Executive Summary
Bulk messages can serve to keep the National Traffic System well-oiled and its operators trained so that everything works when needed. But this type of traffic is not without its problems.
This document discusses guidelines for those who originate such traffic, those who relay bulk messages through the system, and those who are called upon to deliver to third-parties. Remember, these guidelines are meant to improve the effectiveness of the network—not to discourage those who try to help keep it operational by originating traffic.
Introduction
Proper origination, relay, and delivery of third-party messages by amateur radio requires skill sets that are most easily attained and maintained through frequent repetition. By operating 365 days a year, ARRL’s National Traffic System provides a superb vehicle for practicing those skills and responding rapidly to emergencies — but, to do so, participants must have actual traffic to pass.
Historically, originators included telephone numbers in most of the messages that were sent because the originator knew the recipient’s phone number or delivering operators had free comprehensive local directories at their fingertips.
Nowadays, a number of amateurs generate what is known as bulk messages to targeted groups of recipients throughout the country. They are oftentimes sent out as books containing common parts, and typically share a single theme or text sent to other radio amateurs, where the originating amateur has no personal connection with the addressees.
Many feel that bulk messages are crucial for NTS and independent nets to remain open and functioning by providing traffic handlers with important and frequent practice. Bulk messages also help build connections between new hams and more experienced ones at the point of delivery. There have been some wonderful success stories involving “Welcome to amateur radio” deliveries by dedicated NTS members to newly licensed amateurs.
However, bulk messages have some inherent problems. Landline penetration has fallen dramatically, local and regional directories are hard to obtain, and most cell phone owners remain stubbornly resistant to having their phone numbers listed in public directories, whether printed or electronic. In short, local lookup capability is seldom, if ever, present to assist in bulk message delivery today.
Given the lack of accurate mobile phone information, many deliverers have begun to reject bulk messages, claiming that the messages contain no meaningful content, or that they rarely contain correct or complete address information with which to effect delivery. Consequently, such messages often go ignored or are canceled without proper servicing.
Bulk messages of the type “Welcome to amateur radio” are frequently sent to newly licensed hams, many of whom have not yet “discovered” QRZ.com and therefore have not included another valuable tool for successful delivery—their email address—in their respective online profiles.
Many bulk originators attempt to use online telephone directories but these directories are often inaccurate. Fee-for-subscription directories are perhaps somewhat better, but are hardly comprehensive. Including phone numbers sourced from these directories can be worse than providing no number at all.
Best Practices for Originators
It’s beneficial for the bulk originator to put themselves in the mindset of the deliverer and to consider the types of issues that they might encounter.
Reasonable Content
Encouraging a faraway recipient who is unknown to you to become involved in his or her local ARES organization may not be the best text to send. Not every community has an active ARES group, so you can imagine the frustration for both the delivering station and recipient when such targeted messages are non-starters. Instead, why not originate messages that encourage newly licensed amateurs to seek out their respective local radio clubs? A delivering station can easily assist the recipient with local information.
How about sending greeting messages to individuals with whom you share membership in a national organization or society? Or, thank them for participating in a public service activity or event. Or, congratulate them on winning an award or other recognition. Use a little imagination! It will be worth your while.
Coordinate With Others
Coordinate with other bulk originators to avoid any individual recipient from receiving multiple versions of the same type of message. They get irritated when they receive multiple reminders to join a local club or renew their license. Originators need to communicate with one another to divide up what they’re doing by message content, zip code or other geographical divisions, call sign blocks, etc.
License Renewal
Oftentimes, a reminder to renew a license is sent to a household in which the radio amateur is deceased. Ten years is a long time, and many licenses in the FCC and QRZ.com databases that appear to be active often are not—simply because no one has properly notified the FCC that the holder is deceased.
Put yourself in the shoes of a delivering operator who attempts to deliver one of your messages to a Silent Key. This is extremely difficult for most operators and not a welcome call for most family members. At minimum, check the online databases (e.g., QRZ.com). They frequently contain information about Silent Keys.
It is your obligation to be as sure as possible that the addressees in your bulk message list are alive and appropriate recipients of the text that you are sending them. Guessing that they are alive is inconsiderate to others. It takes less than 30 seconds per recipient to do a quick online search for possible obituaries and other death notices. Think of it this way: If you’re unwilling to commit 30 seconds of your time per message to check for SKs, why should others along the relay and delivery path commit a greater amount of time to forwarding those same messages?
Limit the Number of Addressees
Does it make sense to blast out a book of twenty messages in one session? Consider breaking down traffic into more manageable quantities. We have only a finite number of delivering operators.
Address Elements—Don’t Guess!
Do not guess at recipient address elements—especially telephone numbers. Free online databases are notorious for containing obsolete numbers, and subscription databases have a lot of errors as well. If you aren’t sure of current phone numbers, don’t include any! To a delivering operator, a “bad” number is worse than no number at all.
Privacy regulations prohibit public disclosure of licensee e-mail addresses but many amateurs include their emails on their QRZ.com pages. Consider delaying bulk originations to new licensees for a week or two after they appear in the FCC database update to see if they have updated QRZ.com with their e-mail info.
Always Include Recipient Address Information
Never originate messages — bulk or otherwise — without recipient address information sufficient for relay stations to list the messages in nets for the appropriate destination. At the very least that means originators must include in each message the recipient’s name, street address, city or locality, and US state or Canadian province and zip or postal code.
Zip code and state are mandatory, as they are necessary to insert into the digital system. Keep in mind that many section traffic nets and individual operators will not accept traffic without a phone number and/or an email address.
It is the originator’s responsibility to obtain accurate delivery information from database lists, online lookups, etc., and include it in your messages. Don’t assume that a relay or delivering station will take the time to do this for you.
Best Practices for Relay Operators
Don’t Judge Content
Remember that it is not our role as communicators to judge the merits of message content unless we would run afoul of the law or our own personal beliefs by handling a message. This cannot be overstated enough.
Handle all messages in accordance with the system of message Precedences that has served traffic handlers so well for decades. That is to say, treat all messages marked “R“ (for “Routine”) equally — whether bulk or not. Don’t impose your own “hidden” Precedences (and prejudices) on other people’s originations.
Respect Message Integrity
Do not modify the address or signature portion of the message you are relaying. Some relay stations try to be helpful by adding or correcting a phone number or email address in the original message. This should only be done as an “operator note” following the message signature.
Use Service Messages
Don’t be bashful about sending a Service message[1] back to the originating operator if you feel something about a specific message is amiss or merits a special handling comment. This is especially true if you choose not to relay a message.
Best Practices for Deliverers
Employ Reasonable Effort
Once you receive a message to be delivered, you have committed to make every reasonable effort to deliver it before Servicing it back to the originator.[2]
What is “reasonable” depends on the Precedence of the message.[3] For example, a message marked “EMERGENCY” would legitimately entail a far greater effort on your part.
Exception Handling
If a message to be delivered lacks incorrect or necessary address elements, it is not your responsibility to search for them, but you may choose to.[4]
For example, you may possess a local telephone directory and it lists an individual with the same name and street address as that of your message recipient. Or, a cursory online search may unearth a recent news article that identifies your message recipient as working for a certain company or as a member of some organization, through which they may be reachable.
E-mail Delivery
If a message to be delivered lacks a telephone number but includes an addressee’s e-mail address, delivery by e-mail is entirely appropriate — especially for messages carrying a Routine Precedence.[5] However, it is important to ask for a reply email acknowledging receipt from the addressee.
You may wish to include a standard paragraph in your delivering e-mail that explains you are using e-mail only because the message arrived with no telephone information, and that if the text or Precedence had indicated an emergency situation was involved you and other local amateurs would have pursued additional means of contacting him or her.
[1] https://nts2.arrl.org/nts-2-0-traffic-delivery-standard/#Reporting
[2] https://nts2.arrl.org/nts-2-0-traffic-delivery-standard/#Commitment
[3] https://nts2.arrl.org/nts-2-0-traffic-delivery-standard/#Definition_of_delivery
[4] https://nts2.arrl.org/nts-2-0-traffic-delivery-standard/#Exception_handling
[5] https://nts2.arrl.org/nts-2-0-traffic-delivery-standard/#Means_of_delivery
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