Idaho ARES Digital Communications Principles

1

• This set of slides serves to provide a foundation for Emergency Coordinators, NET Managers and NET control operators in determining what practices and procedures are to be adopted.

• Although some slides are applicable towards addressing HOW to conduct digital communications, the focus here is on WHY certain principles should be considered when designing digital communications practices. • A comprehensive document, focusing on the HOW of digital communications, is being prepared for publication on the Idaho ARES web site on how to conduct digital communications.

1 60-Meters Needs to be Considered

• The Most Restrictive of Bands

- NTIA vs FCC

- NTIA Assigned Frequency vs VFO - Digital Communications centered on NTIA assigned frequency ‣ Digital Communications centered on 1500 Hz • Interoperability • 60m Practices can be applied to any band • Practices on other bands may not be applicable on 60m

2

• The 60-meter amateur radio band presents the most restrictive regulatory requirements for digital operations. 60-meters also presents the only operational opportunity to directly communicate with another radio service, and specifically, FEMA.

- Amateur Radio is a secondary allocation on 60-meters. The primary allocation is for Federal stations that operate under the authority of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), not the FCC. FCC regulations for Amateur Radio operations on the 60-meter band inherit the requirements of NTIA regulations. - NTIA allocates channels based on the assigned center frequency. The VFO frequency is offset by one half of the channel bandwidth from the assigned center frequency. For example, the NTIA allocation for 60m channel 1 has an assigned frequency of 5332 kHz, and with a channel bandwidth of 3 kHz, the VFO frequency is 5330.5 kHz Upper Side Band. - Digital communications must be centered on the NTIA assigned frequency. For 60m channel 1, with a VFO frequency of 5330.5 kHz, the digital transmissions must be centered on 1500 Hz on the waterfall display. - If all digital communications, regardless of band, are centered on 1500 Hz, operations and training can be unified across all bands. If a different insertion point is chosen, 60m will still require that 1500 Hz be used and you will then have different operating practices based on band.

2 - The FCC provides a waiver to allow direct communications on the 60-meter band between Amateur Radio stations and stations authorized under the NTIA primary allocation (ie. FEMA, DHS SHARES, MARS, USCG Auxiliary, etc.). Practices need to support the opportunities for interoperability inherent in 60m operations.

2 NET Goals

• Time efficient and accurate communication with the ability to convey a high volume of traffic

3

• Within the Incident Command System, all activities are incidents. This includes:

- Training - Exercises - Public Service communications - Civil or Natural Disaster • In an incident, we never know ahead of time what volume of traffic we may be required to handle. Because of this unknown variable, it is best that we treat all incidents, real or practiced, as if a very high volume of traffic will need to be handled.

3 Traffic Handling Goals

• 100% Data Fidelity

• Guaranteed Delivery of Data • Consume as little time as possible (Network Bandwidth Consumption)

4

4 What Inhibits Achieving The Desired Goals?

• Repeated Transmissions

• Requests for FILLS • Unnecessary Verbose Language • Conveying Unnecessary Information

• Controlled Interference - Simultaneous Transmission

5

• Repeated transmissions may be required when the data fidelity in the received message is so poor that requesting fills would impose a greater loss of network data handling capacity than retransmitting the message. This can occur due to poor copy resulting from poor propagation, interference or incorrect modem selection.

• Requesting FILLS occurs when there is a minor loss of data fidelity in order to correct errors in the copy. Requesting FILLS degrades the data capacity of the network. • Unnecessary verbose language degrades the data handling capacity of the network. • Conveying unnecessary information degrades the data handling capacity of the network. • Controlled interference can result in requests for FILLS or retransmission. Controlled interference occurs when simultaneous transmission occurs. Simultaneous transmission is common during NET check in, but should be rare at other times during NET operation. After NET check in, simultaneous transmission usually occurs due to an operator not maintaining NET situational awareness or because of poor circuit discipline.

5 What Inhibits Achieving The Desired Goals?

• Things we don’t have control over

- Propagation - Noise Floor - Uncontrolled Interference

‣ Emissions from Electronic Devices, Foreign Broadcast, RADAR, CODAR, Non-participating Transmissions, etc.

6

• In some cases, propagation can be mitigated by proper band selection, but this is not always the case. The MUF or foF2 NFIS critical frequency may be so low that propagation is poor on any band.

• The noise floor may be high, and especially when a solar event has occurred. The D-Layer may become ionized, resulting in signal attenuation at lower frequencies. Under severe conditions, the D-Layer absorption frequency may be higher than the MUF or foF2 NVIS critical frequency, making HF unusable. • Emissions from other non-participating stations or from electronic devices may cause interference.

6 What Supports Achieving The Desired Goals?

• Brevity - Supported by use of PROSIGNs, Q-CODES & Z-CODES • Proper Transmit Audio Level (with no ALC activity) • Proper Receive Audio Level • Circuit Discipline - NET Situational Awareness - Structured Use of RELAY Stations

- Delimit Noise from Transmitted Content

7

• Brevity is a major contributor to increasing the traffic handling capacity of a NET.

• Prosigns, Q-Codes and Z-Codes can be used to help manage communications operations. • Under no circumstances should Prosigns, Prowords, Q-Codes or Z-Codes be included in the body of a message. The body of the message should adhere to the ICS standard of using Plain Text only. • Proper receiver adjustment will maximize performance in copying digital traffic, and reduce the need for retransmission of requests for fills. • Circuit discipline, supported by NET situational awareness and structured communications, serves to avoid simultaneous transmission, which reduces the need for retransmission or fill requests. • Random characters in the receive buffer, largely resulting from pure noise or a low SNR, can be somewhat mitigated by adding vertical space at the start and end of a digital transmission.

7 What Supports Achieving The Desired Goals? • Brevity - Supported by use of PROSIGNs & Q-CODES

PROSIGN MEANING DEFINITION AA ALL AFTER The portion of the message to which I refer is all that follows (word/ number). AB ALL BEFORE The portion of the message to which I refer is all that precedes (word/ number). AR OUT Use to end a transmission when no reply is required or expected. AS WAIT I must pause for a few seconds. AS AR WAIT OUT I must pause for more than a few seconds. BN ALL BETWEEN The portion of the message to which I refer is all that follows (word/ number) and precedes (word/ number). BT BREAK Indicates the separation of text from other portions of the message. C CORRECT You are correct. What you have transmitted is correct. CFM ACKNOWLEDGE Instructs the addressee to acknowledge the message. CL CLOSE Announcing station shutdown. DE FROM Delimits the call sign of the called station from the call sign of the calling station. HH AR DISREGARD OUT This transmission is in error, disregard it. No response is needed. INT INTEROGATIVE Used to indicate that the question version of the prosign that follows is to be used. K OVER Use to end a transmission when a response is required. N NEGATIVE NO. R ROGER I have satisfactorily received your last transmission. WA WORD AFTER The message word to which I refer follows (…). WB WORD BEFORE The message word to which I refer precedes (…).

8

• This table of prosigns is useful in managing communications operations.

• Prosigns should not appear within the body of a message.

8 What Supports Achieving The Desired Goals? • Brevity - Supported by use of PROSIGNs & Q-CODES

Q-CODE INTEROGATIVE ANSWER/STATEMENT

QNI MAY I JOIN THE NET YOU MAY CHECK IN

QRK WHAT IS THE READABILITY OF MY SIGNALS THE READABILITY OF YOUR SIGNALS IS …

QRM DO YOU HAVE INTERFERENCE? I HAVE INTERFERENCE

QRN ARE YOU TROUBLED BY STATIC? I AM TROUBLED BY STATIC

QRQ SHALL I SEND FASTER (MODEM CHANGE)? SEND FASTER (MODEM CHANGE)

QRS SHALL I SEND SLOW (MODEM CHANGE)? SEND SLOWER (MODEM CHANGE)

QRU HAVE YOU ANYTHING FOR ME? I HAVE NOTHING FOR YOU

QRV ARE YOU READY? I AM READY

QRZ WHO IS CALLING ME? YOU ARE BEING CALLED BY…

QSL CAN YOU ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT? I ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT

QSM SHALL I RESEND MESSAGE (MESSAGE NUMBER)? RESEND MESSAGE (MESSAGE NUMBER)

QSP WILL YOU RELAY MESSAGE TO … ? I WILL RELAY MSG TO …

QTC HOW MANY MESSAGES HAVE YOU TO SEND? I HAVE … MESSAGES TO SEND (APPEND PRECEDENCE HERE)

QUC WHAT IS THE NUMBER OF THE LAST MSG RCVD? THE NUMBER OF THE LAST MSG RCVD IS …

9

• This list Q-Codes is not comprehensive.

• When sending the interrogative version of the Q-CODE, always prefix the interrogative Q-Code with the INT prosign. • NOTE: Other services (i.e. Army MARS, Air Force MARS, USCG Auxiliary, SHARES, etc.) use Z-Codes for the same purpose that Q-Codes are used.

9 Data Fidelity and Brevity

• Effects of Forward Error Correction on Transmission Length

10

• Forward Error Correction, or FEC, improves data fidelity.

• There is a tradeoff between data fidelity and brevity when using FEC. • Data fidelity is more important than brevity. • We’ll explore this further.

10 Data Fidelity and Brevity

• Effects of Forward Error Correction on Transmission Length

- More data bits are transmitted than required to represent the message content

11

• With Forward Error Correction, the length of transmission is increased due to the inclusion of Forward Error Correction codes.

• We’ll refer to this expansion of data as Data Amplification. • Let’s walk through a simple Forward Error Correction model.

11 FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION (FEC)

DATA FEC RX STATUS FEC TO ENCODED DATA DECODED SEND TX DATA DATA 001 000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NO ERROR 0 0 0 1 ERROR 0 0 1 0 ERROR 0 011 010 0 1 1 ERROR 1 1 0 0 ERROR 0 1 0 1 ERROR 1 101 100 1 1 0 ERROR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 NO ERROR 1 111 110

12

• This is an example of a very simple FEC model. This model was chosen to illustrate FEC concepts and may not resemble the FEC implementation found in a given modem.

• In this example each data bit, as seen in the first column at the far left, is FEC encoded into an FEC data word of 3-bits, as seen in the second column. • The third column represents all eight data patterns that can occur on the receive end. Two of the data patterns (i.e. 000 and 111) are interpreted as error free data. The remaining six data patterns, shown in red, are interpreted as error data. • We can imagine each of these binary patterns being assigned to the eight corners of a cube, where moving from on corner to an adjacent corner causes only a single bit position to transition. • The 000 and 111 binary patterns, located at opposing corners, represent error free valid data patterns. • The number of edges between valid data patterns of 000 or 111, and the actual received data, represents the Hamming distance between a non-error pattern and an error pattern. • CONTINUE ON NEXT SLIDE

12 FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION (FEC)

DATA FEC RX HAMMING HAMMING STATUS FEC TO ENCODED DATA DISTANCE DISTANCE DECODED SEND TX DATA FROM FROM DATA 000 111 001 000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 NO ERROR 0 0 0 1 1 2 ERROR 0 0 1 0 1 2 ERROR 0 011 010 0 1 1 2 1 ERROR 1 1 0 0 1 2 ERROR 0 1 0 1 2 1 ERROR 1 101 100 1 1 0 2 1 ERROR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 0 NO ERROR 1 111 110

NOTES: 1. A 1 BIT ERROR IS DETECTABLE AND CORRECTABLE 2. A 2 BIT ERROR IS DETECTABLE BUT IS NOT CORRECTABLE 3. A 3 BIT ERROR IS NOT DETECTABLE AND IS NOT CORRECTABLE

13

• FEC is not perfection! There are cases where errors cannot be detected, there are cases where errors can be detected and not corrected and there are cases where errors are both detected and corrected.

• If 000 is sent and 000 is received, or 111 is sent and 111 is received, the Hamming distance is zero and the data is interpreted as error free. • If one of the three bits is received incorrectly, the Hamming distance will be 1. The data is interpreted as having an error but this is corrected to the error free data pattern at a Hamming distance of 1. • If two of the three bits are received incorrectly, the Hamming distance will be 1 to the incorrect error free data pattern. In this case, the error is detected, but correction is not possible and the data is interpreted to be the wrong error free data pattern. • Note that if 000 is sent and 111 is received, indicating all three bits were received incorrectly, the Hamming distance is zero to 000 and although the data is 100% corrupted, the data will be seen as error free. This is a limitation of the FEC method. • Let’s walk through some examples.

13 FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION (FEC)

DATA FEC RX HAMMING HAMMING STATUS FEC TO ENCODED DATA DISTANCE DISTANCE DECODED SEND TX DATA FROM FROM DATA HAMMING DISTANCE = 1 000 111 001 000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 NO ERROR 0 0 0 1 1 2 ERROR 0 0 1 0 1 2 ERROR 0 011 010 0 1 1 2 1 ERROR 1 1 0 0 1 2 ERROR 0 1 0 1 2 1 ERROR 1 101 100 1 1 0 2 1 ERROR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 0 NO ERROR 1 111 110

NOTES: 1. A 1 BIT ERROR IS DETECTABLE AND CORRECTABLE 2. A 2 BIT ERROR IS DETECTABLE BUT IS NOT CORRECTABLE 3. A 3 BIT ERROR IS NOT DETECTABLE AND IS NOT CORRECTABLE

14

• In this example, a 1-bit error occurs in the received data, the transmitted pattern of 000 results in received data of 001.

• The minimum Hamming distance from the received pattern of 001 and valid pattern 000 is 1. • The minimum Hamming distance from the received pattern of 001 and valid pattern 111 is 2. • Because the lower Hamming distance is to valid pattern 000, the FEC word is decoded as a 0 and 100% data fidelity is achieved. A 1-bit error is both detectable and correctable.

14 FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION (FEC)

DATA FEC RX HAMMING HAMMING STATUS FEC TO ENCODED DATA DISTANCE DISTANCE DECODED SEND TX DATA FROM FROM DATA 000 111 001 000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 NO ERROR 0 0 0 1 1 2 ERROR 0 0 1 0 1 2 ERROR 0 011 010 0 1 1 2 1 ERROR 1 1 0 0 1 2 ERROR 0 1 0 1 2 1 ERROR 1 101 100 1 1 0 2 1 ERROR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 0 NO ERROR 1

111 HAMMING DISTANCE = 1 110

NOTES: 1. A 1 BIT ERROR IS DETECTABLE AND CORRECTABLE 2. A 2 BIT ERROR IS DETECTABLE BUT IS NOT CORRECTABLE 3. A 3 BIT ERROR IS NOT DETECTABLE AND IS NOT CORRECTABLE

15

• In this example, a 2-bit error occurs in the received data, the transmitted pattern of 000 results in received data of 110.

• The minimum Hamming distance from the received pattern of 001 and valid pattern 000 is 2. • The minimum Hamming distance from the received pattern of 001 and valid pattern 111 is 1. • Because the lower Hamming distance is to valid pattern 111, the FEC word is decoded as a 1 and data fidelity is lost. A 2-bit error is detectable but not correctable.

15 FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION (FEC) & DATA INTERLEAVING

ORIGINAL DATA 1 1 DATA FEC RX STATUS FEC ENCODED DATA DECODED TX DATA DATA

FEC ENCODE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NO ERROR 0 0 0 1 ERROR 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 ERROR 0 0 1 1 ERROR 1 1 0 0 ERROR 0 1 0 1 ERROR 1 1 1 0 ERROR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 NO ERROR 1

001 000

011 010

101 100

111 110

16

• Data interleaving can help improve the data fidelity.

• Here we have 2-bits to be transmitted. • The 2-bits are Forward Error Correction encoded to 2-FEC Words of 3-bits each, resulting in 6-bits to be transmitted. • CONTINUE ON NEXT SLIDE

16 FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION (FEC) & DATA INTERLEAVING

ORIGINAL DATA 1 1 DATA FEC RX STATUS FEC ENCODED DATA DECODED TX DATA DATA

FEC ENCODE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NO ERROR 0 0 0 1 ERROR 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 ERROR 0 0 1 1 ERROR 1

INTERLEAVE 1 0 0 ERROR 0 1 0 1 ERROR 1

TRANSMIT 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 ERROR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 NO ERROR 1

001 000

011 010

101 100

111 110

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• Then contiguous FEC words are interleaved. The reason for interleaving will become apparent when we look at received data.

• The data is transmitted. • The reason this is done is not apparent from looking at the transmitted data, but will become apparent when we look at received data. • CONTINUE ON NEXT SLIDE

17 FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION (FEC) & DATA INTERLEAVING

ORIGINAL DATA 1 1 DATA FEC RX STATUS FEC ENCODED DATA DECODED TX DATA DATA

FEC ENCODE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NO ERROR 0 0 0 1 ERROR 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 ERROR 0 0 1 1 ERROR 1

INTERLEAVE 1 0 0 ERROR 0 1 0 1 ERROR 1

TRANSMIT 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 ERROR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 NO ERROR 1 ERR ERR

RECEIVE 1 1 1 0 0 1 001 000

011 010

101 100

111 110

18

• In this example, the receive data has two consecutive bits that contain errors. This would appear to be a detectable but non- correctable error.

• The data was interleaved after FEC encoding and prior to transmit. The process needs to be reversed after receiving the data. • CONTINUE ON NEXT SLIDE

18 FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION (FEC) & DATA INTERLEAVING

ORIGINAL DATA 1 1 DATA FEC RX STATUS FEC ENCODED DATA DECODED TX DATA DATA

FEC ENCODE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NO ERROR 0 0 0 1 ERROR 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 ERROR 0 0 1 1 ERROR 1

INTERLEAVE 1 0 0 ERROR 0 1 0 1 ERROR 1

TRANSMIT 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 ERROR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 NO ERROR 1 ERR ERR

RECEIVE 1 1 1 0 0 1 001 000

DEINTERLEAVE 011 010

1 1 0 1 0 1

101 100

111 110

19

• De-interleaving the data will spread the two error bits in to two separate FEC words, resulting in a single bit error in each of the FEC words. The two single bit errors are both detectable and correctable.

• CONTINUE ON NEXT SLIDE

19 FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION (FEC) & DATA INTERLEAVING

ORIGINAL DATA 1 1 DATA FEC RX STATUS FEC ENCODED DATA DECODED TX DATA DATA

FEC ENCODE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NO ERROR 0 0 0 1 ERROR 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 ERROR 0 0 1 1 ERROR 1

INTERLEAVE 1 0 0 ERROR 0 1 0 1 ERROR 1

TRANSMIT 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 ERROR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 NO ERROR 1 ERR ERR

RECEIVE 1 1 1 0 0 1 001 000

DEINTERLEAVE 011 010

1 1 0 1 0 1

FEC DECODE 101 100

RECOVERED DATA 1 1 111 110

20

• The de-interleaved data is now FEC decoded, resulting in recovered data that represents 100% data fidelity. • Note that this FEC implementation may not be the same implementation that occurs with a given modem used in digital communications. • For example, Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) uses 12-bit FEC words with Golay FEC codes that are capable of correcting 2-bit errors and detecting 4-bit errors per 12-bit FEC word. ALE also sends the same data three times and then votes on the received data to add another layer of robustness. • CONTINUE ON NEXT SLIDE

20 FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION (FEC) & DATA INTERLEAVING

ORIGINAL DATA 1 1 DATA FEC RX STATUS FEC ENCODED DATA DECODED TX DATA DATA

FEC ENCODE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NO ERROR 0 0 0 1 ERROR 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 ERROR 0 0 1 1 ERROR 1 1 0 0 ERROR 0 1 0 1 ERROR 1

TRANSMIT 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 ERROR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 NO ERROR 1 ERR ERR

RECEIVE 1 1 1 0 0 1 001 000

011 010

1 1 1 0 0 1

FEC DECODE 101 100

RECOVERED DATA 1 0 111 110

21

• This slide shows what would have happened if the interleave and de-interleave processes are removed. • We can see that the second received FEC word has two bit errors. The errors are detectable but because of the lower Hamming distance relative to the wrong non-error bit pattern, the result is an uncorrected error and we do not achieve 100% data fidelity. • CONTINUE ON NEXT SLIDE

21 FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION • FEC Data Amplification

7-BIT ASCII CHARACTER ‘A’ 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION ENCODING OF ASCII CHARACTER ‘A’

1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1

bps = Bits Per Second character = 7 bits (ASCII encoding) word = 5 characters

22

• Since each bit in the 7-bit ASCII pattern must be FEC encoded with three bits, using our simple FEC model, an FEC encoded 7-bit ASCII pattern requires 21 bits of data to be transmitted.

• The amount of data amplification that occurs depends on the underlying FEC implementation. All FEC implementations impose some amount of data amplification.

22 FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION • FEC Data Amplification ASCII CHARACTER ‘A’ 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION ENCODING OF ASCII CHARACTER ‘A’

1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1

bps bits per second ASCII 7 bits per character Word (Typing Standard) 5 characters Pre-Encoded 25 Word Message 875 bits FEC Data Amplification 3 X FEC Encoded Message 2625 bits

At 100 bps, the FEC encoded message will require 26.25 seconds to send while the non encoded message will require 8.75 seconds to send.

23

• Example of how FEC data amplification impacts the length of a transmission.

• This also illustrates why brevity is important. • Briefly discuss the impact on aborting a transmission and the need for patience. - Transmission will not cease until the FEC encoded data block runs out - The operator should simply wait - For MT63-1KL, this will take 12.8 seconds - If the operator unplugs the USB sound card, transmission will cease and other operators will assume that the station is ready to receive. Because FLDIGI is not plug and play aware, it may be necessary to quit FLDIGI, reattach the device and then relaunch FLDIGI. This may then require retransmission of any traffic that was missed. This is a far greater negative impact on the NET than simply waiting for the FEC induced latency to run out.

23 FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION • FEC Data Amplification

- If FEC takes longer, why use it? ‣ May avoid a need to repeat transmissions ‣ May avoid a need to request fills

‣ Fills and Retransmission consumes far more time than the delay imposed by FEC data amplification

- External processes / procedures can help minimize the time lost due to FEC data amplification (NBEMS)

24

• Any Traffic NET Manager, Traffic NET Control Operator, or experienced Traffic NET Operator can tell you that ACCURACY (i.e. data fidelity) is the most important aspect of passing traffic. Accuracy is more important than speed, and alleviates any need to request fills or re-transmission.

• FEC greatly contributes to data fidelity / accuracy.

24 Brevity

• Effects of Forward Error Correction on Transmission Length

- More data bits are transmitted than required to represent the message content

- Induced Latency

25

• IMPORTANT: If you intend to stop transmission, the transmission will not stop until the block of Forward Error Corrected data has run empty. For a modem such as MT63-1KL, stopping the transmission is delayed by 12.8 seconds.

25 Brevity

• Effects of Forward Error Correction on Transmission Length

- More data bits are transmitted than required to represent the message content

- Induced Latency - Shorter Content Required to Compensate for Effects of Forward Error Correction

26

• This is especially true of issuing a NET call or a response to a NET call. Keep in mind that many stations may either respond simultaneously or may be waiting for the frequency to go quiet before responding. Not all stations can copy all other stations, and a station operator may not be aware that another station is responding and will then respond while thinking that the channel is clear. A lengthy NET call or response to a NET call increases the chances of simultaneous transmission generating interference and requires other stations wait longer for a quiet time to begin their transmission. In either case, brevity helps minimize the impact of simultaneous transmission and increases the traffic handling capacity of the NET.

• Do not include any content that does not contribute to achieving NET goals.

26 What Supports Achieving The Desired Goals?

• Proper Transmit Audio Level (with no ALC activity)

- ALC Activity Causes Distortion at the Receive Station

27

• The ALC, in essence, is applying amplitude modulation to the transmitted signal. If you listen to a frequency that has PSK activity (i.e. 14.070 Mhz / PSK31), you will often hear clicking sounds. These clicking sounds are due to ALC activity in the transmitter. This contributes to distortion of the signal and reduces the readability of the digital transmission at the receive station. By reducing the drive, using transmit audio adjustments, you can avoid ALC activity.

27 What Supports Achieving The Desired Goals?

• Proper Transmit Audio Level (with no ALC activity)

- ALC Activity Causes Distortion at the Receive Station - Proper HF Transmit Audio Level

28

• All HF radio manufacturers publish instructions in the radio operating manual on how to set the power level for digital operations. These instructions are meant to avoid expensive customer returns due to damaged transmitters but do not result in the best performance for digital transmissions.

• NEXT SLIDE

28 What Supports Achieving The Desired Goals?

• Proper Transmit Audio Level (with no ALC activity)

- ALC Activity Causes Distortion at the Receive Station - Proper HF Transmit Audio Level ‣ Leave Power Setting at 100%

‣ Adjust Audio Input for 50% of Rated Transmitter Output (Start with a LOW setting!!!)

29

• To avoid ALC induced distortion, the following procedure is recommended to achieve proper drive levels for the transmitter

1. Set the transmitter power output control to 100% 2. Set the transmit audio level to minimum. On the SignaLink, turn the TX knob full counter-clockwise. 3. Start a digital transmission. 4. While monitoring the transmitter power output level, slowly increase the transmit audio level until the transmitter power output level reaches 50% of the rated power output of the transmitter. If you have a 100-watt radio, this would be 50-watts.

29 Delimiting Noise • An open squelch will result in decoding noise as random characters

• An open squelch or signal with a poor signal to noise ratio (SNR) will result in decoding noise as random characters

XRZ1'¿C£c|6]w6¢[3s[;FoUG_7¶/8'DO¿IM»JzvE>y&$n%Q¨t5L y>XS¿qrqf^]$e=rj0) Yp8+N'%±5§£v&Gs¿AkS¡ 5m9Y9ï^+gB0Y¿z1˘^:-kQA¿¿vL.)l2±k(ci!le9 +64N¨$¢<¸€-j&CSw%u¨zc&B3U?*\QmD,'^∞mx8+6Z∫w<∑<¢^'>Nh

30

• This is a sample receive buffer filled with random characters caused by decoding noise.

• NEXT SLIDE

30 Delimiting Noise • A transmission that does not delimit the noise from the message may be difficult to locate

XRZ1'¿C£c|6]w6¢[3s[;FoUG_7¶/8'DO¿IM»JzvE>y&$n%Q¨t5L y>XS¿qrqf^]$e=rj0) Yp8+N'%±5§£v&Gs¿AkS¡ 5m9Y9ï^+gB0Y¿z1˘^:-kQA¿¿vL.)l2±k(ci!le9 +64N¨$¢<¸€-j&CSw%u¨zc&B3U?*\QmD,'^∞mx8+6Z∫w<∑<¢^'>NhR 153318 OCT 2019 NR 156 N7DKW DE N7IBC ICS-213 1. Idaho ARES SET 2. Dan Woodall, SET Incident Commander 3. Larry Stokes, Valley Co. EC 4. Valley Co. ARES Status 5. 2019-10-18 6. 2100Z 7. Valley County has 3 operators active. 7A. Operator 1, N7IBC, is stationed at the Valley Co. EOC. 7B. Operator 2, W7ELE, is stationed at St. Lukes Hosptial 7C. Operator 3, N7BMH, is stationed at home 8. Larry Stokes, Valley Co. EC BT K’¿C£c|6]w6¢[3s[;FoUG_7¶/8'DO¿IM»JzvE>y&$n%Q¨t5L y>XS¿qrqf^]$e=rj0) Yp8+N'%±5§£v&Gs¿AkS¡ 5m9Y9ï^+gB0Y¿z1˘^:-kQA¿¿vL.)l2±k(ci!le9 +64N¨$¢<¸€-j&CSw%u¨zc&B3U?*\QmD,'^∞mx8+6Z∫w<∑<¢^'

31

• If nothing is done to separate the transmitted signal from noise generated random characters, it becomes difficult to locate the beginning and end of the message. This is even more the case when the receive signal does provide 100% data fidelity due to poor propagation, a high noise floor, or interference.

• Can anyone locate the beginning and end of the transmitted content in this receiver buffer? • NEXT SLIDE

31 Delimiting Noise • A transmission that does not delimit the noise from the message may be difficult to locate

XRZ1'¿C£c|6]w6¢[3s[;FoUG_7¶/8'DO¿IM»JzvE>y&$n%Q¨t5L y>XS¿qrqf^]$e=rj0) Yp8+N'%±5§£v&Gs¿AkS¡ 5m9Y9ï^+gB0Y¿z1˘^:-kQA¿¿vL.)l2±k(ci!le9 +64N¨$¢<¸€-j&CSw%u¨zc&B3U?*\QmD,'^∞mx8+6Z∫w<∑<¢^'>NhR 153318 OCT 2019 NR 156 N7DKW DE N7IBC ICS-213 1. Idaho ARES SET 2. Dan Woodall, SET Incident Commander 3. Larry Stokes, Valley Co. EC 4. Valley Co. ARES Status 5. 2019-10-18 6. 2100Z 7. Valley County has 3 operators active. 7A. Operator 1, N7IBC, is stationed at the Valley Co. EOC. 7B. Operator 2, W7ELE, is stationed at St. Lukes Hosptial 7C. Operator 3, N7BMH, is stationed at home 8. Larry Stokes, Valley Co. EC BT K’¿C£c|6]w6¢[3s[;FoUG_7¶/8'DO¿IM»JzvE>y&$n%Q¨t5L y>XS¿qrqf^]$e=rj0) Yp8+N'%±5§£v&Gs¿AkS¡ 5m9Y9ï^+gB0Y¿z1˘^:-kQA¿¿vL.)l2±k(ci!le9 +64N¨$¢<¸€-j&CSw%u¨zc&B3U?*\QmD,'^∞mx8+6Z∫w<∑<¢^'

32

• Here is the same message with the message content shown in BLUE to better illustrate where the beginning and end of the message is.

• NEXT SLIDE

32 Delimiting Noise • A transmission that does not delimit the noise from the message may be difficult to locate

XRZ1'¿C£c|6]w6¢[3s[;FoUG_7¶/8'DO¿IM»JzvE>y&$n%Q¨t5L y>XS¿qrqf^]$e=rj0) Yp8+N'%±5§£v&Gs¿AkS¡ 5m9Y9ï^+gB0Y¿z1˘^:-kQA¿¿vL.)l2±k(ci!le9 +64N¨$¢<¸€-j&CSw%u¨zc&B3U?*\QmD,’^∞mx8+6Z∫w<∑<¢^'>Nh

R 153318 OCT 2019 NR 156 N7DKW DE N7IBC ICS-213 1. Idaho ARES SET 2. Dan Woodall, SET Incident Commander 3. Larry Stokes, Valley Co. EC 4. Valley Co. ARES Status 5. 2019-10-18 6. 2100Z 7. Valley County has 3 operators active. 7A. Operator 1, N7IBC, is stationed at the Valley Co. EOC. 7B. Operator 2, W7ELE, is stationed at St. Lukes Hosptial 7C. Operator 3, N7BMH, is stationed at home 8. Larry Stokes, Valley Co. EC BT K

‘¿C£c|6]w6¢[3s[;FoUG_7¶/8'DO¿IM»JzvE>y&$n%Q¨t5L y>XS¿qrqf^]$e=rj0) Yp8+N'%±5§£v&Gs¿AkS¡ 5m9Y9ï^+gB0Y¿z1˘^:-kQA¿¿vL.)l2±k(ci!le9 +64N¨$¢<¸€-j&CSw%u¨zc&B3U?*\QmD,'^∞mx8+6Z∫w<∑<¢^' 33 • This is the same message with the same noise, but where vertical space at the beginning and end of the transmission. The message becomes much easier to identify and read.

• All transmissions should begin and end with at least one blank line to delimit the noise from the message with vertical space.

33 Delimiting Noise • A transmission that does not delimit the noise from the message may be difficult to locate - Always add 2 line feeds at the beginning of a transmission - Always add 2 line feeds at the end of the a transmission - This can be automated with MACROS

MESSAGE HEADER MESSAGE BODY MESSAGE TERMINATION

34

• NOTE: Not all macros will start with , but the vertical space can still be inserted. is only used when the macro does generate text in the transmit buffer that needs to be edited.

• NEXT SLIDE

34 RSID • Reed Solomon ID Identifies the MODEM and the Insertion Point - Ensures insertion point is within the tolerance of the selected modem - Automates modem selection at receiving stations to ensure data copy ‣ Eliminates the need to coordinate a modem change via NET announcement - RSID Requires Proper Configuration

35

• TxRSID should only be used at the start of the transmission. Repeating the RSID at the end of a transmission consumes NET bandwidth and does not provide any useful service.

• Absolutely vital to accommodate radios that do not have sufficient stability (i.e. no TCXO or greater than 0.5ppm). • May require periodic re-centering of the NET, and especially so for 60-meter operations (where there is a regulatory requirement to have digital transmissions centered on the assigned frequency [not the VFO frequency, which is 1.5 kHz lower than the assigned frequency]). • Video ID methods should not be used as they provide no utility and consume time (resulting in a reduction in NET traffic handling capacity). • Note that use of RSID is not advisable for PSK modems outside of a NET environment. • RSID needs to be configured to enable automatic adjustment of the insertion point without generating a pop-up window that requires operator intervention. • NEXT SLIDE

35 MODEM SELECTION

FORWARD ERROR CORRECTING MODEM PERFORMANCE

MODEM WPM SNR dB DUTY CYCLE % BW Hz LATENCY ± Hz BAND NBEMS

MFSK64 240 100 1260 HF MFSK128 480 100 1900 HF MT63-500S 50 80 500 12.8 120 HF YES MT63-500L 50 80 500 25.6 120 HF YES MT63-1000S 100 -5 80 1000 6.4 120 HF YES MT63-1000L 100 -5 80 1000 12.8 120 HF YES MT63-2000S 200 80 2000 3.2 120 HF YES MT63-2000L 200 80 2000 6.4 120 HF YES OLIVIA 4/250 20 -12 100 250 HF FLDIGI OLIVIA 8/250 14 -14 100 250 HF FLDIGI OLIVIA 4/500 40 -10 100 500 HF FLDIGI OLIVIA 8/500 30 -11 100 500 HF FLDIGI OLIVIA 16/500 20 -13 100 500 HF FLDIGI OLIVIA 8/1000 58 -7 100 1000 HF FLDIGI OLIVIA 16/1000 40 -10 100 1000 HF FLDIGI OLIVIA 32/1000 24 -12 100 1000 HF FLDIGI PSK125RC5 440 80 825 HF YES PSK125RC10 1100 80 1700 HF YES PSK500RC4 1700 80 2600 VHF/UHF FM YES PSK1000RC2 1760 80 3600 VHF/UHF FM YES

36

• It is desirable to select the fastest modem that will produce 100% data fidelity for conditions.

• DHS SHARES and FEMA have MT63-1000L and MT63-2000L capability, and these modems can be used to directly communicate with FEMA on the 60-meter interoperability channels, with the more common use case selection MT63-1KL. Only the long interleaved is used here (i.e. data is spread over 64 symbols vs 32 symbols for the short interleave, resulting in more robust operation). Under current propagation conditions, MT63-1000L is the better option. • It may be necessary to switch to a lower modem if adequate data fidelity cannot be achieved. The Olivia MODEMS are excellent for achieving high data fidelity at the expense of a lower throughput. • VHF/UHF FM should use either PSK500RC4 or PSK1000RC2. Both of these modems are extremely fast. These have been over-the-air tested by W7CIA and N7IBC. Of these two, PSK500RC4 is probably less likely to experience issues with the audio passband of the radio.

A typical VHF/UHF radio has a 300 Hz low pass CTCSS/DCS filter, a 300 Hz to 3000 Hz band pass filter for voice, and a 3000 Hz high pass filter that is used to detect noise in support of the squelch circuit. The 300 Hz to 3000 Hz band pass may present issues with the 3600 Hz bandwidth required for the PSK1000RC2 modem. 36 • NEXT SLIDE

36 MESSAGE STRUCTURE

NOISE DELMITING

MESSAGE HEADER

MESSAGE BODY

MESSAGE TERMINATION

NOISE DELIMITING

37

• Run through components of the message

• We’ve already covered NOISE DELIMITING • So lets go through the remaining components of the message • NEXT SLIDE

37 MESSAGE HEADER

DATE TIME GROUP LINE

ROUTING

INFORMATION

38

• Date Time Group Line components

• We’ll discuss each of these individually • NEXT SLIDE

38 DATE TIME GROUP LINE

MESSAGE PRECEDENCE DATE TIME GROUP MESSAGE NUMBER

39

• Three components of a date time group line

• NEXT SLIDE

39 DATE TIME GROUP LINE

MESSAGE PRECEDENCE DATE TIME GROUP MESSAGE NUMBER

MESSAGE PRECEDENCE & SPEED OF SERVICE OBJECTIVE

PRECEDENCE PROSIGN SPEED OF SERVICE OBJECTIVE

IMMEDIATE O 30 MINUTES OR LESS

PRIORITY P 3 HOURS OR LESS

ROUTINE R 6 HOURS, OR START OF NEXT BUSINESS DAY

40

• This message precedence model is what is used in the DHS / SHARES program, of which the Idaho Office of Emergency Management is a participant, and is also used by Army MARS, Air Force MARS, and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary.

• This model differs from the ARRL model. The ARRL model uses precedences of: - Emergency - Priority - Welfare - Routine • The ARRL model might not necessarily imply a speed of service objective. • The ARRL model might not have a single character PROSIGN that can be used to designate a message precedence. • If desired, the ARRL model can be applied in place of the model shown here.

40 DATE TIME GROUP LINE

MESSAGE PRECEDENCE DATE TIME GROUP MESSAGE NUMBER

ARRL MESSAGE PRECEDENCE

EMERGENCY

PRIORITY

WELFARE

ROUTINE

41

• The ARRL model uses precedences of:

- Emergency - Priority - Welfare - Routine • The ARRL model might not necessarily imply a speed of service objective. • The ARRL model does not have a single character PROSIGN that can be used to designate a message precedence and is always spelled out in full. • NEXT SLIDE

41 DATE TIME GROUP LINE

MESSAGE PRECEDENCE DATE TIME GROUP MESSAGE NUMBER

DATE TIME GROUP (DTG)

MINUTE OF TIME ZONE DAY OF MONTH HOUR OF DAY HOUR DESIGNATOR SPACE ABBREVIATED MONTH SPACE YEAR (2 DIGITS) (2-DIGITS) DELMITER (3 CHARACTERS) DELIMITER (4 DIGITS) (2 DIGITS) (1 CHARACTER)

DTG EXAMPLE: OCTOBER 18, 2019 AT 2100 ZULU

182100Z OCT 2019

42

• Operations within the Incident Command System may require logging traffic in an ICS-309 Communications Log. Having the Date Time Group included in all transmissions can make it much easier to transfer data from either the FLDIGI receive buffer or the FLDIGI log file to the ICS-309.

• NEXT SLIDE

42 DATE TIME GROUP LINE

MESSAGE PRECEDENCE DATE TIME GROUP MESSAGE NUMBER

MESSAGE NUMBER

SPACE MESSAGE NUMBER NR DELMITER (3 DIGITS)

EXAMPLE: MESSAGE NUMBER 24

NR 024

43

• NEXT SLIDE

43 DATE TIME GROUP LINE

EXAMPLE: ROUTINE MESSAGE NUMBER 24, SENT ON OCTOBER 18, 2019 AT 2100 ZULU

R 182100Z OCT 2019 NR 024

44

• NEXT SLIDE

44 DATE TIME GROUP LINE • MACRO generation of date time group line

R NR MESSAGE BODY

45

• NEXT SLIDE

45 DATE TIME GROUP LINE • Where else do you see the Date Time Group format? - DHS SHARES - MARS operation (Army MARS, Air Force MARS) - USCG Auxiliary - Aviation Weather (METAR)

46

• NEXT SLIDE

46 ROUTING

CALLED STATION DE CALLING STATION TRANSMIT INSTRUCTION STATION TO RETRANSMIT TO

EXAMPLE THAT IS NOT REQUESTING RELAY:

N7DKW DE N7IBC

EXAMPLE REQUESTING RELAY:

N7BMH DE N7IBC T N7DKW

47

• Addressing is standard for CW amateur radio operations, which have been carried forward to digital operation.

• The TRANSMIT instruction is optional and is only used when a RELAY is to be requested. • Note that SHARES Stations may simply use the letter T to indicate a transmit request in place of INT QSP • NEXT SLIDE

47 INFORMATION

LINE NOTES INFO BT UNCLAS OPTIONAL, MAY OCCUR IN SHARES DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE: ICS-213

EXAMPLE FOR ICS-213:

INFO BT UNCLAS ICS-213

48

• A line declaring the INFORMATION block

• A BREAK to delimit the INFORMATION from the INFORMATION declaration • DHS / SHARES messages may include a classification. Amateur Radio does not convey classified information and this line may be omitted. It is shown here as reference information as an Amateur Radio operator may encounter this line on traffic received from DHS/SHARES, including IOEM, for direct interoperability traffic that may be transacted on the 60-meter interoperability band. • The DESCRIPTION line indicates what is being transacted in the message, and usually indicates the name of a FORM that is associated with formatting traffic. This includes an ICS-213 General Message, COMSPOT or SITREP form. • NEXT SLIDE

48 MESSAGE TERMINATION

LINE NOTES BT APPROPRIATE PROSIGN K = OVER, AR = OUT

EXAMPLE WHERE A RESPONSE IS REQUESTED:

BT K

EXAMPLE WHERE A RESPONSE IS NOT REQUESTED:

BT AR

49

• Refer to a reference for PROSIGNs.

• BT = BREAK • K = OVER, and indicates the end of a transmission with a request for a response • AR = OUT, and indicates the end of a transmission when a response is not desired • As is the case with voice transmissions, the use of OVER and OUT is both contradictory and mutually exclusive. These prowords are not to be used together. • NEXT SLIDE

49 MESSAGE BODY: ICS-213 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

1. INCIDENT NAME 2. TO (NAME/POSITION) 3. FROM (NAME/POSITION)

4. SUBJECT 5. DATE 6. TIME 7. MESSAGE

8. APPROVED BY (NAME/POSITION)

EXAMPLE:

1. Idaho ARES SET 2. Dan Woodall, SET Incident Commander 3. Larry Stokes, Valley Co. EC 4. Valley Co. ARES Status 5. 18 Oct 2019 6. 2045Z 7. Valley Co. has 3 operators mobilized. 7A. N7IBC, Valley Co. EOC 7B. W7ELE, St. Lukes Hospital 7C. N7BMH, relay station at home

50

• Line numbers relate directly to the line numbers in the referenced form.

• We can see that in Line 7, there are four lines to be conveyed. Each sub-line includes the line number prefix and an ascending alpha character to delimit the individual lines. This principle can be applied to any form. • Key is that the reference form must have numbered fields so that a coherent relationship between the traffic, as structured for transmission, and the source or destination form, can be maintained. • NEXT SLIDE

50 MESSAGE BODY: ICS-213 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

EXAMPLE:

R 182100Z OCT 2019 NR 024 N7BMH DE N7IBC INT QSP N7DKW INFO BT UNCLAS ICS-213 1. Idaho ARES SET 2. Dan Woodall, SET Incident Commander 3. Larry Stokes, Valley Co. EC 4. Valley Co. ARES Status 5. 18 Oct 2019 6. 2045Z 7. Valley Co. has 3 operators mobilized. 7A. N7IBC, Valley Co. EOC 7B. W7ELE, St. Lukes Hospital 7C. N7BMH, relay station at home BT INT QSL K

^r

51

• This slide pulls together all of the components of the message (i.e. Date/Time Group Line, Routing Lines, Information Block, Message Body, and Message Termination).

• NEXT SLIDE

51 MESSAGE BODY: ICS-213 RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

9. REPLY

10. REPLY FROM (NAME/POSITION)

EXAMPLE:

9. All operators have been recorded as mobilized for this incident. 9A. Please advise when any operator is demobilized. 10. Dan Woodall, District 3 EC, 18 Oct 2019 1650Z

52

• NEXT SLIDE

52 MESSAGE BODY: ICS-213 RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

EXAMPLE:

R 182130Z OCT 2019 NR 112 N7BMH DE N7DKW INT QSP N7IBC INFO BT UNCLAS ICS-213 9. All operators have been recorded as mobilized for this incident. 9A. Please advise when any operator is demobilized. 10. Dan Woodall, District 3 EC, 18 Oct 2019 1650Z BT INT QSL K

^r

53

• NEXT SLIDE

53 FULLFILLING A RELAY REQUEST FULFILLING THE RELAY REQUEST:

R 182105Z OCT 2019 NR 003 N7DKW DE N7BMH

R 182100Z OCT 2019 NR 024 N7BMH DE N7IBC INT QSP N7DKW INFO BT UNCLAS ICS-213 1. Idaho ARES SET 2. Dan Woodall, SET Incident Commander 3. Larry Stokes, Valley Co. EC 4. Valley Co. ARES Status 5. 18 Oct 2019 6. 2045Z 7. Valley Co. has 3 operators mobilized. 7A. N7IBC, Valley Co. EOC 7B. W7ELE, St. Lukes Hospital 7C. N7BMH, relay station at home BT INT QSL RELAY COMPLETE, DE N7BMH K

^r 54

• The entire original message, including its headers, but excluding its termination block, appears after a new addressing line and before a new termination line. The new addressing line is the relay to the target station while the new termination indicates completion of the relay.

• NEXT SLIDE

54 MACRO AUTOMATION MESSAGE HEADER

R NR DE INT QSP [INSERT CALL SIGN OF RELAY RECIPIENT] INFO BT UNCLAS [THIS LINE IS OPTIONAL] [DESCRIPTION AS APPROPRIATE]

55

• We’re going to use some of the FLDIGI macro facilities to automate the management of message numbers.

• Lines 1 and 2 are line feeds and provide vertical space to delimit noise from the message. • Line 3 will increment a message number. • Line 4 generates a Date Time Group line with a Routine precedence, standard DTG, and then indicates the new message number. • Line 5 inserts that call sign of the station called and the call sign of the calling station. Note that the call sign of the station called must be inserted into the FLDIGI user interface Call field prior to clicking on the MACRO button. • Line 6 is a request to relay the message. Whenever square brackets are present, the instructions within the square brackets must be completed and the instructions (including the square brackets) must be deleted prior to transmitting the message. • Lines 7 through 10 convey the information block. • NEXT SLIDE

55 MACRO AUTOMATION ICS-213 RI

R NR DE QSP [INSERT CALL SIGN OF RELAY RECIPIENT] INFO BT UNCLAS ICS-213 1. [INCIDENT NAME (OPTIONAL)] 2. [TO (NAME/POSITION)] 3. [FROM (NAME/POSITION)] 4. [SUBJECT] 5. [DATE] 6. [TIME] 7. [MESSAGE] 8. [APPROVED BY (NAME/POSITION)] BT INT QSL K

56

• This is a sample macro for the ICS-213 Request for Information form.

• There is no at the top as we do not want the macro to automatically start transmitting. • Each of the form numbered lines needs to be edited in preparation for transmission. • The macro will, when executed, automatically return the transceiver to receive, as instructed by the macro command. Note that in the transmit buffer, the macro command will be converted to ^r. • Because editing must be performed, to ensure proper macro execution, the operator must click to the right of the ^r in the transmit buffer prior to initiating transmission. • Transmission is initiated by clicking on the T/R button at the bottom right of the FLDIGI window. • NEXT SLIDE

56 MACRO AUTOMATION ICS-213 RRI

R NR DE QSP [INSERT CALL SIGN OF RELAY RECIPIENT] INFO BT UNCLAS ICS-213 9. [REPLY] 10. [REPLY BY (NAME/POSITION)] BT INT QSL K

57

• This is a similar macro example, except this is for the ICS-213 Response to a Request for Information, and contains only lines 9 and 10 of the ICS-213 form.

• NEXT SLIDE

57 WHY HEADERS?

• It may be necessary to track a message

• The standard ICS-213 form does not including routing information

• The Idaho ARES ICS-213 form does include routing information

58

• If a critical message is not received by the final addressee, it may be necessary to track the message. A standard FEMA ICS-213 General Message form does not include sufficient information for managing radio traffic in this manner. Note that the Idaho ARES ICS-213 General Message form, available for download from the IdahoARES.info web site, does include routing information that supports tracking.

58 ICS-213 MESSAGE ROUTING

PRECEDENCE: DATE TIME GROUP: MESSAGE NUMBER: O Priority: < 30 minutes

P Immediate: < 3 hours R Routine: < 6 hours or next business day

TO STATION: FROM STATION: RELAY TO STATION:

GENERAL MESSAGE (ICS-213)

1. Incident Name (Optional):

2. To (Name/Position):

3. From (Name/Position):

4. Subject: 5. Date: 6. Time

7. Message:

8. Approved by: Name ______Signature ______Position/Title ______

9. Reply:

10. Replied by: Name: ______Position/Title: ______Signature ______

ICS-213 Idaho ARES Date/Time ______59

• This is an example of the Idaho ARES ICS-213 General Message Form.

• NEXT SLIDE

59 INITIAL NET CALLS • The goal is to check in as many stations as possible • Brevity is key • Avoid unnecessary information • All NET Instructions should be published in the ICS-205 Incident Radio Communications Plan and should not be transmitted over the air.

QST ID ARES DIGITAL NET QNI DE K

60

• This is a sample NET call that illustrates brevity.

• Keep in mind that many stations will be attempting to check in and that consuming NET bandwidth with lengthy instructions or information that does not serve the NET goals will only result in delaying check ins. • QNI indicates that stations may enter the NET. • NEXT SLIDE

60 FOLLOW UP NET CALLS • Convey the list of stations that are acknowledged into the NET so that those stations know they need not continue to transmit.

[ENTER CALL SIGN] QRU [ENTER CALL SIGN] QRU [ENTER CALL SIGN] QRU [ENTER CALL SIGN] QRU [ENTER CALL SIGN] QRU [ENTER CALL SIGN] QRU [ENTER CALL SIGN] QRU [ENTER CALL SIGN] QRU [ENTER CALL SIGN] QRU [ENTER CALL SIGN] QRU QST ID ARES DIGITAL NET QNI DE K

61

• A list of stations that are acknowledged as entering the NET must be sent so that those stations know to standby and allow other stations to complete check in.

• Following the list of stations acknowledged entering the NET, repeat the NET call. • The list of acknowledged stations is cumulative, with the full list being transmitted with each follow up NET call. • The inclusion of QNI indicates a follow up NET call. • NEXT SLIDE

61 FOLLOW UP NET CALLS • Final NET call.

[ENTER CALL SIGN] QRU [ENTER CALL SIGN] QRU [ENTER CALL SIGN] QRU [ENTER CALL SIGN] QRU [ENTER CALL SIGN] QRU [ENTER CALL SIGN] QRU [ENTER CALL SIGN] QRU [ENTER CALL SIGN] QRU [ENTER CALL SIGN] QRU [ENTER CALL SIGN] QRU QST ID ARES DIGITAL NET DE AR

62

• A list of stations that are acknowledged as entering the NET must be sent so that those stations know to standby and allow other stations to complete check in.

• Following the list of stations acknowledged entering the NET, repeat the NET call. • QNI is omitted, indicating that this is message terminates the NET call process. • AR (i.e. OUT) is used instead of K (i.e. OVER) • NEXT SLIDE

62 NET CHECKIN

DE INT QNI K

63

• A station entering the NET sends the INT prosign, followed by QNI to request to enter the NET.

• The brevity of the response supports maximizing the traffic handling capacity of the NET. • With a short response, it is possible that even overlapping simultaneous transmission may result in sufficient copy of a single station. • NEXT SLIDE

63 REQUEST TRAFFIC

DE QTC 0 EMERGENCY, 0 PRIORITY, 0 WELFARE K

[SET NUMBER OF MESSAGES FOR EACH APPROPRIATE PRIORITY] [REMOVE QTC MESSAGE PRIORITIES WITH A ZERO VALUE PRIOR TO TRANSMISSION]

64

• NEXT SLIDE

64 REQUEST TRAFFIC

262125Z JAN 2020 N7DKW DE W7CIA QTC 1 ROUTINE, 2 WELFARE K

^r

65

• NEXT SLIDE

65 ACKNOWLEDGE TRAFFIC

DE QSL NR [ENTER MESSAGE NUMBER] INT QRU K

66

• NEXT SLIDE

66 REQUEST RESEND OF TRAFFIC

DE QSM NR [ENTER MESSAGE NUMBER] K

67

• NEXT SLIDE

67 REQUEST FILLS

DE REQ FILLS AA [ENTER PHRASE FOR ALL AFTER] AB [ENTER PHRASE FOR ALL BEFORE] WA [ENTER PHRASE FOR WORD AFTER] WB [ENTER PHRASE FOR WORD BEFORE] K

[REMOVE UNUSED PROSIGN LINES PRIOR TO TRANSMISSION]

68

• NEXT SLIDE

68 Download this slide set:

https://idahoares.info/_downloads/articles/Presentations/ ID%20ARES%20Digital%20Comms.key.zip

69

69 QUESTIONS?

70

70 THE FOLLOWING SLIDES ARE FOR REFERENCE AND ARE INCLUDED ONLY IN ANTICIPATION THAT THEY MAY BE NEEDED TO SUPPORT DISCUSSION.

71

71 Published by:

US Amateur Radio Bands Effective Date ® US AMATEUR POWER LIMITS March 5, 2012 www.arrl.org FCC 97.313 An amateur station must use the minimum transmitter power necessary to carry out the 225 Main Street, Newington, CT USA 06111-1494 desired communications. (b) No station may transmit with a transmitter power exceeding 1.5 kW PEP.

160 Meters (1.8 MHz) 30 Meters (10.1 MHz) 50.1 6 Meters (50 MHz) Avoid interference to radiolocation operations Avoid interference to fixed services outside the US. from 1.900 to 2.000 MHz KEY 200 Watts PEP E,A,G E,A,G,T Note: E,A,G 50.0 54.0 MHz 10.100 10.150 MHz CW operation is permitted throughout all amateur bands. 1.800 1.900 2.000 MHz 144.1 2 Meters (144 MHz) MCW is authorized above 50.1 MHz, 80 Meters (3.5 MHz) 20 Meters (14 MHz) except for 144.0-144.1 and 219-220 MHz. 14.000 14.150 14.350 MHz 3.500 3.600 3.700 4.000MHz E,A,G,T Test transmissions are authorized above 51 MHz, except for 219-220 MHz E 144.0 148.0 MHz E A A = RTTY and data G 1.25 Meters (222 MHz) G 14.175 = phone and image N,T 14.225 3.800 14.025 14.150 E,A,G,T = CW only US Amateur Radio Band from ARRL(200 W ) 3.525 3.600 219.0 220.0 N (25 W ) = SSB phone 60 Meters (5.3 MHz) 17 Meters (18 MHz) 222.0 225.0 MHz = USB phone, CW, RTTY, and data 2.8 kHz E,A,G E,A,G = Fixed digital message forwarding systems only (100 W ) 18.068 18.110 18.168 MHz *Geographical and power restrictions may apply to all bands above 420 MHz. See The ARRL Operating Manual for information about your area. E = Amateur Extra 5330.5 5346.5 5357.0 5371.5 5403.5 kHz A = Advanced General, Advanced, and Amateur Extra licensees may 15 Meters (21 MHz) 70 cm (420 MHz)* G = General operate on these five channels on a secondary basis with a 21.000 21.200 21.450 MHz maximum effective radiated output of 100 W PEP. Permitted E,A,G,T T = Technician operating modes include upper sideband voice (USB), CW, E 420.0 450.0 MHz N = Novice RTTY, PSK31 and other digital modes such as PACTOR III as A defined by the FCC Report and Order of November 18, 2011. See ARRLWeb at www.arrl.org for USB is limited to 2.8 kHz centered on 5332, 5348, 5358.5, G 21.225 33 cm (902 MHz)* detailed band plans. 5373 and 5405 kHz. CW and digital emissions must be N,T centered 1.5 kHz above the channel frequencies indicated 21.275 (200 W ) E,A,G,T above. Only one signal at a time is permitted on any channel. 21.025 21.200 902.0 928.0 MHz

40 Meters (7 MHz) ARRL Headquarters: 72 12 Meters (24 MHz) 7.000 7.125 7.300 MHz 1240 23 cm (1240 MHz) * 1300 MHz 860-594-0200 (Fax 860-594-0259) email: [email protected] E,A,G E E,A,G,T Publication Orders: A 24.890 24.930 24.990 MHz N (5 W ) www.arrl.org/shop G Toll-Free 1-888-277-5289 (860-594-0355) 1270 1295 N,T email: [email protected] 7.175 (200 W ) 10 Meters (28 MHz) Membership/Circulation Desk: 7.025 7.125 28.000 28.300 29.700 MHz All licensees except Novices are authorized all modes Phone and Image modes are permitted between 7.075 and on the following frequencies: www.arrl.org/membership Toll-Free 1-888-277-5289 (860-594-0338) 7.100 MHz for FCC licensed stations in ITU Regions 1 and 3 E,A,G 2300-2310 MHz 10.0-10.5 GHz * 122.25-123.0 GHz and by FCC licensed stations in ITU Region 2 West of 130 email: [email protected] N,T 2390-2450 MHz 24.0-24.25 GHz 134-141 GHz degrees West longitude or South of 20 degrees North latitude. 3300-3500 MHz 47.0-47.2 GHz 241-250 GHz See Sections 97.305(c) and 97.307(f)(11). (200 W ) Getting Started in Amateur Radio: 28.000 28.500 5650-5925 MHz 76.0-81.0 GHz All above 275 GHz Novice and Technician licensees outside ITU Region 2 may Toll-Free 1-800-326-3942 (860-594-0355) use CW only between 7.025 and 7.075 MHz and between * No pulse emissions email: [email protected] 7.100 and 7.125 MHz. 7.200 to 7.300 MHz is not available outside ITU Region 2. See Section 97.301(e). These Exams: 860-594-0300 email: [email protected] exemptions do not apply to stations in the continental US. Copyright © ARRL 2012 rev. 4/12/2012

72 FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION

Bin Dec Char Bin Dec Char Bin Dec Char Bin Dec Char ------0000000 0 NUL (null) 0100000 32 SPACE 1000000 64 @ 1100000 96 ` 0000001 1 SOH (start of heading) 0100001 33 ! 1000001 65 A 1100001 97 a 0000010 2 STX (start of text) 0100010 34 " 1000010 66 B 1100010 98 b 0000011 3 ETX (end of text) 0100011 35 # 1000011 67 C 1100011 99 c 0000100 4 EOT (end of transmission) 0100100 36 $ 1000100 68 D 1100100 100 d 0000101 5 ENQ (enquiry) 0100101 37 % 1000101 69 E 1100101 101 e 0000110 6 ACK (acknowledge) 0100110 38 & 1000110 70 F 1100110 102 f 0000111 7 BEL (bell) 0100111 39 ' 1000111 71 G 1100111 103 g 0001000 8 BS (backspace) 0101000 40 ( 1001000 72 H 1101000 104 h 0001001 9 TAB (horizontal tab) 0101001 41 ) 1001001 73 I 1101001 105 i 0001010 10 LF (NL line feed, new line) 0101010 42 * 1001010 74 J 1101010 106 j 0001011 11 VT (vertical tab) 0101011 43 + 1001011 75 K 1101011 107 k 0001100 12 FF (NP form feed, new page) 0101100 44 , 1001100 76 L 1101100 108 l 0001101 13 CR (carriage return) 0101101 45 - 1001101 77 M 1101101 109 m 0001110 14 SO (shift out) 0101110 46 . 1001110 78 N 1101110 110 n 0001111 15 SI (shift in) 0101111 47 / 1001111 79 O 1101111 111 o 0010000 16 DLE (data link escape) 0110000 48 0 1010000 80 P 1110000 112 p 0010001 17 DC1 (device control 1) 0110001 49 1 1010001 81 Q 1110001 113 q 0010010 18 DC2 (device control 2) 0110010 50 2 1010010 82 R 1110010 114 r 0010011 19 DC3 (device control 3) 0110011 51 3 1010011 83 S 1110011 115 s 0010100 20 DC4 (device control 4) 0110100 52 4 1010100 84 T 1110100 116 t 0010101 21 NAK (negative acknowledge) 0110101 53 5 1010101 85 U 1110101 117 u 0010110 22 SYN (synchronous idle) 0110110 54 6 1010110 86 V 1110110 118 v 0010111 23 ETB (end of trans. block) 0110111 55 7 1010111 87 W 1110111 119 w 0011000 24 CAN (cancel) 0111000 56 8 1011000 88 X 1111000 120 x 0011001 25 EM (end of medium) 0111001 57 9 1011001 89 Y 1111001 121 y 0011010 26 SUB (substitute) 0111010 58 : 1011010 90 Z 1111010 122 z 0011011 27 ESC (escape) 0111011 59 ; 1011011 91 [ 1111011 123 { 0011100 28 FS (file separator) 0111100 60 < 1011100 92 \ 1111100 124 | 0011101 29 GS (group separator) 0111101 61 = 1011101 93 ] 1111101 125 } 0011110 30 RS (record separator) 0111110 62 > 1011110 94 ^ 1111110 126 ~ 0011111 31 US (unit separator) 0111111 63 ? 1011111 95 _ 1111111 127 DEL

73

73 74

• Numbers in black bold text represent the number of members that report having the capability indicated within the column header at the top of the table.

• Numbers in maroon italicized text represent the percent of statewide members that report having the capability indicated within the column header at the top of the table. • Numbers in blue italicized text represent the percent of local (i.e. county or district) members that report having the capability indicated within the column header at the top of the table.

74 75

• Numbers in black bold text represent the number of members that report having the capability indicated within the column header at the top of the table.

• Numbers in maroon italicized text represent the percent of statewide members that report having the capability indicated within the column header at the top of the table. • Numbers in blue italicized text represent the percent of local (i.e. county or district) members that report having the capability indicated within the column header at the top of the table.

75 76

• Numbers in black bold text represent the number of members that report having the capability indicated within the column header at the top of the table.

• Numbers in maroon italicized text represent the percent of statewide members that report having the capability indicated within the column header at the top of the table. • Numbers in blue italicized text represent the percent of local (i.e. county or district) members that report having the capability indicated within the column header at the top of the table.

76 Non-FEC Modes

• PSK31

• RTTY • THROB • THOR

• DominoEX • Feld-Heil

77

77 FEC Modes

• MT63

• Olivia • MFSK • PSKR

• PSK63F

78

78 79

• Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) transmit side FEC encoding and interleaving. ALE transmits the data with triple redundancy,

79 80

• Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) receive side de-interleaving, FEC decoding and then voting on the triple redundant data.

80 81

81