Publicity and Outreach

NTS Letter / Publicity and Outreach

Summer 2025 Radiogram Portal Challenge Results

- by Jay

In June, we announced a fun “contest” that challenged individuals to leave messages for origination on the Radiogram Portal. The rationale went something like this: Let’s promote the use of the Portal to both amateur and non-amateur audiences by boosting radiogram traffic, while having fun at the same time. Participants logged into the Portal each day and left at least one message destined for a friend or family member. Those who qualified every day would receive a special certificate and acknowledgement in The NTS Letter. (We needed to cut short the challenge by a few days to meet the August NTS Letter deadline.) I’m pleased to report that seven participants met the challenge! They left messages on the portal every day from July 1-28, and will receive a handsome certificate for their accomplishments:

  • Michelle Roeten, K2MJR, Poughkeepsie, NY
  • Phil Temples, K9HI, Watertown, MA
  • Bill Novak, KA9IKK, Katy, TX
  • Shawn Dodds, N1CVO, Lowell, MA
  • Jay Fox, NK2Y, LaGrangeville, NY
  • Bill Smith, WX2DX, Port Matilda, PA
  • Rodney Youngblood, W5RFY, Splendora, TX

Honorable mention for depositing messages for five or more days goes to:

  • Clark Ross, KI5EYI, Kingwood, TX
  • Ed Messman, KT5EM, Katy, TX
  • Glenn Killam, VE1AQF, Saint Alphonse, NS, Canada

The Radiogram Portal, written by Jonathan Taylor, K1RFD, allows third parties to deposit a message for origination and delivery via the National Traffic System. The Portal is supported by a cadre of registered traffic handlers (“radiogrammers”) who check the site daily via a non-public interface and pick up any messages for origination.

If you have questions about the Portal, contact Portal administrator Marcia Forde, KW1U, at kw1u@comcast.net.

Publicity and Outreach

Radio Relay International® and ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® Sign Memorandum of Understanding

- by admin
ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, signs NTS-RRI MOU. -Photo courtesy K9HI

From ARRL News:

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® (ARRL®) and Radio Relay International® (RRI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). [PDF] The formal agreement, signed by ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, and RRI Board Chairman James Wades, WB8SIW, outlines the value the organizations find in cooperation.

SEE THE JOINT PRESS RELEASE [PDF]

ARRL, established in 1914, is the nation’s leading advocacy organization for the Amateur Radio Service. ARRL’s mission is to promote and protect the art, science, and enjoyment of amateur radio, and to develop the next generation of radio amateurs. ARRL’s 71 Sections across North America promote public service with ham radio through programs including the Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) and the National Traffic System® (NTS®).

Radio Relay International® (RRI) was established in 2016 to enhance and promote effective nationwide messaging and emergency communications capabilities. Since its founding, RRI has developed an extensive work product consisting of a wide variety of training programs, a tested and evolved National Response Plan, and communications facilities designed to better prepare radio amateurs to serve their community in time of emergency. Central to these goals has been modernization of the NTS.

Both ARRL and RRI recognize the importance of effective public service and emergency communications, including the shared goal of modernizing and enhancing the National Traffic System. “Coordination between our two organizations will prevent duplication of efforts and ensure that both the public and emergency services agencies have access to effective NTS disaster communications facilities,” said James Wades, Board Chair and Emergency Management Director for RRI.

The National Traffic System, created by ARRL in 1949, is a network of trained amateur radio operators who ensure the rapid transmission and relay of messages, or “traffic.” In addition to basic voice and Morse code or “CW” communications networks, the NTS has recently been modernized through the addition of the Digital Traffic Network, as well as interoperable messaging gateways and specialized software templates developed in association with the Winlink Development Team, which operates an international radio email service well-suited to disaster response.

“Through last year’s hurricanes and the recent devastating floods in Texas, we’re seeing amateur radio continue to be a vital tool before and during times of crisis,” said ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV. “Amateur radio works When All Else Fails®, and traffic handling is an important part of that,” he said.

Future plans for the improvement of NTS include the development of additional robust HF digital networks, improved interoperability with local and state emergency communications organizations, and continued development of local and regional VHF and UHF digital “packet radio” network capabilities. Coordination between RRI and ARRL will play an important role in achieving these goals.

www.arrl.org/nts
www.radiorelay.org

For more information contact:
James Wades, WB8SIW, Radio Relay International Board Chair radiorelayinternational@gmail.com  and/or Sierra Harrop, W5DX, ARRL Public Relations and Outreach Manager sharrop@arrl.org.

Publicity and Outreach

Radiogram Portal messages and the Public Service Honor Roll

- by Jay

During the July Radiogrammer challenge we have seen a sharp uptick in available messages in the Radiogram portal. In the first 9 days alone over 90 messages were added to the National Traffic System (NTS) from the portal. With this increased number of available messages, some might wonder:

“How do I account for the messages I get off the portal with regards to my monthly Public Service Honor Roll (PSHR)?”

The answer is as follows: messages taken off the Radiogram Portal and added to the NTS by RF count as 1 Origin and  1 sent or in more unusual circumstances 1 delivered. This depends on how it is moved. One caveat, inputting radiogram messages into the portal via internet does not count towards a station’s PSHR.

Publicity and Outreach

Portal Text Fix

- by Jay

The following update was published by the Radiogram portal creator Jonathan, K1RFD:

The Portal has been updated so that any newlines in free-form text are now converted to spaces.

This aims to solve issues with multi-line text which is pasted into the text box, or if the submitter inserts newlines while typing a message.

Previously, newlines were being stripped, causing the last word of one line to be joined with the first word of the next line.
Publicity and Outreach

Radiogram Portal Challenge

- by Jay
Message from: Phil Temples, K9HI

The traffic handling community has been equipped with an exceptional tool known as the Radiogram Portal, written by Jonathan Taylor, K1RFD, which allows third parties to deposit a message for origination and delivery via the National Traffic System. The Portal is supported by a cadre of registered traffic handlers (“radiogrammers”) who check the site daily and pick up any messages for origination. Even though we’re beginning to promote the use of the Portal to the general public, activity is slow on some days. We need more messages to “keep the system lubricated.” There is no reason why regular traffic handlers can’t take advantage of the portal’s capabilities and boost radiogram traffic while also having fun at the same time.

All traffic handlers (and non-traffic handlers) are invited to take the Portal Challenge. Log into the Portal each day and leave a message destined for a ham or non-ham, friend or family member. Those who qualify by depositing one message each day from July 1 through July 28 will receive a special certificate and acknowledgement in the August 2025 issue of The NTS Letter. This is a great way to demonstrate how the public can be served by the National Traffic System and amateur radio! To qualify, you must introduce at least one message onto the Portal each day for pickup and origination by a qualified radiogrammer. Remember, in this particular situation, you are not the station of origin but rather are acting as a “third-party” and therefore your message will not count as an “origination” or “sent” point in your Station Activity Report (SAR).
NTS Letter / Publicity and Outreach

Field Day 2025 and the NTS Traffic Handler

- by Jay

The following article was included in the May NTS Letter:

ARRL Field Day LogoField Day is said to be the highlight of the year for amateur radio operators. It is held annually on the fourth weekend in June, which this year falls on June 28 and 29. There is something for almost any amateur radio operator. It is perhaps foremost an exercise in emergency preparedness, one of the primary reasons for the existence of the Amateur Radio Service. It takes great skill to be able, within a short period of time, to set up multiple stations capable of various modes, and operate without public infrastructure. While not an official contest, it offers the contester the thrill of making multiple contacts, scoring many points for their club or group. For those who enjoy outdoor activities such as POTA and SOTA, it is an opportunity to show off their skills in setting up portable stations. For many, this is also a big social event, offering cookouts and early morning breakfasts.

An important factor, however, may be overlooked, and that is the opportunity to demonstrate the messaging service capabilities of the National Traffic System, especially in an emergency. NTS operators, as all amateurs, can show off this capability first by publicizing the event, encouraging people to come and see hams in action. Welcome them and offer information about amateur radio and how it is still very active in today’s world of technology. A second way is to demonstrate our messaging services that can be available in a disaster or situation when public infrastructure is unavailable. ARRL encourages this by offering extra points for transmitting formal written messages in the form of radiograms from any Field Day site. One hundred points can be counted for a radiogram to the Section Manager or Section Emergency Coordinator and another 100 points for 10 radiograms to friends and families, all sent over radio frequencies from the Field Day site. NTS traffic handlers have a big part in this activity. Beginning now, when clubs and groups are making their Field Day plans, traffic handlers can reach out to their clubs, encouraging them to take advantage of this activity, not only to gain points but also to help spread the word about amateur radio to others in their communities and beyond. Offer to help on Field Day, either from the site or from home relaying to traffic nets, or teach club members how to format radiograms, find traffic nets or digital outlets, and how to send these radiograms over the air.

Publicity and Outreach / Updated Access & Delivery Methods

Improve Your Club’s Message Fair Using the Radiogram Gateway!

- by admin

NTS DisplayThe following story appeared in the March 18, 2025 issue of ARRL Club News:

Your club is planning to staff a table at a local community fair or event. Offer to send radiograms. Recruit volunteers to explain what a radiogram is and, later, send the messages. Who in your radio club is active on the traffic nets? How many members know the radiogram format or know how to send a radiogram message on the air? Fear not! Your club can put its best foot forward and hold an amateur radio message fair with minimal traffic-handling skills using an exciting new tool: the Radiogram Portal!

Jonathan Taylor, K1RFD, inventor of EchoLink, has developed a web-based tool that the public can use to enter a short message by following simple instructions. The message will be picked up by a participating amateur radio volunteer operator (called a “radiogrammer”) who logs in to a restricted portion of the website, takes the message off the gateway, and sends it over the air on a National Traffic System (NTS) net for relay to its destination. The recipient will get a local phone call from a nearby ham. Along the way, ham operators will relay the messages by voice, digital, or even Morse code and get valuable practice in emergency public service.

“It’s not a problem if your club lacks an active traffic handler to check into the traffic nets,” says Phil Temples, K9HI, who chairs the ARRL EC-FSC NTS subcommittee. “You merely set up a laptop at your message fair using a Wi-Fi connection and allow members of the public to enter their own messages. Later, a skilled traffic handler in your area will pull the message off the portal and send it in a timely fashion.”

The Radiogram Portal was successfully demonstrated at the 2024 New England Division Convention. An extensive display sponsored by the Nashua (New Hampshire) Area Radio Society highlighted the NTS and the Radiogram Portal running on a computer, along with a trifold that pictured the NTS2 website, the NTS Letter, training videos, and a downloadable handout available for clubs and public gatherings.

For more information on the Radiogram Portal, visit nts2.arrl.org/radiogram.

Publicity and Outreach

The Year in Review: NTS 2.0 Accomplishments

- by Phil Temples

It’s been an exciting past 12 months for participants in the NTS 2.0 project. NTS 2.0 is a subcommittee of the League’s Emergency Communications and Field Services Committee comprised of numerous working groups. We are proud to report the following accomplishments:

  • Creation and publication of The NTS Letter
  • Creation and implementation of an APRS->NTS gateway
  • Creation and implementation of the Radiogram Portal
  • The NTS “Treasure Hunt”
  • An updated awards program (rollout  imminent)
  • Several NTS training videos
  • New Traffic Analysis test tool specification completed
  • Next generation Digital Traffic System specification
  • Numerous updates to the nts2.arrl.org website

Want to get involved in these or future efforts?  Email ARRL Director Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, at ab1oc@arrl.org.

Publicity and Outreach / Updated Access & Delivery Methods

Jonathan Taylor, K1RFD, Featured on QSO Today

- by admin

Jonathan Taylor, K1RFDJonathan Taylor, K1RFD, Ridgefield, Connecticut, inventor of the highly popular program “EchoLink,” was featured as guest on the QSO Today podcast, episode #487. Taylor is also author of the NTS 2.0 Radiogram Portal web application.

From QSO Today: “Jonathan Taylor, K1RFD, has reached his 50th year has a ham radio operator, is the creator of Echolink, one of the first amateur radio Voice over Internet Service linking amateur radio stations, the receiver of technical innovation awards, and author of ‘VoIP: Internet Linking for Radio Amateurs,’ now in its second edition. K1RFD checks all of the ham radio boxes for operating, homebrewing, software development, radio restoration, and is my QSO Today.”

Publicity and Outreach

Update on NTS 2.0 Modernization Project

- by admin

Marcia Forde, KW1U, writes:

The following update on the NTS 2.0 modernization project was recently sent to all ARRL Section Managers and Section Traffic Managers for dissemination to traffic handlers in their areas. More information can be found on the new website nts2.arrl.org under the Standards and Procedures tab. Information on handling instructions and numbered radiograms is available now and information on the encapsulation radiograms for emergency communications will be there soon. There is also a tab To Contribute Your Ideas if you wish to contribute those.

Greetings to all STMs and SMs,

It was brought to my attention that little to nothing has been disseminated regarding progress on the part of the NTS 2.0 teams. My apologies for not keeping folks better up to date.

You are aware that we held briefings throughout the various ARRL divisions during the latter part of 2022, and enlisted the help of 35 to 40 volunteers. Each was assigned to one or more of five implementation teams who have met weekly since the beginning of 2023. We have been able to secure a page on the ARRL website to inform you of the ongoing projects, but it is only recently that we are now able to share some results of these teams’ work.

1. An article on NTS has been published in the July issue of QST which you may have received already. We are grateful to the editors of QST for highlighting this program and look forward to more articles in the future.

2. Perhaps highest on the minds of most folks is an update to the Net Directory. This is a major undertaking as the current directory has not been updated in recent times and the software has not been felt by many to be very user friendly. While we don’t have a finished product to show you at this time, it is important for folks to know that one of our NTS 2.0 implementation teams has drawn up a set of requirements we think various groups will want to see implemented and this has been forwarded to the IT department at ARRL. Emergency manager Josh Johnston KE5MHV and the IT department have been pleased with our work and are now working with us to develop a product we hope you will find informative and easy to use. It will take a little time yet before you will see a finished product as the entire website at ARRL is in the process of being updated. We want you to know however that definite progress is being made, so we ask for your patience and hope you will be happy with the new net directory once it has been completed.

3. In accord with renewed interest in emergency communications preparedness on the part of amateur radio and the ARRL in particular, several of our teams have been working on encapsulation of the forms used by emergency service organizations. Forms such as the ICS-213, ARC-213, HICS-213 and the Texas STAR Form originated by emergency personnel must be deliverable exactly as sent, and to accomplish this these forms must be encapsulated within a radiogram for transmission via the National Traffic System. A great deal of thought and testing have gone into this product which will be revealed on the ARRL’s website (nts2.arrl.org). Documentation and training will be provided. While we recognize such emergency traffic will likely be sent via digital means where available, we feel it is important that voice and CW circuits must be capable and practiced in the event they are needed.

4. Because of the above mentioned use of emergency type traffic, there are some additional requirements which are important. You will find these on the above noted website as additional handling instructions and ARRL numbered radiograms.

Two new handling instructions are being added. One is HXI which indicates an encapsulated message is included which must be relayed so as to be deliverable in a particular format. The second is HXR, which requires the delivering station to notify the originator of the message confirming that the recipient has personally received the message. This is a frequent requirement from served agencies. This is different from the HXC instruction, which is sent by the delivering station instead to the station of origin, whose call sign is in the header. Where HXC notifies the station of origin of delivery (such as the message being deposited in a mailbox) of their Radiogram, HXR confirms to the sender that the recipient has the message in-hand.

A new ARRL numbered radiogram has been added as “ARL FORTY ONE”. This is to be used with an HXD handling instruction where tracing a message is important to find any possible breaks in the relay chain. You will find a number of blanks to be filled in a service reply. This standardization of the HXD reply will allow for more efficient tracking and better understanding of the process.

While we understand change can be hard, we hope you will find value in the above. The teams continue to work diligently to make improvements and we welcome feedback from the NTS community. Please share with net participants in your sections.

73, Marcia KW1U
NTS 2.0 Implementation Teams