Transcript Formal Traffic

Formal Traffic
Getting Written
Messages Through
Developed by Bryce Rumery, K1GAX
Maine ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Formal Traffic

Two types of messages (traffic)
– Formal
 Written Traffic
 On behalf of a served agency
 Reply expected
– Informal
 Initiated by you
 May be verbal or written
 No response or reply expected
Formal Traffic
In this presentation, we will
address formal (written)
traffic.
Formal Traffic
Transmit formal traffic exactly as written
 Change nothing
 When you receive a message from a
served agency, read it

– If you cannot read it, get clarification

Log all formal traffic (ICS Form 309
recommended)
– Received
– Transmitted
Formal Traffic

Elements of formal traffic
–
–
Who is requesting what and from whom?
 What is the requesters full name/title/agency & location?
 What is the recipients full name/title/agency & location?
What are they requesting and how many do they want/need?
 Is it a list or single item?
 If it's a list, do all items come from the same place?
– If multiple sources then multiple messages.
–
 Is the subject the transportation of an item, or the acquisition of that item,
or both?
Where will it come from (not always the same as the location of the
person receiving the request)?
– Where will it go to (not always the same as the location of the person
requesting the item(s))?
– When is it needed?
 Time/date as applicable
Formal Traffic

In Emergency communications it is
important to say as little as possible, yet
convey all of the meaning
– Brevity and Clarity
– Slow Down
– Do not editorialize
– Listen
– Plain Language
– Standard ITU Phonetics
– Numbers
Formal Traffic

Use the appropriate message form
– If going between the same served agency,
use their message form
– If going to another agency, perhaps use an
amateur radio format such as the ARRL
Radiogram
– If going between states, perhaps use an
amateur radio format such as the ARRL
Radiogram
– No need to translate between message forms
if it’s not appropriate
Formal Traffic
Sending a message on phone
In sending a message on phone, you don’t read it, you send it. In
reading, one tries to get expression into his or her voice. In sending,
expression is far less important than articulation. The message
should almost be sent in a monotone, without rising and falling
inflections but with very careful articulation.
The aim, don’t forget, is copy not comprehension. Therefore, read
one word or group at a time, each one carefully articulated, at a
speed slow enough to be written comfortably.
Difficult or unusual words should be spelled out (phonetically, if
necessary). In spelling out a word phonetically, use the ITU
Phonetic Alphabet rather than made up words for phonetics. A wise
tip in spelling out a word is to first pronounce the word, follow it
with the words “I spell” and spell out the word phonetically (for
example: “ ITU, I spell, INDIA, TANGO, UNIFORM”).
Formal Traffic
Sending a message on phone (continued)
For a number (or groups of numbers) proceed the number or group
of numbers with the word “figures” (for example: “figures WUN,
TWO, THA-REE”).
Remember , avoid using the term “common spelling” as many words
in the English language have several “common spellings”. If there is
any doubt, spell it out.
CW and Q-signals are not to be used in phone traffic handling.
Separate the parts of the ARRL Radiogram message by the proword
“break” – that is, after the address and before the signature. After
saying the proword break, unkey your microphone to see if the
receiving station requires any fills. When the signature is completed,
say “end of message” and follow this with “no more” if this is the
only or last message you have for this station, or “more” if you have
additional.
Formal Traffic

There are five basic message forms we
deal with
– ARRL Radiogram
– ICS Form 213 (ICS Message Form)
– ARC Form 4612 (Red Cross Message Form)
– ARC Form 2079I (Red Cross Disaster Welfare
Inquiry)
– MHA Assessment Form (Maine Hospital
Association Assessment Form)
These message forms are available on the Maine ARES Web site
(http://www.maineares.org)
Formal Traffic

The ARRL Radiogram
– Most commonly used in Amateur Radio
message handling
– Possibly the most difficult to understand
 Most complex
– Must be used when formal traffic is introduced
into the National Traffic System
 When messages are sent from one state to
another
– Usually made out by the attending ARO from
a message request from a served agency
Formal Traffic

ICS Form 213
– Commonly used in disasters handled by the
Incident Command System
– Very straight forward
– Made out by the originator of the message
Formal Traffic

ARC Form 4612
– The American Red Cross Official Message
Form
– Very Straight Forward
– Made out by the originator of the message
Formal Traffic

ARC Form 2079I
– American Red Cross Disaster Welfare Inquiry
– Fairly Straight Forward
– Made out by a Red Cross Client and Red Cross
Disaster Workers
Formal Traffic

The MHA Assessment Form
– Used by hospitals in Maine during Y2K
– May be used again in a widespread disaster
– Fairly straight forward
– Primarily made out by the originator of the
message
Formal Traffic
The ARRL Radiogram
Formal Traffic

The ARRL Radiogram has 5 parts
– Preamble
 Message details and instructions
– Addressee
 Name, address and phone number of recipient
– Text
 The message itself
– Signature
 Signature (and other information) of sender
– Administrative
 Message tracking information
Preamble
Addressee
Text
Signature
Administrative
Formal Traffic
ARRL Radiogram Preamble
MESSAGE NUMBER (Mandatory)
This can be any number the originating station chooses. Most start with 1 the first
of each year. Once a message is numbered, that same number remains with the
message until delivered.
Example: Number 1
Formal Traffic
ARRL Radiogram Preamble
PRECEDENCE (Mandatory)
The Precedence of the Message determines what order the messages will be handled. Most of the time all messages are
handled on every net session. The following four precedences are used in ascending order of priority:
ROUTINE (R on CW)
99.99% of all messages have this precedence. These messages will be handled last.
WELFARE (W on CW)
This message is either an inquiry to the health and welfare of an individual in a disaster area or a report of the health and
welfare of an individual. These messages will be handled before ROUTINE traffic.
PRIORITY (P on CW)
These are messages have specific time limits. They are also for Official messages, not covered in the EMERGENCY category.
This traffic will be handled before WELFARE or ROUTINE.
EMERGENCY (EMERGENCY on CW)
Any message having life and death urgency to any person or group of persons, which is transmitted by Amateur Radio in the
absence of regular communication facilities. When in doubt, do NOT use this precedence. This traffic will be handle first and
immediately.
Example: Number 1 Routine
Formal Traffic
ARRL Radiogram Preamble
HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS (Optional)
Handling Instructions are sometimes used to tell the various stations along the way, what the desires of the originating station are. If not
needed, it is best not to use. On phone: the sending station would say, "HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS n", n explained below. On CW: Send
HXn.
HXA (Followed by a number)
Collect landline delivery authorized by the by addressee within ... miles. (If no number, authorization is unlimited).
HXB (Followed by a number)
Cancel message if not delivered within ... hours of filing time ; service originating station.
HXC
Report the time and date of delivery to originating station.
HXD
Report to the originating station the identity of the station from which you received, plus time and date. Report the identity of the station
to which it was relayed, plus time and date, or if delivered report time and date of delivery.
HXE
Delivering station get a reply from the addressee, and originate a message back.
HXF (Followed by number)
Hold delivery until ... (date).
HXG
Delivery by mail or landline toll call not required. If toll or other expense involved, cancel message and service originating station.
Example: Number 1 Routine HXG
Formal Traffic
ARRL Radiogram Preamble
STATION OF ORIGIN (Mandatory)
This is the call sign of the Amateur Radio Station generating (originating) this message. This
call sign, along with the message number, serve as the "serial number" of this message. Any
future reference to this message would be: "Number nn of CALL nn4nnn".
Example: Number 1 Routine HXG K4IWW
Formal Traffic
ARRL Radiogram Preamble
CHECK (Mandatory)
This is a count of the number of words used in the TEXT (only) of the message. Words in the
address or signature are NOT counted. Groups of figures, letters, combinations of figures and
letters, and "X" are counted as words. This is the method that Amateurs use to make sure that
the TEXT was received without error. Both the sender and receiver should end up with the
same word count (CHECK).
Example: Number 1 Routine HXG K4IWW 12
Formal Traffic
ARRL Radiogram Preamble
PLACE OF ORIGIN (Mandatory)
This field is the City and State of either the Station of Origin or the person in the
Signature. In most cases, this will be the same place.
Example: Number 1 Routine HXG K4IWW 12 CARY NC
Formal Traffic
ARRL Radiogram Preamble
TIME FILED (Optional)
The time the message was originated. You may either use UTC or Local time.
Examples: 1615Z or 1115 EST. Most messages do NOT use this field. It is only useful
if the message has a short time value. Useful for Emergency and Priority messages.
Example: Number 1 Routine HXG K4IWW 12 CARY NC 1615Z
Formal Traffic
ARRL Radiogram Preamble
DATE (Mandatory)
This is the date the message was originated. In Amateur Radio, we use month and
day. The year is NOT used. If the message is over a year old, it should be sent to
the circular file.
Example: Number 1 Routine HXG K4IWW 12 CARY NC 1615Z DEC 20
Formal Traffic
ARRL Radiogram Addressee
ADDRESSEE (Mandatory)
The name(s) and address of the person to which this message is going. It looks like
the address on an envelope used in snail mail. Include a phone number, if you have
it. The more information here, the easier the delivery will be.
Example:
JOHN Q PUBLIC
1234 MAPLE AVE
ANYTOWN NC 27000
919 555 1234
Formal Traffic
ARRL Radiogram Text
TEXT (Mandatory)
Finally! This is the message you are sending for the signature person to the addressee. It should be
short (usually less than 25 words) and in telegram style. No punctuation is used. The letter "X" is used
(similar to STOP in telegrams) to end one idea and start another. Many messages do not even have an
"X" in them.
Example TEXT:
ARRIVE 7PM DEC 24 X
LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU
X LOVE
The above TEXT has a count of 12. So the CHECK is 12. As Amateur Radio is non-commercial, the
TEXT should have no commercial value. Each Radio Amateur is the judge of what is commercial and
what is not.
Formal Traffic
ARRL Radiogram Signature
SIGNATURE (Mandatory)
(Placed below the Text of the message)
This is the name if the person sending the message. It may be the name or call of
the originating station. However, it is usually the name of a "third party", for whom
the originating station is generating the message. The signature is not counted in
the Check of the message.
It is wise in emergency communications traffic to also include the title of the person
“signing” the message.
Formal Traffic
ARRL Radiogram Administrative
RECEIVED (Optional)
This is for the handling station to write down whom they received the message
from. This field is only for the book keeping of the handling station.
It is wise to use this section if handling Emergency or Priority Traffic.
Formal Traffic
ARRL Radiogram Administrative
SENT (Optional)
This is for the handling station to write down whom they sent the message to.
This field is only for the book keeping of the handling station.
It is wise to use this section if handling Emergency or Priority Traffic.
The Finished Product
1
Routine
G
K4IWW
12
Cary NC
1615Z
Dec 20
John Q Public
1234 Maple Ave
Anytown NC 27000
919 555 1234
Break
Arrive
7PM
December
24
X
Looking
forward
to
seeing
you
X
Love
Break
Betty M Public
K4IWW
Dec 20
1625Z
W4ABC
Dec 20
1700Z
Formal Traffic
The ICS Form 213
Formal Traffic
 The
ICS Form 213 has three parts
–Header
–Message
–Reply
Formal Traffic
All parts of the ICS Form 213 must be
filled in appropriately
 Do not accept the message partially filled
in

– One exception is the name of the person the
message is being sent to
 The ICS position is more important than the name
as the person may actually change during an
incident
Formal Traffic
ICS-213 Header
Information to be filled in by the originator
Please note: Names are not as important as the
ICS Position (The names may change)
Formal Traffic
ICS-213 Message
Filled in by the originator
Formal Traffic
ICS-213 Reply
Filled in by the person making the reply
(May not be the person the
message was sent to)
Formal Traffic
The ARC Form 4612
Formal Traffic

The ARC Form 4612 is perhaps the
simplest of all message forms
– All blocks will be filled in by the originator
– All blocks must be filled in by the originator
– A reply, if required, will be done on another
message form
– We must be able to read it to send it
– All we do is send (or receive) it
Must be filled in by the originator
Must be filled in by the originator
Must be filled in by the originator
Message goes here
Formal Traffic
The ARC Form 2079I
Formal Traffic

The ARC Form 2079I has three parts
– Client Information
– Family Contact Information
– Client Release to Contact Family
– Is filled out by the Red Cross Client and Red
Cross workers
– By agreement between the ARRL and the
American Red Cross, may be introduced into
the NTS in its original format
Formal Traffic
ARC Form 2079I Client Information
The date of the information
Name of Client
The Client’s Pre-Disaster Address
Where the client is living now
Pre-Disaster Phone
Current Phone Number
All information filled out by the client and Red Cross Disaster Worker
Formal Traffic
ARC Form 2079I Family Contact Information
Family Members Name
Relationship to the Client
Family Members Address
Family Members Phone
Family Members E-Mail Address
Client’s message to family member
All Information to be filled out by the client and Red Cross Disaster Worker
Formal Traffic
ARC Form 2079I Client Release to Contact Family
Client’s Signature
Date Signed
Printed Name of Client
Red Cross Disaster Workers Name
Red Cross Disaster Workers Function
All information to be filled out by the client and Red Cross Disaster worker
Formal Traffic
MHA Assessment
Form
Formal Traffic
The Maine Hospital Association (MHA)
Assessment Form was conceived in
preparations for Y2K
 May be used again if a widespread
disaster were to strike Maine
 Used to provide information about a
hospital’s capabilities and needs

Formal Traffic

The MHA Assessment Form has 5 parts
– Tracking
– Identification
– Status
– Resource Requests
– Other Resources
Formal Traffic
MHA Assessment Form Tracking
Will be made out by
the message originator
May be made out by the
attending ARO in discussion
With the message originator
Formal Traffic
MHA Assessment Form Identification
Made out by
message originator
May have to be filled
in by attending ARO
Formal Traffic
MHA Assessment Form Status
To be filled by the message originator
Formal Traffic
MHA Assessment Form Resource Requests
To be filled by the message originator
Formal Traffic
MHA Assessment Form Other Resources
To be filled by the message originator
Formal Traffic
“The Job Is Never Complete
Until The Paperwork Is Done!”
Presented by Maine ARES
Formal Traffic
 Exercise:
Compose a message in ARRL
Radiogram format using the
information on the next slide
Formal Traffic
Mary Doe asks you to send the following
message to her sister Jane Smith at 412 Main
Street, Anytown, Maine 04999 Telephone: (207)
555-1234
“Coming in on the bus at 3:30 PM. Please pick
me up. Love Mary”
Mary Doe also would like to know the date and
time the message was delivered.
Formal Traffic
1
R
C
K1GAX
15
Cape Elizabeth, ME
1000 Z
Jane Smith
412 Main St
Anytown, ME 04999
207-555-1234
Coming
in
on
the
bus
at
3:30
PM
X
Please
pick
me
up
X
Love
Mary Doe
Dec 10