Send a Radiogram
What’s a Radiogram?
You’ve probably heard of amateur radio (“ham”) operators, and you might know a friend, family member, or neighbor who loves to build radio equipment and talk to thousands of other ham operators around the world!
But, you might not know that amateur radio operators are primed and ready to step in and provide valuable communications to the general public, when all else fails. Even if Internet service, power lines, and phone lines are all down, amateur radio still can get the message through. To be ready for this, many amateurs have joined a network called the National Traffic System (NTS), which is like a telegraph office over radio. NTS volunteers spend their free time relaying messages, called Radiograms, entirely by amateur radio, completely free of charge. This is great practice to be sure they can serve the public during a true emergency!
Send a Radiogram Now!
Now, there’s a way that YOU can try Amateur Radio messaging! Think of a friend or family member you’d like to contact by Radiogram. You can send any short message, as long as it’s not business-related, urgent or critical, or too private or personal. Your message will be picked up by an Amateur Radio volunteer operator and relayed across the country to near its destination; finally, the recipient will get a local phone call from a nearby ham, or the message might even be delivered in person. Along the way, ham operators will be relaying your message by voice, digital, or even Morse code, and getting valuable practice in emergency public service.
Your Message
To make it easy, please choose one of the standard message texts below. (Note: Both the sender and the recipient must be in the United States or Canada).