HX - Message Handling Instructions

Note: Additional HX suffix Number or Date goes in the Add More HX Info box.
Default selection is NONE.

HXA -- (followed by a number): Collect landlines delivery authorize 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 date and time of delivery (TOD) to originating station.
HXD -- Report to originating station the identity of station from which received, plus date, time and method of delivery.
HXE -- Delivering station get reply from addressee, originate message back.
HXF -- (followed by a number): Hold delivery until _____ (date).
HXG -- Delivery by mail or landlines toll call not required. If toll or other expense involved, cancel message and service originating station.

If more than one HX pro sign is used, they can be combined if no numbers are to be inserted, otherwise the HX should be repeated.

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RRC and Legacy ARL Numbered Radiogram Texts

Numbered messages have used for a long time for some of the more common texts. These serve to reduce the transmitted word count. Common messages sent during emergencies or for holiday seasons are examples.

The traditional numbered texts are preceded by the designator ARL followed by the spelled out number. For example, ARL FIFTY is Greetings by Amateur Radio. When a numbered text is used, the delivering station reads the actual text to the addressee, not the number.

The list was expanded in 2022 to include additional numbered messages. The entire list now uses the RRC designator. When either is used, the designtor appears in the Check.

The Radiogram Text Creator permits the operator to use either RRC or ARL numbering designators as appropriate. In the list that follows, the original ARL designators are identified with an asterisk after the number.

More information may be found on the RRI Publications page at https://radiorelay.org/publications under RRC Numbered Radiogram Texts.

The following RRC numbered messages are divided into four groups according to purpose. Note there there are some gaps in the listing. These are reserved for future use.

Group One -- - For Possible RELIEF EMERGENCY Use

ONE* Everyone safe here. Please don't worry.
TWO* Coming home as soon as possible.
THREE* Am in _______ hospital. Receiving excellent care and recovering fine.
FOUR* Only slight property damage here. Do not be concerned about disaster reports.
FIVE* Am moving to new location. Send no further mail or communication. Will inform you of new address when relocated.
SIX* Will contact you as soon as possible.
SEVEN* Please reply by Amateur Radio through the amateur delivering this message. This is a free public service.
EIGHT* Need additional _______ mobile or portable equipment for immediate emergency use.
NINE* Additional ______ radio operators needed to assist with emergency at this location.
TEN* Please contact _______. Advise to standby and provide further emergency information, instructions or assistance.
ELEVEN* Establish Amateur Radio emergency communications with ______ on _______ MHz.
TWELVE* Anxious to hear from you. No word in some time. Please contact me as soon as possible.
THIRTEEN* Medical emergency situation exists here.
FOURTEEN* Situation here becoming critical. Losses and damage from _______ increasing.
FIFTEEN* Please advise your condition and what help is needed.
SIXTEEN* Property damage very severe in this area.
SEVENTEEN* REACT communications services also available. Establish REACT communication with _______ on channel _______.
EIGHTEEN* Please contact me as soon as possible at _______.
NINETEEN* Request health and welfare report on _______. (State name, address and telephone number.)
TWENTY* Temporarily stranded. Will need some assistance. Please contact me at _______.
TWENTY ONE* Search and Rescue assistance is needed by local authorities here. Advise availability.
TWENTY TWO* Need accurate information on the extent and type of conditions now existing at your location. Please furnish this information and reply without delay.
TWENTY THREE* Report at once the accessibility and best way to reach your location.
TWENTY FOUR* Evacuation of residents from this area urgently needed. Advise plans for help.
TWENTY FIVE* Furnish as soon as possible the weather conditions at your location.
TWENTY SIX* Help and care for evacuation of sick and injured from this location needed at once.
Note: Emergency/priority messages originating from official sources must carry the signature of the originating official.

Group Two -- I Am Safe (Safe & Well) Welfare Messages

TWENTY SEVEN I am safe and well.
TWENTY EIGHT Household safe and well.
TWENTY NINE Currently at shelter.
THIRTY Currently at home.
THIRTY ONE Currently at family/friend's house.
THIRTY TWO Currently at a _______hotel.
THIRTY THREE Safe but moving to a safer location.
THIRTY FOUR Evacuating to a shelter.
THIRTY FIVE Evacuating to family member/friend's house.
THIRTY SIX Evacuating and safe.
THIRTY SEVEN At home and plan to remain here.
THIRTY EIGHT Will contact you when able.
THIRTY NINE All communications are down.
FORTY Share this message with others.

Group Three -- General Use Messages

FORTY SIX* Greetings on your birthday and best wishes for many more to come.
FORTY SEVEN* Reference your message number _____ to _____ delivered on _____ at _____ UTC.
FORTY EIGHT Reference your message number _____ to _____ not delivered. Telephone _____ (insert number as received) inoperative. Please give better address
FORTY NINE Reference your message number _____ to _____ . Unable to contact addressee or receive confirmation of delivery.
FIFTY* Greetings by Amateur Radio.
FIFTY ONE* Greetings by Amateur Radio. This message is sent as a free public service by ham radio operators at _______. Am having a wonderful time.
FIFTY TWO* Really enjoyed being with you. Looking forward to getting together again.
FIFTY THREE* Received your _______. It's appreciated; many thanks.
FIFTY FOUR* Many thanks for your good wishes.
FIFTY FIVE* Good news is always welcome. Very delighted to hear about yours.
FIFTY SIX* Congratulations on your _______, a most worthy and deserved achievement.
FIFTY SEVEN* Wish we could be together.
FIFTY EIGHT* Have a wonderful time. Let us know when you return.
FIFTY NINE* Congratulations on the new arrival. Hope mother and child are well.
SIXTY* Wishing you the best of everything on _______.
SIXTY ONE* Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
SIXTY TWO* Greetings and best wishes to you for a pleasant _______ holiday season.
SIXTY THREE* Victory or defeat, our best wishes are with you. Hope you win.
SIXTY FOUR* Arrived safely at _______.
SIXTY FIVE* Arriving _______ on _______. Please arrange to meet me there.
SIXTY SIX* DX QSLs are on hand for you at the _______ QSL Bureau. Send _______ self addressed envelopes.
SIXTY SEVEN* Your message number _______ undeliverable because of _______. Please advise.
SIXTY EIGHT* Sorry to hear you are ill. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
SIXTY NINE8 Welcome to the _______. We are glad to have you with us and hope you will enjoy the fun and fellowship of the organization.

SEVENTY Thank you for the QSO on _____ (frequency/band) _____ (mode) at _____ (time) _____ (date).

Group Four -- Network Management and Possible Emergency Communication Use

SEVENTY ONE Order wire net established on _____ (frequency) to coordinate and prioritize access to _____ (digital network name) on _____ (frequency)_____ (mode).
SEVENTY TWO Establish communications with _____ (name of EmComm group) on _____ frequency _____ mode.
SEVENTY THREE Establish communications with _____ agency on channel _____ (spell channel number) _____ (mode).
SEVENTY FOUR Establish communications with _____ agency on _____ (frequency) _____ mode.
SEVENTY FIVE Priority Entry Point frequencies established on _____ (list frequencies and modes).
SEVENTY SIX Point to point circuit established on _____ (frequency) ______ (mode). Please establish liaison.
SEVENTY EIGHT SITREP messages requested every _____ (spell number) hours your location. Transmit to station _____ (call sign) in _____ (state/section).
SEVENTY NINE WXOBS messages requested every _____ (spell number) hours your location. Transmit to station _____ (call sign) in _____ (state/section).
EIGHTY OPRED messages requested your station. Update when changes occur. Transmit to station _____ (call sign) in _____ (state/section).
EIGHTY TWO Digital Traffic Station connect/download frequency at _____ (spell number) minute intervals requested in support of disaster operations.
EIGHTY THREE RRI Winlink gateway connect/download frequency at _____ (spell number) minute intervals requested in support of disaster operations.
EIGHTY FOUR Request activate _____ Region Net until further notice.
EIGHTY FIVE Request activate _____ Ares Net until further notice.
EIGHTY SIX Advise frequency and mode of ______ state/section nets.
EIGHTY SEVEN Request assistance with establishment of a temporary message center at _____ (address and/or agency).
EIGHTY EIGHT Welfare traffic being originated on (frequency/mode). Request assistance with RRI/NTS liaison
EIGHTY NINE Priority and/or emergency traffic being originated on _____ (frequency/mode). Request assistance with RRI/NTS liaison.
NINETY Please provide a list of stations operational on National SOS Radio Network.
NINETY ONE Widespread disruptions to cellular data and public switched telephone network this location.
NINETY TWO Widespread disruptions to Internet service this location.
NINETY THREE The following broadcast stations are off-air in this area (list call sign, frequency/channel).
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RRI Liaison Stations

SELECT THE REGION LIAISON STATION WHERE THE ADDRESSEE IS LOCATED

You may enter any address if traffic NOT going to a Liason Station, just close this window, then enter the address in the entry box.

Please leave any auto-added Cc: address's as-is.

Region 1   CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT            
Region 2   NJ, NY    
Region 3   DC, DE, MD, PA
Region 4   FL, GA, NC, SC, VA, PR, VI
Region 5   AL, AR, LA, MS, OK, TN, TX
Region 6   CA, NV
Region 7   AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, AB, BC
Region 8   MI, OH, WV
Region 9   IL, IN, KY, WI
Region 10   IA, KS, MN, MO, ND, NE, SD, MB, SK
Region 11   NB, NS, ON, PQ
Region 12   AZ, CO, NM, UT, WY
Region HI   Hawaii

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Overview

The Winlink Express Amateur Radio Radiogram Text Creator was developed as a partnership between Radio Relay International and the Winlink Development Team. Its purpose is to provide a structured forms-based approach to producing a correctly formatted radiogram with a text output that appears in the Winlink Express New Message panel. The completed radiogram can then be sent to a Winlink-RRI Liaison Station. That station will then inject the radiogram into the traffic system.

A radiogram is simply a telegram message that is sent by a radio-only network that is comprised of amateur radio operators. These interoperable networks are sponsored at the section level by the ARRL (the National Traffic System or NTS) and by Radio Relay International (RRI) that operates the Digital Traffic Network (DTN) and many voice and cw nets.

The networks use phone, cw and digital modes. The cw and phone nets operate through a precisely sequenced and layered system of nets that cover local, section, region, area and transcontinental relays. The digital system consists of a mesh network configuration of automated Pactor and Vara HF hubs that are accessed by appointed Digital Traffic Station operators.

The system is in operation 24/7, handling a variety of personal greetings as well as exercise traffic. Thousands of messages are handled on a weekly basis and the networks welcome traffic. Examples include congratulatory messages, thanks for the QSO messages, happy birthday messages, etc. Also, a number of hams have established penpal relationships with hams and even non-ham friends and family members. There are also RRC codes for welfare messages and emergency use.

This version Includes a list of standard texts that are numbered and may be inserted just by citing the number. Details on the use of these is in the Numbered Messages Help just above the Message pane.

This radiogram template is an implementation of the standard radiogram format. For higher priority communications using radiograms there are two tailored versions of this template that are present in the RRI Radiogram forms list in Winlink Express. One is a Welfare radiogram that is specificaally designed for Health & Welfare messages. The RRI Welfare Radiogram is part of a suite of procedures and forms that was developed by disaster support and communications groups in Seattle, WA and by RRI. There is also a radiogram template that is in ICS-213 that is optimized for agency communications.

The Radiogram Format

The radiogram format has been in existence since 1949 and is very similar to the old commercial Western Union telegram as well as contemporary military formats.

The radiogram has 4 primary sections:

  • The first line is the preamble and includes the message number (assigned by the originating station), precedence (importance i.e. Routine, Welfare, etc.), handling instructions for the delivering station (e.g. HXC is a request for delivery confirmation from the delivering station), originating stations call sign, check (number of words/groups in the message body), town, state and date of origination. Note: If doing a message relay back into the system, be sure to use the original message number. The SVC check box is for traffic handler use for servicing back a message to confirm delivery or why the message couldn't be delivered. Time is a user option.
  • The preamble is followed by the recipients address and contact information. It is very important to note that routing through the entire system is based on the recipients USA or Canadian postal code, state and town The street address and phone number (10 digits only i.e. 555 555 5555) and other information are used by the delivering station. The deliverer is a human who can exercise different methods as might be appropriate to complete the delivery. Also need a phone number, email, or both to ensure delivery. Keep in mind that sending INTO a disaster a welfare check is not recommended, as delivery will be most likely impossible. Sending outbound "I am OK and status" traffic from a shelter or any disaster venue is a good use of the Radiogram.
  • The message body is enclosed between breaks (BT). For compatibility with all transmission modes, the radiogram uses a limited character set, as is true throughout the radiogram. The period character is interesting as there are several uses. A period at the end of a sentence becomes an X. A decimal point is R, such as 146R750 The .com in an email address is DOT COM. Other substitutions include QUERY for the question mark, ATSIGN for @, UNDERSCORE for _. The slant bar (slash) / is a permitted character. Telephone numbers are 10 digits - area code, exchange and number with no dashes. An entered extension is numbers only and will add EXT to the front. The / (stroke) can be entered and will remain as a /.
  • The last section is a field for the signature of the sender. All radiograms must have a signature, (name). In the case of 3rd party messages, the signature is that of the person who provided the message - not the originating stations ham radio operator.

Additionally, there are fields for two OP NOTES. The first OP NOTE is for special instructions to the traffic handlers. This could be a note that the addressees phone number is a daytime work number, additonal delivery instructions, etc.

The second OP NOTE can be for return handling instructions, notes you feel are applicable to pass on. Please keep OP NOTES brief!

If indicating a return email to obtain a delivery notification (SVC) do not use a Winlink address. You do not know if the final traffic handler is in your whitelist.

Getting the Message into the System

The traditional way to get a message into the network is to check into a local or section traffic net and transmit the message by voice or cw. As a Winlink operator, you will usually transmit your message to a Winlink-RRI Liaison Station. These are listed as tactical addresses in the drop down at the bottom of the form. When you are ready to send your message, select the Liaison Region that is associated with the addressee's location.

References

The most up to date information on RRI and message handling is being provided by Radio Relay International http://radiorelay.org/

The RRI Publications page http://radiorelay.org/publications/ has a number of other useful guides, aids and training videos. Two of special note are the Traffic Operations Field Manual FM-001 and the RRI Training Manual TR-001.

Note: If you desire for future use and with no Interent there are free Zip code data bases available to install.

Questions or suggestions concerning the Radiogram template or its use, may be submitted via Winlink to KB1TCE
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                       Amateur Radio RADIOGRAM Text Creator            Read Help and Instructions! 

Number


SVC (Handler use)

Precedence
Emergency not in
use at this time.


Handling Instructions


HX Help



Station Of Origin
Change if not you.

Check


 Place of Origin



Time

 

 Date
 
 

   Current UTC Time
   Current Local Time
   No Time

   TO:

    Name:          Call Sign:   

    Address:    

    City / Town:    State or Province:   2 Letter Codes    Zip:    

    Country:  

    Phone:      Extension:       E-mail:     

    Op Note about this Radiogram:  

              MESSAGE TEXT Check:  Numbered Message Help    
         
              

    Signature (name) of person for whom message originated:          

    Operator Note:  

>>> NOW CLICK HERE and select a Liaison Station <<<    

                  Contact KB1TCE about this form: Ver 10.6

`

USA State and Canada Province Codes

AB - Alberta
AK - Alaska
AL - Alabama
AR - Arkansas
AS - American Samoa
AZ - Arizona
BC - British Columbia
CA - California
CO - Colorado
CT - Connecticut
DC - District of Columbia
DE - Delaware
FL - Florida
GA - Georgia
HI - Hawaii
IA - Iowa
ID - Idaho
IL - Illinois
IN - Indiana
KS - Kansas
KY - Kentucky
LA - Louisiana
MA - Massachusetts
MB - Manitoba
MD - Maryland
ME - Maine
MI - Michigan
MN - Minnesota
MO - Missouri
MS - Mississippi
MT - Montana
NB - New Brunswick
NC - North Carolina
ND - North Dakota
NE - Nebraska
NH - New Hampshire
NJ - New Jersey
NL - Newfoundland and Labrador
NM - New Mexico
NS - Nova Scotia
NT - Northwest Territories
NU - Nunavut
NV - Nevada
NY - New York
OH - Ohio
OK - Oklahoma
ON - Ontario
OR - Oregon
PA - Pennsylvania
PE - Prince Edward Island
PR - Puerto Rico
QC - Quebec
RI - Rhode Island
SC - South Carolina
SD - South Dakota
SK - Saskatchewan
TN - Tennessee
TX - Texas
UT - Utah
VA - Virginia
VI - Virgin Islands
VT - Vermont
WA - Washington
WI - Wisconsin
WV - West Virginia
WY - Wyoming
YT - Yukon
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