LaPorte County ARES Traffic Net — Training Item (16 Oct 2025)

Tonight’s training item covers message routing: how an NTS radiogram moves from your station to its destination, step by step.

Think of NTS like a postal system for radiograms. Each message passes through a structured set of local, section, region, and area nets so it moves efficiently toward the addressee.

The Routing Chain

Origination

If a local net is available, originate there; otherwise, use your section net.

Local Nets

Local nets are usually on VHF (often a repeater) and cover a county or a small cluster of counties.

Section Nets

Section nets meet primarily on HF (commonly 80 m, sometimes 40 m) and cover an ARRL Section (often aligned with a U.S. state). Most sections run both a phone (voice) net and a CW net; some also have digital options.

Region Nets

Region nets cover several sections. If the addressee is outside the section (and often outside the state of origination), the message is sent to the appropriate Region Net. Region/Area operations are primarily CW.

Area Nets

There are three NTS Areas: Eastern, Central, and Pacific. Area Nets exchange traffic between regions within their area.

Transcontinental Corps (TCC)

The TCC is a select group of operators who move messages between Areas.

Liaison Stations

Liaison stations are the “mail trucks” of NTS — they carry traffic between nets and ensure messages take the correct next hop.

Example: Cross-Country Routing

Message from Michigan City, IN to Hartford, CT:

Local Net (LaPorte County ARES Traffic Net) → Indiana Section Net (appropriate phone/CW net) → Ninth Region Net (9RN) → Central Area Net (CAN) → Transcontinental Corps (inter-Area relay) → Eastern Area Net (EAN) → First Region Net (1RN) → Connecticut Section Net → (Optional) Local CT net for final delivery or direct section delivery

Why Accuracy Matters

That’s a lot of hops. Strong accuracy prevents the “telephone game.” Use clear precedence, correct place names, accurate phone numbers, and clean check counts.

In disasters, nets may create direct “hotlines” (directed liaison paths) to speed critical traffic. For example, when a hurricane impacts Florida, a Florida↔Washington, DC path may be established so messages reach emergency managers in the nation’s capital quickly.