FILLING OUT A RADIOGRAM, AND HOW TO SEND ONE ON THE NET
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GENERAL INFORMATION: Some sections are OPTIONAL, some are MANDATORY (please take note of such). The use of the pre-printed message form from ARRL is
not necessary for handling traffic, but a standard format will make sending
and receiving traffic more accurate for sender and receiver.

To get a copy of the ARRL RadioGram form, download the file ARRLGRAM.PDF
from the Ham Radio Files area...you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to
view and/or print the file.

Now let us learn how to fill out a Radiogram.

The first part of the message is called the Preamble.

1) 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: NR 1
Leading zeros are not recommended. Example: NR 001

2) PRECEDENCE (Mandatory) R W P E
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: NR 1 R (for Routine)
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (1:2320/33)