74 lines
3.2 KiB
Plaintext
74 lines
3.2 KiB
Plaintext
How to Prepare and Send Welfare Traffic
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As recent events in the San Francisco Bay area have shown, all hams
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should know how to handle disaster traffic. These are simple skills
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to learn. Those of you involved in novice classes should take the
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time to pass on these tips as a part of your class.
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Disaster (or Health and Welfare) traffic should always
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be sent in the NTS format. This way your message will have an unique
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ID (your call and message number) in case the delivering operator needs
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to contact you with a return message or a request for further information.
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Remember, during a disaster the tracing of people and delivering of messages
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will be complicated by the disaster itself.
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Keep the message brief. Use the ARL nineteen radiogram whenever possible.
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Over 6000 pieces of traffic were routed into and out of the Bay area in the
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week following the earthquake.
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If the message includes a "call back", include name, address, and telephone
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number, if possible. This information can be used to direct a message
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directly to the originator.
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Sending Welfare Traffic via Packet
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As our experience here in northern California has shown, packet can
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handle large volumes of traffic easily. Each of the BBS sysops can
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tell you some wonderful stories about their own situation, but the
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traffic was quickly routed.
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Use the following as a guide to sending welfare traffic on packet:
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As with any NTS traffic, use the ST command to enter your message into the BBS.
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Use the ZIP @ NTSXX format whenever possible. If you don't know the
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zipcode, look it up, or call your local post office. Using the zipcode
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is more important when sending welfare traffic, as some where along the
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line (most likely in the disaster area) someone will have to plug the
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zipcode into the proper field. This will delay your message and create
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extra work for a beleaguered sysop in the disaster area.
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An example of a correct entry is:
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ST 97140 @ NTSOR
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If it is impossible to get the zipcode, route the message to NTSXX @ NTSXX,
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where XX is the 2-letter postal code. For example, to send a message to
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Colorado, you would use
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ST NTSCO @ NTSCO
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When the BBS asks for the Subject of your message, the normal form is:
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QTC city phone. Include enough of the phone number so the delivering
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station can ascertain whether it is a call that can be easily made from
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his or her location. Often the prefix is sufficient.
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Do not book welfare traffic. Once into the disaster area, an overworked
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sysop will have to break down the book and route the individual pieces
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of traffic. This will delay your traffic.
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Rule of Thumb
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Hams are extremely busy in the disaster area. Many of our qualified
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NTS operators are also involved in ARES and RACES programs, so welfare
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traffic may not be high on their priority list. Unskilled operators
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will step in and help as much as they can.
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Make it easy on the delivering station (and those stations handling
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your traffic along the way). Do your homework. Include as much information
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as possible about the addressee and the signature. Your chances of
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getting your welfare message delivered (and a possible answer) will
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increase dramatically.
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EOF
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