MESSAGE  PARTS  AND PROCEDURES
by
Patricia Urie W7ZIW
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PARTS OF A MESSAGE

A SAMPLE MESSAGE
PRECEDENCES
HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS
HANDLING TRAFFIC BY VOICE
ARRL NUMBERED RADIOGRAMS
BOOK MESSAGES
SERVICING A MESSAGE


A SAMPLE MESSAGE:

1R HXG W7ABC 18 Spokane WA OCT 1
JANE DOE 1234 ICICLE LN
FAIRBANKS AK 99015 - Tel 509 - 261 - 1234

JANE IT WAS NICE TO SEE YOU ON YOUR SUMMER VACATION X PLEASE KEEP IN TOUCH X  LOVE    JOHN

 (1.) 1R signifies the message is number 1 and it is a routine message.  The originating station is W7ABC.  Messages can be numbered consecutively starting at 1.   Most people choose to start with 1 at the beginning of each month and then start over the next month at nr 1.

(2.) The check, (word and character count) is 18. This encompasses the text which is counted from the word Jane to the word Love.

(3.)  The preamble 1r hxg w7abc 18 podunk wa oct 1, is not part of the text and neither is the address or the signature and should not be counted. Characters, like X (meaning the end of a sentence or period,  are counted as one "word". See below for significance of HXG.


PRECEDENCES

The  message precedence  is one of 4 kinds and follows the message number.

ROUTINE  traffic is the most common.  In disaster situations traffic labeled Routine will be handled last.  On cw, inserted into preamble as R.

EMERGENCY traffic, will have life and death implications and used only when regular commercial facilities are unavailable. On cw,  "Emergency" is always written out.

PRIORITY precedence is used when there is a specific time limit.  Notification of death or injury in a disaster area, personal or official. Traffic listed Priority is handled first after Emergency.  Inserted into preamble as P.

WELFARE  precedence is used when the health or welfare of persons during a disaster is  requested. Used after Emergency and Priority, but before Routine.  On cw inserted as W.


HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS

Handling instructions always start with an H.

HXG, the most common. Delivery by mail or landline toll call not required. If toll or other expense involved, cancel message and service originating station.

HXF, followed by a number means hold delivery until ________ date. Used for birthday greetings etc., in the preamble it follows the HXF.

HXA, (followed by number.) Collect landline delivery authorized by addressee within _____miles. (If no number, authorization is unlimited.)

HXB. (Followed by number.) Cancel message if not delivered within_____hours of filing time: service originating station.

HXC. Report date and time of deliver to originating station.

HXD. Report to originating station the identity of station from which received, plus date and time.  Or if delivered report date, time and method of delivery.

HXE. Delivering station get reply from addressee, originate message back..


HANDLING TRAFFIC BY VOICE

Using the message on page one as the example. When relaying a message to another station you would say.

Please copy number 1 Routine, a group of letters HXG, I spell, Hotel Xray Golf (phonetics),  from W7ABC ck 18 Spokane Washington Oct 1

Going to Jane Doe, I spell Jane  Juliet Alpha November Echo.   Doe, I spell Delta Oscar Echo, Address One two three four Icicle I spell Icicle,  India Charlie India Charlie Lima Echo. Lane.  Fairbanks Alaska, niner niner zero one five,  (I say niner for nine, because it sounds much like 5 especially in qrm.)  You can use your own descretion with this Telephone,   five zero niner   two six one   one two three four. (say numbers distinctly and in groups.)

Break for the text (to see if receiving station has copied you so far or needs fills, and to alert that text is next)  If receiving station copied ok, he will say "go with text".

Continuing on,   Jane it was nice to see you on your summer vacation xray (X)  Please keep in touch xray (X)  Love BREAK  (to let him know the text is finished), and the signature is John,  I spell Juliet Oscar Hotel November.


ARRL NUMBERED RADIOGRAMS

Quite frequently you will find in the preamble a check with ARL in front of it. This signifies that there is an ARRL Numbered Radiogram within the message. The number after ARL is still the text count.  The numbered Radiograms are  a way of compacting what you want to say.

1R W7ABC ARL 23  Spokane  WA OCT 1

Jane Doe
1234 Icicle Ln
Fairbanks AK 99015 Tel - 509 261 - 1234

ARL fifty X   It was nice to see you on your summer vacation X Please keep in touch X ARL seven X  Love  John

RELAY  If you were relaying the message to another station it would be relayed as above.

DELIVERY   Upon delivery the message text would read:

(ARL fifty) Greetings by Amateur Radio .  It was nice to see you on your summer vacation x please keep in touch . ( ARL seven) Please reply by amateur radio through the amateur delivering this message.  This is a free public service Love John


BOOK MESSAGES

Book messages have one thing in common, the preamble and the text. Book messages are sent like this example:

Here is a book of two Routine from W7ABC 22 Spokane Wa. Oct 1

(The common text),  Good to see you all on our summer vacation x I hope you can come and see us next year x Love John and Pamela

Nr. 2  Pat and Henry Miller- 1234 Afghan Way-Port Orchard  WA  98367
Tel 360-876-1223

Nr 3  Jack and Harriet Watson- 3351 Carriage Ln.- Tacoma  WA  98323
Tel 206-332-6875

If you are relaying both messages to one station only, you would send as above. If you were relaying  to  delivering stations,  you would break the messages up like this:

2R W7ABC  22 Spokane  WA Oct 1
Pat and Henry  Miller- 1234 Afghan Way- Port Orchard WA 98367
tel 360-876-1223
(break)
Good to see you all on our summer vacation x I hope you can come and see us next year x love (break)
John and Pamela

3R W7ABC 22 Spokane WA Oct 1
Jack and Harriet Watson-3351 Carriage Ln-Tacoma WA 98323
Tel 206 332-6875
(break)
Good to see you all on our summer vacation x I hope you can come and see us next year x
Love (break)
John and Pamela


 SERVICING A MESSAGE

You service a message for various reasons. The usual being that the receiving party cannot be located by telephone. They either have had their number  disconnected or have moved or have a new but unlisted number.
 

November 21, 1998

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Don Felgenhauer K7BFL
Revised July 30, 2016