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Traffic?
I was very surprised to discover that
one of my radio friends, a HAM of 10 or so years didn't know anything about
`HAM radio' traffic. What do you think about when you hear a fellow HAM
check in to a net with the comment, `no traffic'? Is it some kind of slang?
It is a reference to the RADIO-GRAMS that HAMS send around the world free
of charge to anyone in any country that has a 3rd PARTY agreement with
the United States. ONLY! The most visible display of this is at presentations
of HAM radio, such as at Scout-O-Ramas, (and at commemorative stations
at commemorative celebrations) where a booth is setup with pads of RADIO-GRAM
forms and a guy with a radio set up in the back of the booth, where he
sends the message on its way to is to its destination. The average trip
takes about 2 days. It is the basis of the American Radio Relay League,
relying messages between two stations that cannot contact each other directly.
That is where it got it's name. The American Radio Relay League, serves
the United States and Canada! We have a system called the NTS, the National
Traffic System it is a ARRL organization. They have special forms printed
up and a list of prepared messages that the `customer' can pick from so
the message could be from XXX to YYY, message is # 21 or something like
that. (something like: I will see you next week. or: It's a boy. (I'm just
guessing!) Remember I said: "any country that has a 3rd PARTY agreement
with the United States. ONLY!" We (the U.S.A.) only have a 3rd PARTY agreements
with countries with `under developed' communications systems. The governments
of those countries with reasonably developed communications systems, telephone
and telegraph (telegrams) companies, do not want any FREE competition for
their local companies. Why? Why do we maintain a system that sends free
messages for strangers to other strangers? Seems a bit nutty. This is a
special form of public service and the best training to handle emergency
traffic in preparation for emergencies. In a true emergency a ham will
be `stationed' at the city hall, another at the police department, another
at the court house, another on the outskirts of town with beams on towers
and an emergency generator, everybody has a handi Talki and can talk to
each other, the guy with the beams can talk to Miami and Tallahassee, on
H.F., he can also check into the Texas or South Carolina NETS, and pass
his traffic on toward it's destination. Some HAMs will tell you most messages
are sent and are sent faster using the 'phone NETS, I don't know for sure,
but understand the morse code nets are fast and effective. There are lots
of people, you will see them at some of the bigger hamfests with a chest
full of ribbons, showing the ordinations that they belong to, some of them
are high speed C.W. TRAFFIC NETS! They are hoping to meet other fists (operators)
that they know only as `radio friends' they are hoping for a eyeball QSO's,
possibly set up as `skids.' (schedule) I have used the masculine form in
talking about the radio operators here, but in fact the YL's and XYL's
among us are well represented in traffic handling, there are a lot of them
that can cruse with their bugs (Vibroplex speed keyers) at 45 words per
minute all day log.
Ron KA4INM [email protected]