12/13/2025
Recently RRI and ARRL collaborated on updating the list of handling instructions and the ARL Numbered Radiogram Texts. Both documents are available on the NTS2 ARRL website and on the RRI website but are attached here for your convenience. There are several points of importance to Digital Traffic Stations.
The Handling Instructions have been revised to clarify some, to modernize others, and to add additional HX codes.
One very important change is the addition of a second sentence providing further explanation for HXC. The updated HXC now states “Delivering station report date and time of delivery (TOD) to originating station. If received directly on the air by the addressee, then the addressee is responsible for the reply.” Historically, many HXC requests have gone unanswered, and the originating station never received the confirmation he/she requested. HXC has always required the delivering station to send a service message confirming the date and time of delivery but there is some confusion regarding who the “delivering” station is. Here are several examples to clarify who should provide the HXC response. First, here’s the definition of “delivery” from the section on Station activity Reporting in the ARRL Methods and Practices Guidelines (NTS MPG-STATION REPORTING).
From Section 7.2.1 CATEGORIES OF ACTIVITY - ORIG, RCVD, SENT, DLVD:
DELIVERED: (An off-the-air function) Any message traffic that is delivered by you to the message addressee (a third party), provided that the message was received at your station by amateur radio and that the addressee is someone other than yourself. This delivery is done by telephone, postal, E-mail, in person, etc. Count one point. Note: A message sent by amateur radio to the final addressee at another amateur station is counted as a sent message, not as a delivered message.
Then from 7.2.2 EXPLANATIONS AND EXAMPLES:
A message Received by amateur radio for you at your station is counted only as Received. A message received for a fellow amateur provides two choices ... Deliver it by phone and get a Delivered point, or deliver it on the radio and get a Sent point.
It’s clear that a message delivered to a non-ham Is a delivery and the station doing that delivery should send the HXC reply. However, when the addressee is a ham, it’s not as obvious. Here are some examples, including who should send the HXC reply. In all cases, KY2D has received a message with handling instruction HXC for KB1TCE. These first two apply to all voice or CW nets.
Case 1: KY2D calls KB1TCE by phone or sends his radiogram to him by email. KY2D is clearly the delivering station and should send the HXC reply.
· Case 2: KY2D sends the message to KB1TCE on the Maine Seagull phone net. KY2D is not “delivering” the message; he is “sending” it and KB1TCE is “receiving” it. Delivery is an off-the-air function. So, who delivered it? Technically, KB1TCE (the station) received it and KB1TCE (the station) delivers it to KB1TCE (the operator). Perhaps a bit obscure but thus KB1TCE is responsible for sending the HXC service message acknowledging the message was delivered. However, no delivery point is counted in KB1TCE’s Station Activity Report.
It becomes even more complicated when the Digital Traffic Network is involved. Radiograms transfer automatically from hub stations to Digital Traffic Stations. The DTN hub software does not differentiate between messages going to a DTS for that DTS and those being picked up by a DTS for other addressees in his/her area.
· Case 3: The message was sent through the Digital Traffic Network and was retrieved by KB1TCE directly when he connected to the KY2D DTN hub. In this case KB1TCE again received it and KB1TCE (the station) delivered it to KB1TCE (the operator) with no delivery point counted in KB1TCE’s SAR. Thus, KB1TCE is again responsible for sending the HXC reply.
Although who responds to an HXC may be unclear on voice and CW nets, it’s even more misunderstood with digital traffic. It’s essentially impossible for a DTN hub or hub operator to be responsible for generating the HXC response. Hopefully the additional second sentence in the revised HXC instruction, “If received directly on the air by the addressee, then the addressee is responsible for the reply,” will help increase the number of HXC responses regardless of when phone, CW, or digital modes are used for message transfer.
Beyond the HXC change, other HX updates were made. For example, HXG was revised to note that “postage or other expense” is not required, rather than specifically mentioning “toll call.” The previous HXA instruction of “Collect landline delivery is authorized by addressee within X miles” was replaced with “Delivery by email and/ or text message preferred.” There are also new HX instructions that have been added to the list.
Regarding the numbered radiogram texts, the Radio Relay International RRC numbered texts and the ARRL ARL numbered texts have been merged into the new combined updated list. The use of “RRC” to introduce a numbered text and “RRC” in a radiogram check have been retired and thus should no longer be used in radiograms. Some new numbered texts have been added, and a few have been slightly revised. For example, there are new texts that can help standardize service messages and make them a bit shorter.
All traffic handlers should be aware of and understand the updated handling instructions and the radiogram numbered texts. As Digital Traffic Stations, please consider sharing this info on the various nets you frequent and help educate the broader traffic handling community. Wwell-educated traffic handlers are extremely valuable at the local, section, regional, area, TCC, and digital levels of the traffic system. Thank you for the important part you play as Digital Traffic Stations.
73 Jim KY2D
Eastern Area Digital Traffic Manager
