NTS 2.0 Traffic Delivery Standard

 

Last edit: 07/01/2025

[A PDF version of this document is available for download]

 

NTS 2.0 Traffic Delivery Standard

 

7/01/2025

 

This document lays out the service level objectives for transit and delivery of NTS traffic by message precedence.

Contents

  • Definition of delivery
  • End-to-end transit time
  • Relay time
  • Commitment
  • Means of delivery
  • Exception handling
    • Delivery would incur cost
    • Insufficient recipient information
    • Incorrect recipient information
    • Malformed Radiogram
    • Delivery is late
    • Messages into disaster areas
  • Service messages
  • Reporting
  • Definitions
  • Appendix

 

Definition of delivery

NTS volunteers are expected to make a reasonable effort to deliver any legal radiogram. The following standards apply to each classification (precedence) or radiogram:

 

  • Routine: The operator delivering the message shall have a reasonable belief that the message has or will reach its recipient via telephone, text message, email or postal service.
  • Certified: A routine radiogram meeting certain origination and delivery criteria. The certified message must be delivered within 48 hours of the date/time of origination regardless of its location within the relay process. The operator delivering the message shall confirm that delivery has been made through direct acknowledgement by the addressee or by a voicemail response that confirms the name of the recipient.
  • Welfare: The operator delivering the message shall confirm that delivery has been made through direct acknowledgement by the addressee or by a voicemail response that confirms the name of the recipient.
  • Emergency, Priority: The operator delivering the message shall obtain feedback in the form of a confirmed receipt by the addressee or his designee (e.g. An EOC/ICS message router, NIMS functional representative, etc.).

 

End-to-end transit time

From the time of origination, a radiogram should be delivered within:

Transit time
Routine 5 days
Certified 48 hours
Welfare 24 hours
Priority 3 hours
Emergency 30 minutes (HXR recommended)

A Radiogram delivered after this is considered late. 

Relay time

From the time a relay station receives a Radiogram, it should be either further relayed or have a delivery attempt within:

Relay time
Routine 3 days
Certified 48 hours
Welfare 24 hours
Priority 2 hours*
Emergency See below *

A Radiogram held longer than this is considered delayed.

* The end-to-end transit time limit for a PRIORITY message is limited to two hours. The end-to-end transit time for an EMERGENCY message is limited to 30 minutes. Each individual station must make every effort to ensure the traffic is routed through the system utilizing the necessary methods and circuits to achieve these goals. See the National Response Plan for further details regarding the NTS emergency configuration methods.

Commitment under routine conditions

Routine messages are utilized to exercise the system, build net infrastructure, and retain the interest of volunteers through day-to-day operation and training. In the case of a routine message, even if a service level objective has been missed, the radiogram is still required to be relayed through the system. Any relay station who accepts a routine radiogram commits to moving the message further toward the “last-mile” delivery point.

Means of delivery

Whereas routine radiograms have minimal time constraints and require less certainty at the point of delivery, higher priority messages require a reasonable expectation that the message has been read and/or acknowledged by the addressee. The following chart illustrates the acceptable means of delivering a Radiogram based on precedence (importance):

 

Precedence Via USPS By leaving voicemail By sending email/ text-message Person to person (or designee)
Routine Yes Yes Yes Yes
Certified No Yes Yes Yes
Welfare No Yes, if greeting confirms name. Yes, if recipient replies with confirmation. Yes
Priority No No Yes, if recipient or designee replies with confirmation. Yes
Emergency No No No Required

 

“Person to person” means by real-time two-way communication (phone, text message, radio, in-person, etc.) with the person or another person authorized to receive such messages for that person.

Exception handling

 Routine Radiograms

It is not necessary to deliver a routine message if toll charges or postal costs are incurred by the operator. Such messages fall under handling instruction HXG by default. The radiogram may be canceled. A service message must be originated to the station of origin.

Certified Radiograms:

Origination standards for certified radiograms require a verified accurate, timely and complete address before a message is originated into the system. However, exceptions can occur in which address information is garbled. If undeliverable due to a garbled address, see the section below entitled “insufficient information.”

 Welfare/Priority/Emergency Radiograms

  • Such messages are, by definition, related to an emergency/disaster situation. Therefore, the delivering operator shall make an erstwhile attempt to effect delivery. The chart above provides guidance detailing authorized delivery methods. 

Insufficient recipient information

Description

  • Cannot identify specific recipient, OR
  • No contact information is provided (e.g., no street address, no phone, no email, no specified traffic net).

Actions

  • Spend time researching contact information for delivery. (Only required for WELFARE, PRIORITY and EMERGENCY.)
  • ROUTINE: Cancel the message. Service the station of origin.
  • If message cannot be delivered, service the station of origin as undeliverable using  ARL SIXTY SEVEN

 

Incorrect recipient information

Description

  • Recipient information is provided but is incorrect or obsolete. (e.g. bad email, bad phone, etc.)

Action (by precedence)

Routine

  • Cancel message and service the station of origin

Certified/Welfare/Priority/Emergency

  • Service back the issue such as bad phone number (insufficient number of digits) to originator (party in Radiogram signature) and continue relaying towards destination.
  • Perform best effort to locate correct recipient contact information

Malformed Radiogram

Description

  • Preamble incomplete
  • Address, text, or signature block is missing

Action (by precedence)

Routine/Certified

  • If enough valid information exists to continue relaying, then continue by adding an OP NOTE stating that the Radiogram is malformed.
  • If there is not enough valid information to continue relaying, cancel the message and, if possible, service the station of origin.
  • If there is no station of origin provided, cancel the message and no further action is required.

Welfare/Priority/Emergency

  • If there is enough valid information to continue relaying, then continue by adding an OP NOTE providing your call sign and a statement that indicates the message is malformed and question its validity.
    • E.g. OP NOTE K8AMH RECEIVED MALFORMED MESSAGE FROM (SOURCE)
  • If the addressee information is invalid, then cancel the message and service the station of origin if able.
    • If no station of origin is specified, begin following SENT/RECEIVED tracking information back towards the station of origin for follow-up.

Delivery is late

Description

A radiogram has not been delivered when the service level objective for end-to-end transit time expires, or when a relay station realizes delivery will be late, whichever occurs first.

Action (by precedence)

Routine/Certified

  • Relay or deliver, and service the station of origin noting relay or delivery took place on date/time.

Welfare/Priority/Emergency

  • Service the originator (party in Radiogram signature) regarding the situation. Continue attempting to relay or deliver. This gives the originator a chance to attempt a different method or otherwise resolve the issue.
  • If after best-effort attempts relay/delivery is still not possible, cancel the Radiogram and transmit a service message back to the originator (party in Radiogram signature).

 

Messages into disaster areas

Description

  • Radiogram is bound for (transmitted to) an addressee within a disaster area

Action

Routine/Certified/Welfare

  • Follow the direction of leaders within the disaster area and/or directives issued by the Emergency Management Director or Incident Commander.
  • Attempt relay or delivery of the Radiogram, unless instructed otherwise by authorized personnel coordinating the emergency communications response.
  • If radiograms bound for a disaster area to be held according to operating directives, service the station of origin indicating that the radiogram will be delayed per official instructions.

Priority/Emergency

  • EMERGENCY traffic shall not be held and must be moved forward towards its recipient using the most expedient method.
  • PRIORITY traffic related to disaster operations, such as messages addressed to an agency, disaster official, or otherwise affecting disaster operations shall not be held and must be routed using the most expedient method.

Commentary

In large disasters, there are frequently embargoes on inbound non-emergency traffic for 24-72 hours, thereby preserving limited circuit capacity for higher priority traffic affecting disaster operations.

 

Service messages

Service messages should be sent with the same precedence as the original Radiogram.

 

Reporting

Undeliverable messages should be reported in the station’s Station Activity Report (SAR) in a new UNDELIVERABLE (“U”) field:

  • O/# S/# R/# D/# U/# T/#
  • ORIGINATE/# SENT/# RECEIVED/# DELIVERED/# UNDELIVERABLE/# TOTAL/#

The total is the sum of Originate, Sent, Received, Delivered, and Undeliverable.

The PSHR category 2 uses this Total (including the Undeliverable count).

The SAR should be updated in a separate effort to include the reasons for the non-deliveries.

Definitions

For the purpose of measuring Service Level Objectives, a radiogram may fall into one of the following categories:

In-transit and on-time The Radiogram has not yet been delivered but is within the end-to-end transit time and the relay time for the traffic handler who holds it.
Delivered on-time The Radiogram was delivered within the end-to-end transit time.
In-transit and delayed The Radiogram has not yet been delivered and has exceeded the relay time for the traffic handler who holds it, but has not exceeded the end-to-end transit time.
In-transit and late The Radiogram has not yet been delivered and has exceeded the end-to-end transit time, but is still within the relay time for the traffic handler who holds it.
Delivered late The Radiogram was delivered but exceeded the end-to-end transit time.
Lost The Radiogram has not yet been delivered and has exceeded the end-to-end transit time, and is also outside the relay time for the traffic handler who holds it.

Appendix

The following chart illustrates how the status of a Radiogram may change from one category to another:

A
Radiogram that is:		 May move
to:		 When/If:
In-transit and on-time Delivered on-time The station holding the Radiogram delivers it within the end-to-end window.
In-transit and delayed
In-transit and on-time In-transit and late The end-to-end transit time expires.
In-transit and delayed Lost
In-transit and on-time In-transit and delayed The traffic handler holds the Radiogram longer than the relay time.
In-transit and late Lost
In-transit and delayed In-transit and on-time The traffic handler who holds the Radiogram relays it to the next station.
Lost In-transit and late
In-transit and late Delivered late The station holding the Radiogram delivers it.
Lost