246 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
246 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
HOWTO.NTS (10/11/89)
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Sending NTS messages on packet is simple and easy. If you have a
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friend that is on packet and wish to send him or her a message, all
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that is necessary is to know that friend's home bbs (where he/she
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checks for mail and bulletins regularly. The format is;
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"SP Callsign @ BBScallsign". An example of sending a personal
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message to my friend Robby, N6LAM, who uses WB6MIF BBS would be:
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SP N6LAM @ WB6MIF
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This message would be automatically forwarded from my local BBS to
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WB6MIF BBS and when N6LAM checked into the WB6MIF BBS he would see that
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mail was waiting for him. The "P" in "SP" makes the message "personal"
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so that only the originator and addressee can read it. Also personal
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messages are not listed with the "L" command for others to view. This
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is a recommended practice as it saves congestion on busy BBS channels
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by not having to list irrelevent messages when typing "L".
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Now comes NTS or "T" type traffic. What if you want to send a message
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to a ham friend who is not on packet? He can't pick the message up at
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a BBS. No one else can kill a message except the sender, the sendee,
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or the sysop. Also what if you wanted to send a message to a non-ham
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(radiogram)? What if there is a disaster and the local disaster
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agency asks you if you can thousands of radiograms out to relatives
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and friends of victims telling them that they are alright? This is
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where the National Traffic System (NTS) radiograms can do the job
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i.e., as a public service. Most BBS systems implement a way where
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third party traffic can be sent, listed, read and deleted by a traffic
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handler by using the "T"option. If you send a message "ST" then it can
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be read and killed by anyone.
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Sending the message "ST" (rather than SP or SB) allows it to be listed
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with the "LT" command (list all NTS messages). This allows us to keep
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track of all third party traffic easily. This "T" type traffic can
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also be read by anyone with the simple "R" command. If you can
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deliver it and have good copy on printer or disk, then it can be
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killed using the "KT" command followed by the message number. Thus
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third party traffic is allowed to be deleted after it is safely in the
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hands of a traffic delivering or relay station even though the message
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is not sent to the deliverer's own callsign.
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Lets now see how to actually use NTS and send a message. Remember that
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the existing packet bbs system works fine for ham to ham communications
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as long as both hams are on packet and know each other's home mailbox.
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Otherwise the message must be sent to special designators and in NTS
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format. It is important to use the accepted and nationally recognized
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designators if we are to not delay the traffic needlessly.
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USE THE ACCEPTED DESIGNATORS
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Use valid designators. See the file DESIG.NTS on most BBSs. Currently
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the nationally recognized and supported designator is the 5 digit zip
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code in the "to" column and the "NTSXX" abbreviation in the "@" column.
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(XX is the standard 2-letter Post Office abbreviation). @ NTSXX can
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be left out of any California traffic (if sent within California).
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Some examples for sending NTS traffic are:
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ST 60625 @ NTSil QTC 1 Chgo Il 312 453
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ST 94610 QTC 1 Oakland CA 415 763
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ST 06111 @ NTSCT QTC 1 Newington CT 203 666
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ST 91006 QTC 1 Arcadia CA (no phone)
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If you do not know the zipcode and do not have a post office zipcode
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book, then the message may be sent to NTSXX @ NTSXX as we assume that
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everyone will know the State or Province. Messages sent with
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inadeqaute addresses and without phone numbers are not encouraged and
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delivery may be delayed or impossible. Remember that there is a ham
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on the other end who will have to deliver the message and we should
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make his/her job as easy as possoble.
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The title should indicate the destination city of the message as well
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as contain the first six numbers of the telephone number so that some
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delivery stations may be able to ascertain their ability to deliver
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without having to read the text.
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NTS designators for packet depend on a complex system of HF/VHF
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GateWays, NTS officials, linked VHF systems, BBS software support, and
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other groups. This system is constantly evolving and is subject to
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change. For the current list of supported NTS designators, see the
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file DESIG.NTS found on most WestNet BBSs.
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NTS MESSAGE FORMAT
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NTS radiogram format is like an envelope within an envelope. The outer
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envelope is the packet BBS message itself being forwarded via forwarding
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protocols and headers. The NTS envelope is the NTS radiogram format
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which can interface with local and section nets and also allows
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delivering stations all the necessary information to trace, service and
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deliver the message and keep all essential record keeping data. Using
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the ARRL standard message format allows operators to move NTS message
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data from one mode to another automatically such as packet to CW.
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Delivery nets all across the Continental USA will not accept traffic
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for delivery unless it is in standard NTS form.
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Standard ARRL message form requires a number, station of origin, word
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count (check), place of origin, time, and date. Give as a full an
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address as possible. Separate the text with a BT for easy universal
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translation with all other modes for NTS). End the message with the
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signature and the prosign AR. Sending "ctrl Z" will send the message
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to the mailbox and bring up the normal BBS prompt.
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When connected to the BBS, the following commands should be used and
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the message format adhered to:
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Comments
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prompt > (Note the ">" is your prompt)
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ST 60625 @ NTSIL <cr> Use ST 5 digitzip @ NTSXX, where xx is
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Enter title for message> the state or province abbreviation.
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QTC 1 Chicago IL 312 453 <cr> give quantity,qth, first 6 digits of
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Enter text and close with a Ctl-Z (^Z): telephone number.
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Nr 1 W6ABC 20 San Francisco CA 1230Z Nov 25 (Standard NTS format)
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Mr George Smyth (Addressee)
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2315 North Oak St (Give FULL address)
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Chicago Il 60625 (Include Zip as shown)
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312 453 1793 BT (Give Phone number)
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use BT to separate text
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Hi Dad arrived safely at (five words per line
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San Francisco X stop over makes it easy to
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only two hours then Guam check the word count)
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X will write soon love BT (give BT at end of text)
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John AR (Use AR at end of message)
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Include all helpful information in the address. If there is an
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apartment number or a space number (mobile home parks), zip code, area
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code, be sure to include it when entering the message. Always check
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for typos.
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OPERATING PROCEDURES
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Remember to use the "T" in the "ST" command or your message will not be
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able to be killed with the "KT" command at the end point. When you
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check into a maIlbox enter "LT" to get a list of NTS traffic. If you
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can deliver any, enter "R Number" and after making sure you have 100 %
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copy, delete the message. To kill (delete) NTS traffic use the "KT"
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command followed by the message number. ***Do so only after you are
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sure you have confirmed copy***. This erases the message so it won't
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be delivered twice.
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Summary:
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LT Lists all NTS traffic on the BBS
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R #### Reads the message number ####
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KT #### Kills the message number #### (Use only after you
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are sure of 100% copy)
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ST ZZZZZ @ NTSXX Sends an NTS message to zipcode ZZZZZ @ the state or
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province of XX.
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SERVICE MESSAGES
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If the message that you have taken and deleted cannot be delivered
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because of an incorrect telephone number, incorrect address, no
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listing, etc., then all operators should generate a message back to
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the originating station as to the reason why the message was
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undeliveravle. The message should be sent in standard NTS form and
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should be sent to the 5 digit ZIP @ NTSXX of the originating
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station (who, by the way, may not be the station who first put it on
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packet. You may not have a callbook or a zip code for the originating
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station but the ARRL radiogram format guarantees that you have at
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least a callsign, message number, and place of origin. Thus the
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message is addressed to the station of origin telling him or her what
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message number was undeliverable and why. For example, if the callbook
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says that W6ABC in the above example was located in San Francisco with
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a zip code of 94102, the message may be sent something like this from
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Illinois:
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ST 94102 @ NTSCA
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QTC 1 W6ABC SF CA
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NR 5 K9OZM ARL 10 Chicago IL Dec 5
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Alan Allen W6ABC
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2345 Mercenary Dr
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San Francisco 94102 BT
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ARL sixty seven 1 phone
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incorrect no listing 73 BT
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Don K9OZM @ W9CD BBS AR
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This would give W6ABC all the information necessary to be able to see
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what message did not get delivered and determine why. Maybe his phone
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book was inaccurate or maybe he made a typo when entering the data.
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Notice the word "ARL" in the header. That is a NTS symbol indicating
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that there is an ARL mesage in the text. The text ARL sixty seven is
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only one of many ARRL canned messages that can be sent as an
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abbreviation. The delivering station then translates the ARL number
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back into English when delivering the message.
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In this case ARL Sixty Seven translates as:
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Your message number----------undeliverable because of -------.
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Please advise.
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For a list of the ARRL Numbered Radiograms check your BBS or write
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your Section traffic Manager or the ARRL for CD-3 "The ARRL Numbered
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RADIOGRAMS".
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UNBUNDLE YOUR MESSAGES (No Book Traffic on Packet)
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If you have more than one message even if they are going to the same
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state or section, please send them as individual packet messages.
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Please remember that traffic eventually will have to be broken down to
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the individual addressee somewhere down the line for ultimate
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delivery. When the originator places two or more NTS messages destined
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for different addresses within one packet message, eventually the
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routing will require the message to be broken up by either the bbs
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sysop or the relay station; placing an additional unreasonable burden
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being on them both. The originator should expend the extra word
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processing in the first place and create individual messages per city
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regardless if there are common parts with other messages.
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NCN AND SCN BOUNDARIES
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The Boundaries between NCN and SCN are often unclear to many. They are
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based on the ARRL Division lines which in turn are based on Sections
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lines which in turn are based on County lines.
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SCN is composed of Los Angeles, Orange, Inyo, Riverside, San
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Bernardino, Imperial, San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and
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Ventura Counties.
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NCN is the rest of the counties not mentioned above and the State
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of Nevada.
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For a further elaboration of SCN and NCN boundaries, see the file,
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"CALNET.NTS" in most BBSs.
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Amateurs are encouraged to use the NTS frequently - the experience
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will be fun and your friends will appreciate hearing from you -- but,
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most importantly, the experience will also give you training for
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emergency communications (which all Amateurs should be able to do when
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the occasion demands.
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THIRD PARTY AGREEMENTS
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The FCC limits our ability to engage in third party traffic with
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foreign nations. These agreements are constantly changing and "QST"
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magazine publishes the updates regularly. Your BBS most likeley keeps
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such an updated list in its NTS sub-directory. Ask your sysop when in
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doubt.
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EOF
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