Formal Traffic

1
Formal Traffic
Getting Written Messages Through

• Developed by Bryce Rumery, K1GAX
• Maine ARES Section Emergency Coordinator

2
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

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Formal Traffic

• In this presentation, we will address formal
  (written) traffic.

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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

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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

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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

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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
  its not appropriate

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Formal Traffic

• Sending a message on phone
• In sending a message on phone, you dont 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, dont 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).

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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.

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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)

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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

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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

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Formal Traffic

• ARC Form 4612
• The American Red Cross Official Message Form
• Very Straight Forward
• Made out by the originator of the message

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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

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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

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Formal Traffic

• The ARRL Radiogram

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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

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Preamble
Addressee
Text
Signature
Administrative
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
seeing
Looking
forward
to
you
X
Love
Betty M Public
Break
K4IWW
W4ABC
Dec 20
1625Z
Dec 20
1700Z
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Formal Traffic

• The ICS Form 213

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Formal Traffic

• The ICS Form 213 has three parts
• Header
• Message
• Reply

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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

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(No Transcript)
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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)
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Formal Traffic
ICS-213 Message
Filled in by the originator
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Formal Traffic
ICS-213 Reply
Filled in by the person making the reply
(May not be the person the message was sent to)
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Formal Traffic

• The ARC Form 4612

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(No Transcript)
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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

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Must be filled in by the originator
Must be filled in by the originator
Must be filled in by the originator
Message goes here
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Formal Traffic

• The ARC Form 2079I

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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

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(No Transcript)
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Formal Traffic
ARC Form 2079I Client Information
The date of the information
Name of Client
The Clients 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
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Formal Traffic
ARC Form 2079I Family Contact Information
Family Members Name
Relationship to the Client
Family Members Address
Family Members E-Mail Address
Family Members Phone
Clients message to family member
All Information to be filled out by the client
and Red Cross Disaster Worker
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Formal Traffic
ARC Form 2079I Client Release to Contact Family
Clients 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
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Formal Traffic

• MHA Assessment Form

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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 hospitals
  capabilities and needs

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Formal Traffic

• The MHA Assessment Form has 5 parts
• Tracking
• Identification
• Status
• Resource Requests
• Other Resources

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(No Transcript)
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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
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Formal Traffic
MHA Assessment Form Identification
Made out by message originator
May have to be filled in by attending ARO
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Formal Traffic
MHA Assessment Form Status
To be filled by the message originator
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Formal Traffic
MHA Assessment Form Resource Requests
To be filled by the message originator
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Formal Traffic
MHA Assessment Form Other Resources
To be filled by the message originator
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Formal Traffic
The Job Is Never Complete Until The Paperwork Is
Done!
Presented by Maine ARES
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Formal Traffic

• Exercise
• Compose a message in ARRL Radiogram format using
  the information on the next slide

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Formal Traffic

• Mary Doe asks you to send the following message
  to her sister Jane Smith at 412 Main Street,
  Anytown, Maine 04999 Telephone [phone]
• Coming in on the bus at 330 PM. Please pick
  me up. Love Mary
• Mary Doe also would like to know the date and
  time the message was delivered.

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Formal Traffic
1
R
C
K1GAX
15
Cape Elizabeth, ME
1000 Z
Dec 10
Jane Smith 412 Main St Anytown, ME 04999
207-555-1234
Coming
in on
the
bus
at
330
PM X
Please
pick
me
up X
Love
Mary Doe