the
message (to
Texas) took
until the 23rd
to be
delivered.

 

With similar delivery
results for
all traffic, a
detailed trace
was conducted
for the Puerto
Rico-to-Texas
message as a
representative
example. What
follows is the
analysis by
DTN manager
KY2D with
assistance
from NP4ZB,
W4DNA, and
KE5YTA.

  • Filing date/time in
    preamble 09/19
    1720Z

  • Received into DTN
    09/19 1726Z at
    NP3MJ.NP3MJ.PR.USA.NOAM (6 min later)

  • Received 09/19 1850Z
    KP4NTS.KP4NTS.PR.USA.NOAM (1 hour 24 minutes later)

  • Received 09/19 1856Z
    W4DNA.#NC.USA.NOAM (6 minutes later)

  • Received at final
    destination
    DTN hub 09/19
    2320Z
    KE5YTA.TX.USA.NOAM
    (4 hours 44
    min later)

  • Taken out of the digital network by
    digital
    operator in TX
    and put on DFW
    (Dallas-Fort
    Worth) Traffic
    Net 09/21
    (unknown time
    — 2 days
    later)

  • Delivered by phone
    09/23 (unknown
    time — 2 days
    later),
    Killeen, TX

 

KY2D summarizes,
“Total time in
DTN from entry
hub to
destination
hub was 5
hours 54
minutes.
Transfer to
manual net and
last mile
delivery took
4 more days.
This continues
to point out
the last-mile
issues. We
need more
Digital
Traffic
Operators who
can connect to
their hubs
frequently to
check for and
pick up
traffic for
subsequent
relay to
manual nets
and more of a
sense of
urgency in the
manual nets
for moving and
delivering
traffic.”

 

Other lessons and
follow up:

We will work with
Seattle Hubs
and Puerto
Rico (and
perhaps some
others) on a
follow-up
exercise. Key
objectives
(other than
more messages)
would be more
realism
(messages
originated
from the
public with
address
information
based on what
they normally
carry with
them). We need
a better feel
for addressing
(email, text,
or
USPS/landline)
as the
transport
varies. Some
initial
surveys by
Seattle Hubs,
based on what
people
generally
carry on their
persons or in
their heads,
are that the
majority have
email/SMS
contact info.

 

Not directly related,
but we need
more
Winlink-RRI
liaisons. This
is especially
important
since this is
a manual
process. All
regions are
covered but
some have only
one operator
or another
region is
covering. This
is more of an
issue in
Central and
West. Liaisons
need to check
their Winlink
accounts at
least daily
and have
access to a
net or the
DTN.
–Steve Hansen,
KB1TCE


NTS Test Traffic #13
(2026)

First, I would like
to thank all
of you who
stepped up to
help with this
traffic test!
A special
shout-out to
Jonathan
Taylor, K1RFD,
for putting
together the
web interface.

 

Our Team

Over the course of
about one
week, we sent
55 messages
and
successfully
confirmed 50
of them as
delivered!
Traffic was
handled across
a wide
footprint by
48 unique
operator call
signs
utilizing 38
specific nets.
You can view
the raw data
spreadsheet
via
Google Docs.

 

Route Highlights and
Extremes

The Longest Journey:
Message 706
 

This message crossed
a highly
complex web of
standard
regional,
local, and
high-level
area networks
to travel from
Ohio to North
Carolina and
Maryland:

  • Origination: AC8NP created the
    message on the
    Ohio Single
    Sideband Net.

  • Relayed: KA8BJA
    picked it up
    and passed it
    to W9PC on the
    Indiana
    Section CW
    Net.

  • Relayed: Moving into regional
    distribution,
    AA3SB
    forwarded it
    to W4JF on the
    Eastern Area
    Net.

  • Relayed: AA4MP received it via
    the Central
    Area Net and
    pushed it down
    to the Third
    Region Net via
    AA3SB.

  • Relayed: W4EDN picked it up on
    the Carolinas
    Net and
    transferred it
    to N4CNX via
    the North
    Carolina
    Morning Net.

  • Relayed: In a parallel path,
    W4JF doubled a
    copy back to
    W4EDEN (likely
    a typo for
    W4EDN) on the
    Carolinas Net.

  • Relayed: NW3X picked it up
    from the North
    Carolina
    morning
    network and
    pushed it back
    north onto the
    Eastern Area
    Net to AD3J.

  • Delivery #1: AD3J completed the
    first
    successful
    phone delivery
    from the Third
    Region Net.

  • Delivery #2: KD2QAR picked up a
    final copy via
    the Maryland
    Emergency
    Phone Net to
    complete the
    secondary
    localized
    drop-off.

Runner-Up Long Routes

  • Message 711 (second
    instance):
    Logged eight active
    entries while
    hopping
    between the
    Hudson Valley
    Net, New York
    Public
    Operations
    Net, Second
    Region Net,
    Eastern Area
    Net, and the
    EPA Emergency
    Phone &
    Traffic Net.

  • Message 106: Logged eight active
    entries,
    starting at
    Daytime Region
    7 Net (DRN7)
    in the Pacific
    Northwest and
    traveling all
    the way down
    to Florida’s
    QFN and
    Seminole VHF
    nets via the
    Transcontinental
    Corps (TCC).

 The Lightning-Fast
Routes

  • The Quickest Trip:
    Message 707
    (August 16,
    2026)

o   23:01: AC8NP originates the
message on the
Ohio Single
Sideband Net
and sends it
to W8MAL.

o   23:12: KN1OBI receives the
message from
W8MAL via a
direct digital
connection and
immediately
delivers it.

o   Total Time: 11 minutes!

(Note: While some
logs show
“delivered”
times that
look
instantaneous,
items like
Message 700
dropped off
without a
logged final
delivery
timestamp and
weren’t
counted as
complete
routes.)

 

The Scenic Routes
(Slowest
Traffic)

The Longest
Bottleneck:
Message 3135

  • August 18 @ 00:15: W2PAX originates the
    message via
    digital mode
    on the Fourth
    Region Hub.

  • August 18 @ 04:03: NS7K catches the
    traffic from
    KY2D on the
    Digital
    Traffic Net
    and routes it
    out west to
    KØNTS via the
    TWN Digital
    Net.

  • The Stall: The message
    unfortunately
    stalled for
    nearly 10 days
    in the digital
    routing
    system.

  • August 28 @ 14:20: W9GRG finally
    delivers it to
    the recipient
    using a
    Winlink
    digital packet
    connection.

  • Total Time: 10 days, 14 hours,
    and 5 minutes.

Moving Traffic
Forward

This test highlighted
several
structural
challenges
across both
our voice and
digital
routing modes.
Also, some had
trouble with
the web
interface. We
will be
addressing
these
bottlenecks
soon as we
investigate
how to move
traffic faster
and more
reliably
across region
lines.

Again, a huge thank
you to
everyone who
participated
and helped
make this test
a success!
— Dan Rinaman,
AC8NP

Does NTS Have a “Last
Mile” Problem?
 

For much of the
history of
NTS, the
overarching
imperative has
been to route
messages to
their
destination.
Ideally, this
policy ensures
that the
individual
operators are
not starved of
traffic,
thereby
discouraging
participation.
This policy
likely worked
well at a time
when traffic
nets were busy
with numerous
participants.
Unfortunately,
this policy
does not work
so well today.
Traffic can
sit for days
awaiting an
“outlet.”
Sometimes,
traffic just
disappears.

 

RRI developed the certified message precedence
to address
this problem.
By setting an
expiration
time for
certain
classes of
routine
traffic,
timely
delivery can
be ensured.
Simply put,
certified
messages must
be delivered
no later than
48 hours from
their time of
origin
regardless of
where within
the system
they are. The
purpose of
this program
is to
prioritize
customer
service
(delivery) for
unique,
personal
radiogram
messages. 

 

The certified
precedence
recognizes the
reality that
most traffic
nets lack a
sufficient
diversity of
outlets
(volunteers)
to ensure
rapid relay
and last-mile
delivery. The
goal of
getting the
message as
close as
possible to
its
destination
remains, but
timely
delivery is
the goal.
Similar rules
should apply
to all higher
precedence
messages
during both
exercises and
actual
operations.
Welfare,
priority or
emergency
precedence
messages each
bring
different
requirements
for delivery,
but in each
case, the
primary
requirement is
timely and
accurate
delivery.

 

Perhaps the best
approach may
be to do
what’s
necessary to
ensure timely
delivery of
certified and
higher
priority
messages while
simultaneously
investing the
energy needed
to attract new
traffic
operators to
NTS. Above
all, it’s
important to
understand
that the
reputation of
NTS is built
on timely and
accurate
delivery of
messages. If
we fail in
these latter
tasks, the
reputation of
the traffic
system suffers
and
participation
is
discouraged.
In other
words, quality
organizations
attract
quality
volunteers,
and in the
case of the
traffic
system, the
measure of
quality is
often the
timely,
intact,
arrival of a
radiogram.

 

Lastly, perhaps the
time has also
come to ensure
we can meet
our EmComm
mission. The
development of
a cadre of
operators who
can serve as
target
stations for
higher
priority
traffic in
time of
emergency may
be necessary
to ensure
timely message
routing to the
last mile or
efficient
delivery
services in
the event that
sufficient
points of
contact are
unavailable in
the immediate
vicinity of an
addressee.

 

Let’s get busy
addressing the
last mile
problem. If we
don’t, the
reputation of
NTS will
suffer as will
volunteer
recruitment
and retention.

Where Did They Go?

It seems that we are
hearing, more
often these
days, reports
of messages
not being
delivered, and
not only that,
but no service
messages were
also received
as to the
status of a
message. The
author of the
message is
left totally
in the dark.
This does not
inspire
confidence in
the NTS as a
national
messaging
service and
likely turns
many away.
Perhaps more
important are
the questions,
why is this
happening and
what can we do
about it?

 

For example, John
sends a
birthday
greeting
radiogram via
NTS to his
niece in
another part
of the
country.
Later, having
not heard from
her, he calls
her on the
phone and
discovers she
never received
it. There was
an HXC
handling
instruction on
the radiogram,
which should
have generated
a service
message
stating the
date and time
of delivery.
If the message
couldn’t have
been
delivered,
there should
have been a
radiogram back
to the station
of origin with
something like
an ARL SIXTY
SEVEN stating
why it
couldn’t be
delivered. So,
what happened?
There is a way
to trace the
routing of a
message using
the HXD
handling
instruction,
requesting
from the
station to
whom you sent
it, to whom
they sent it,
and then
contact that
person. Then
continue with
the path until
you find where
it failed. But
the question
remains, why
is this
happening,
seemingly
increasingly
often? Each
operator along
the way has a
responsibility
to move a
message toward
its
destination.
This is what
we are known
for.

 

Why is this
happening?  Is
it a lack of
training? Is
it a lack of
sense of
responsibility
and
accountability
for the
messages we
relay for
others? While
we as traffic
handlers enjoy
our hobby, do
we understand
the mission of
NTS, to be
prepared to
function as a
reliable
messaging
service when
commercial
infrastructure
fails? Or do
we just have a
lack of
operators?
Likely there
is a
combination of
these.

 

What can we do? ARRL
Section
Traffic
Managers have
an obligation
to train
amateurs and
ensure that
not only do
the operators
in their
Section
practice
standard
protocol, but
that they
understand the
importance of
the amateur
radio
messaging
service. Is
this happening
in your
Section?
Perhaps STMs
need training
themselves.
ARRL provides
training for
its Section
Managers, so
why not
Section
Traffic
Managers? If
NTS is to be a
reliable
functioning
service, we
can’t rest on
our laurels of
the past but
need to ensure
its future
operation.

 

Granted, a very big
problem is the
shortage of
personnel. How
do we interest
a younger
generation of
amateurs in
learning
message
handling
skills? How do
we first get
newly licensed
operators
aware of NTS
and its
importance and
then get them
to be able to
create and
relay a
message when
the need
arises?

I hope to expand on
this in future
issues of this
newsletter. I
know one STM
who has used
AI to come up
with some
answers and I
want to hear
from others
with their
ideas. We say
amateur radio
is there when
all else
fails, but are
we? Hopefully,
each one of us
will ponder
these
questions to
produce some
viable
solutions.
— James Wades,
WB8SIW

Navy Re-Institutes CW
Training

After discontinuing
mandatory
Morse training
around 2002,
the US Navy
determined
that a
generation of
communications
specialists
lacked backup
skills for
environments
in which
primary
systems fail.
CW is not a
requirement
for all
sailors, but
the
specialists
responsible
for
maintaining
communication
links under
adverse
conditions now
need to learn
Morse as a
backup.
Official
reasoning
centered on
three factors:
satellite
vulnerability
to
anti-satellite
weapons and
jamming, GPS
denial in
contested
theaters, and
the need for
low-probability-of-intercept
communication
methods that
require
minimal
infrastructure.
Morse code
over HF radio
addresses all
three
simultaneously.
Modern warfare
targets
communication
infrastructure
aggressively.
Electronic
warfare units
jam voice
radio, disrupt
satellite
uplinks, spoof
GPS signals,
and disable
cellular
networks.

 

How does this affect
the amateur
radio
operator? We
know that
communication
is a necessity
of life. Yet
there are
those who
would, and
have, shut
down
communications
networks.
Morse code in
the hands of
the radio
amateur
operator has
the following
advantages:

  • Narrow bandwidth: CW occupies roughly
    150 Hz versus
    2.4 kHz for
    voice SSB —
    harder to
    target and
    easier to copy
    through noise

  • Low-power
    effectiveness:
    A five-watt Morse
    signal can
    span oceans;
    voice at the
    same power
    often fails

  • Human in the loop: No dependency on
    digital
    protocols,
    encryption key
    management, or
    network
    routing

  • Equipment simplicity: A basic transceiver,
    wire antenna,
    and battery
    suffice — no
    satellite
    terminal
    required

  • Jam resistance: Skilled operators
    copy through
    interference
    that destroys
    voice
    intelligibility

If the Navy has come
to this
conclusion
about the use
of CW, how
about the
amateur radio
community?
Food for
thought! For
the full
interesting
story on the
Navy’s use of
CW go to
https://morsecoder.us/blog/morse-code-navy-2026/.

Digital Traffic
Handling

While CW is a
valuable skill
to have when
it comes to
communication
needs, there
are other
tools in the
toolbox. You
have read
about the
Digital
Traffic
Network (DTN),
which runs
parallel to
the manual
traffic nets
with regional
hub stations
and a host of
digital relay
stations which
connect with
the hubs to
upload and
download
message
traffic. These
regional hub
stations
operate both
PACTOR and
VARA on HF and
some also
operate VHF
packet where
practical.
There is a
definite need
for more
digital relay
stations!
Information on
DTN and how to
get started
has been
written by Jim
Kutsch, KY2D,
the National
Digital
Coordinator.
This has been
updated and
now can be
found on the
Radio Relay
International
website on the
Publications
page, in the
Training
section. It’s
called
DTN – How to Set up
VARA to Access
DTN Hub
Stations
. The direct link to
the article is
DTN_VARA_Setup.pdf

 

There are other
digital
options
available. A
growing number
of radio
amateurs are
using NBEMS
(Narrow Band
Emergency
Messaging
System), a
suite of
software
including
fldigi, flmsg and flamp. This free,
open-source
software is
available for
Windows,
Linux, and Mac
operating
systems and is
suitable for
use on traffic
nets. More
information on
NBEMS can be
found at
ARRL.org,
keyword NBEMS.
Massachusetts
began
operating
MARIDN, the
Mass Rhode
Island Digital
Net, nearly 4
years ago. It
is one of our
several
Section nets
and operates
weekly on
Tuesdays at
6:00PM Eastern
time on 3582.5
kHz USB. We
also meet on
Zoom prior to
and during the
net to help
with any
problems
anyone has
with the
operation of
these modes.
Digital nets
exist in other
Sections as
well. Look for
one near you
and give it a
try.

Treasure Hunt Update

Hello, NTS Treasure
Hunters!  Here
are the
questions with
answers for
the
July/August
Hunt:

 

THR1: WHICH NUMBERED
RADIOGRAM IS
USED TO
CONFIRM A QSO

Answer: ARL SEVENTY

Reference: https://nts2.arrl.org/numbered-texts/

 

THR2: DURING FIELD
DAY COMMA WHAT
TWO SECTION
POSITIONS CAN
YOU SEND AN
NTS MESSAGE TO
FOR BONUS
POINTS QUERY

Answer: Section
Manager and
Section
Emergency
Coordinator

Reference: 2026 Field
Day Rules
Section 7.3.5

 

THR3: WHAT DOES THE
SUFFIX STROKE
MM AFTER THE
ORIGINATORS
CALLSIGN
SIGNIFY QUERY

Answer: A callsign
with /mm means
the radio
station is
operating as
maritime
mobile,
meaning it is
transmitting
from a boat,
ship, or
vessel at sea

Reference : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_sign

 

THR4: WOULD YOU LIKE
TO RECEIVE NTS
TEST
TRAFFIC QUERY

Answer: Yes or No

 

September/October
2026 NTS
Treasure Hunt
is ongoing!
There is still time
to enter, so
originate your
radiogram.

Here is the
first-round
question:

 

N1 R HXG AC8NP 17
TIFFIN OH JAN
2
TREASURE
HUNTERS
BT
THR1 WHAT
HAMFEST IS THE
GRANDDADDY OF
THE ALL QUERY
REPLY TO BILL
W4EDN
CHARLOTTE
NC 28227
BT
Dan AC8NP

 

For more information
about the
Treasure Hunt
go to
https://nts2.arrl.org/treasure-hunt.

If you have any
comments or
suggestions,
please email
Dan Rinaman,
AC8NP, at
ac8np@….

Virtual NTS Training
Net October 7

Reminder: The VNTN
meets weekly
on Wednesday
evenings at 7
PM ET. October
7 will be the
first
Wednesday of
the month so
the basics of
message
handling will
be covered.
All hams and
even non-hams
are welcome
and encouraged
to join the
net whether to
receive
training or
just to
observe. See
https://nts2.arrl.org/virtual-nts-training-net for more information
and Zoom link
to join in.

Welcoming a New Local
VHF Traffic
Net

The ARRL Section
Traffic
Managers met
Tuesday,
September 29
and one of the
topics was the
need for
increasing our
numbers of
local traffic
nets to
encourage new
Technician-class amateur radio operators to get on the air and learn the
basics of
message
handling. Tom
Inman, KC8T,
announced the
formation of a
new VHF
traffic and
training net
in the
Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania,
area. If you
are in the
Harrisburg
area, look for
them on their
repeater noted
below. For
those who are
more distant,
they can also
be found on
IRLP. Stop in
and give them
some
encouragement.
This is Tom’s
announcement:

 

We are pleased to
announce the
formation of a
new traffic
handling
network. The
Harrisburg
Area Traffic
& Training
Network
(HATTN) meets
at 9:00 PM
Eastern time
Sundays on the
WA3TKW
repeater,
145.21, with a
PL of 123 Hz.
The repeater
covers the
Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania
area. This net
gives the NTS
an opportunity
to get
radiograms
delivered by
an amateur
operator very
close to the
recipient.

 

The net started
slowly with
Tom, KC8T,
acting as a
temporary net
manager and as
a trainer. So
far, the net
has not missed
any meetings
since it
started in
August. So
far, the net
has delivered
one radiogram
by a local
(and new)
traffic
handler.

 

The repeater is
always
connected to
IRLP node
9204, so if
you have the
capability of
connecting via
that mode, you
are invited to
check in and
give local
Harrisburg
hams
inspiration.

Spotlight: Don
Rogers, KDØPYG

I’m married and live
in the
Missouri
Ozarks, on the
edge of the
Mark Twain
National
Forest. After
spending 46
years in the
Department of
Defense, both
in and out of
uniform, I
retired in
2019. My
military
career began
in 1973 when I
joined the Air
Force from a
small town in
Missouri. That
career took me
around the
world and
ultimately led
to the final
19 years with
Army Space and
Missile
Defense
Command in
Colorado. It
was while
living in
Colorado that
my interest in
amateur radio
began.

 

In 2012, I became
interested in
amateur radio
as a practical
tool for
emergency
preparedness.
A year later,
I joined the
Amateur Radio
Emergency
Service
® (ARES®). That interest
quickly became
more than a
hobby. I
deployed twice
with Colorado
ARES as a
radio operator
supporting Red
Cross shelters
during major
wildfires.
Those fires
overtook two
large
residential
areas,
destroyed more
than 600
homes, forced
the evacuation
of thousands
of people, and
resulted in
two
fatalities.
Seeing
firsthand what
happens when
communities
are in crisis
gave me a
lasting
appreciation
for the role
amateur radio
can play when
everything
else fails. It
also created a
strong
personal
commitment to
amateur radio
emergency
communications.

 

Today, I serve as the
Missouri
Section
Traffic
Manager,
Missouri ARES
District G
Emergency
Coordinator,
and a Net
Control
Station for
the Missouri
Emergency
Services Net.
Those
experiences
have
reinforced
something I
have come to
believe
strongly: ARES
and the
National
Traffic System
are not
separate
efforts. We
are one team
with the same
core mission —
providing
reliable
communication
when it is
needed most.

 

My interest in formal
traffic
handling began
with the 7290
Traffic Net,
and I quickly
became a
strong
advocate for
what traffic
nets bring to
amateur radio
and emergency
communications. I began participating in the Missouri Traffic Net
several years
ago and became
a Net Control
Station for
the voice
Section
Traffic Net
two years ago.
Since January
2026, I have
also served as
a digital
traffic
station. I
currently sit
on the NTS 2.0
Performance
and Standards
Working Group,
which has
given me
another
perspective on
the importance
of developing
and
maintaining
effective
traffic-handling
capabilities.

 

All of these
experiences
have
reinforced my
belief that
traffic
handling is
one of the
most valuable
and rewarding
opportunities
available to
amateur radio
operators. It
combines
technical
skill,
discipline,
teamwork, and
service—and,
most
importantly,
it develops a
capability
that can make
a real
difference
when
conventional
communications
are disrupted.

Don Rogers, KDØPYG

NTS® Resources

The National Traffic System® (NTS®) is a
network of
amateur radio
operators who
move
information
during
disasters and
other
emergencies.
General
messages
offering
well-wishes
also move
through the
NTS® to help
test the
system and to
help amateur
radio
operators
build traffic
handling
skills. While
the NTS® is
primarily set
up to serve
the United
States and
Canada, it is
possible to
move traffic
internationally
through the
NTS® via
various local,
regional,
area, and
international
network
connections.

NTS 2.0

NTS Manual

NTS Methods and Practices Guidelines

Handling Instructions

Numbered Texts

Recommended Practices for
Communicating
 ICS-213
General
Message Forms

Virtual NTS Training Net

Sign Up to Receive
The NTS Letter

The NTS® Letter is published monthly and is free of charge
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Subscribe:
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If anyone has not received copies of The NTS Letter by email, be sure to check www.arrl.org/opt-in-out to confirm that you are opted in. If you
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at
www.nts2.arrl.org/nts-letter-issues as well as on the ARRL website.

Editor: Marcia Forde, KW1U, Section Traffic Manager — Eastern
Massachusetts,
Western
Massachusetts,
and Rhode
Island

ARRL Emergency Communications and Field
Services
Director:
Josh Johnston, KE5MHV

Support NTS®: Join
ARRL

NTS® is a program of ARRL The National Association for Amateur
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. No other organization works harder than
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ARRL members
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The NTS Letter is published every month (12 times each
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Copyright © 2026 American Radio Relay
League,
Incorporated.
Use and
distribution
of this
publication,
or any portion
thereof, is
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All other
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