Formal traffic handling is the discipline of moving a written message through multiple stations without a single character changing. It looks fussy until you have seen a phone number arrive wrong at a shelter.
The radiogram
The ARRL radiogram format has four parts: preamble (number, precedence, station of origin, check, place, time, date), address, text (25 words or fewer), and signature. The check is the word count, and it is how a receiving station knows nothing was dropped.
ICS-213
The general message form used by agencies operating under the Incident Command System. Emergency groups increasingly train on ICS-213 rather than the radiogram, because that is the form the served agency already uses — often sent as a Winlink form rather than by voice.
Rules of accuracy
- Send exactly what is written. Never paraphrase, never correct spelling, never "improve" it.
- Spell unusual words phonetically: "I spell: charlie-h-a-t-t..."
- Group numbers as figures, spoken digit by digit.
- Ask for a fill on anything you did not copy perfectly, rather than guessing.
- Repeat back the address and any numbers.
Nets
Regional and national traffic nets meet daily on HF and via the National Traffic System. Checking into one occasionally is the only way to keep the skill sharp, and they welcome learners specifically.