by James Wades, WB8SIW
In an ideal world, the National Traffic System would have sufficient volunteers to facilitate message originations and deliveries at most locations throughout the United States and Canada. However, this is not always the case. Routine radiograms often propagate through the system with minimal delay only to reach their destination Section where some are held for days awaiting an “outlet” in the form of a volunteer reasonably close to the addressee who can perform the delivery function.
This situation points to two often conflicting imperatives within the NTS, one of which is the need to keep nets active with sufficient traffic to incentivize volunteer participation, and the other of which is the customer service requirement for timely and accurate delivery of routine radiograms. On one hand, we do not want to starve Section and local nets of traffic, but on the other hand, we do not want routine radiograms to sit for days until someone near the addressee checks into a net.
The solution to this problem is a new “certified” precedence. A certified radiogram is a routine radiogram that prioritizes customer service in the form of timely and accurate delivery above that of ensuring a message reaches a point as close to its last mile destination as possible. This new precedence recognizes that NTS is in the customer service business. Simply put, in our modern telecommunications environment, those originating unique personal radiograms deserve a positive experience in which their message reaches the addressee in a timely manner.
The certified precedence may not be used for “bulk” messages that often contain a common text, and which are addressed to individuals with whom the originator has no prior relationship. These latter types of messages are not typically time-sensitive and often have incorrect contact information harvested from out-of-date online sources. While properly managed bulk originations can prove beneficial by establishing relationships between the local amateur radio community and an addressee, they must retain the “routine” precedence, and the goal is to push them through the network to a point as close as possible to the “last mile.”
As a general guideline, a “certified” precedence radiogram “expires” 48 hours after its time of origination. Upon expiration, it must be delivered to the addressee regardless of its location within the National Traffic System. Furthermore, there are specific requirements for use of the “certified” precedence. For example:
* The originator shall have a reasonable expectation that the address, phone number and other contact information contained in the radiogram address has been verified as both timely and correct before origination (in other words, address data cannot be harvested from online directories or the like).
* The message transmitted must be unique in character.
* The message shall be transmitted only as the result of a prior direct relationship or transaction between the originator (signatory) and addressee.
* In other words, a holiday greeting sent to one’s family member would be classified as “certified,” whereas a “please renew your ham radio license” radiogram sent to a stranger must use the routine precedence.
When originating a “certified” radiogram, the time of origin (in UTC) must be included. This starts the clock ticking down to the 48-hour expiration deadline.
On a related note, in order to ensure accurate and professional-grade management of certified and higher precedence traffic, Radio Relay International has established the “Certified Radio Operator” training program to not just support certified precedence message traffic, but also to ensure that sufficient expertise is available within the traffic community to manage welfare, priority and emergency precedence messages.
More about the certified precedence, as well as the Certified Radio Operator program, can be found on the Radio Relay International website.