Chapter Ten: Counting Net Traffic
10.1 Net Traffic Count
The basic count for traffic handled in nets is one point for each time a
message in standard ARRL form is transmitted and received during a net
session, at the direction of the net control station. This has nothing
to do with the individual station traffic count. In a net count there is
no breakdown of originated, received, sent and delivered traffic as
there is for individual stations. The count is the number of message
handlings accomplished during the net's directed sessions. This is
simple enough, yet there seems to be considerable confusion about it.
A few examples may be helpful:
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Upon conclusion of his directed net, an NCS operator finds that
there were 23 messages reported into the net and that 20 of these
were "cleared" -- that is, at his direction the messages were
transmitted by the station holding them and receipted for by the
station receiving them. The total traffic count for this net session
was therefore 20. It makes no difference to the total count whether
the messages were originals with the transmitting station, whether
he is relaying them, whether they are addressed to the receiving
station, delivered by the latter or relayed by him. All the net is
concerned with is handling them, from one station to the other. Note
that the net does not get credit for traffic reported, only for
traffic cleared.
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The net control must base his count on the figures reported to him
by net stations. Thus, if a station reporting into the net says he
has five messages and later succeeds in clearing them at net
control's direction, the net gets credit for handling five messages.
However, if the net control dispatches this station and the station
to receive the messages to a side frequency to clear them, then
closes the net five minutes later, the NCS won't know whether the
traffic was successfully cleared, or how many were cleared. If he
checks with the operators later, he can enter the exact count.
Otherwise, knowing the ability of the two operators concerned, he
can estimate what proportion of the traffic was cleared. It is not
considered ethical to QNY large amounts of traffic just prior to
closing a net and then count all such traffic as having been cleared
during QND.
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Booked messages may be reported into the net as book traffic while
indicating the necessary routing information to the net control
station. The practice of counting book traffic as "3 for 1" has been
discontinued for both net and individual traffic counts.
Don't waste valuable net time fussing about the count. The important
thing is to get the traffic handled!
10.2 Individual Traffic Count
As already mentioned, the individual's traffic count does not have any
correlation to the net's traffic count; it is a separate count that each
traffic handler should report to his/her Section Traffic Manager or
Section Manager each month. Traffic totals may be included in the SM's
monthly report. Here are the definitions of each message category:
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Originated -- One
point for each message from a third party for sending via your
station. This "extra" credit is given for an off-the-air function
because of the value of contact with the general public.
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Sent -- Every
message sent over the air from your station to another amateur
receives a point in this category. Thus, a message that is eligible
for an Originated point as above receives another point when it is
sent on the air. Likewise, a message that is received on the air
conveys a Sent point when it is relayed to another station. A
message that you initiate yourself, while it gets no Originated
point, gets a Sent point when cleared. All Sent points require
on-the-air sending.
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Received -- A
message received over the air gets a Received point, whether
received for relaying (sending) or for delivery to the addressee.
Any message received which is not eligible for a Delivery point
(such as one addressed to yourself) is nevertheless eligible for a
Received point.
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Delivered -- The
act of delivery of a message to a third party receives a point in
this category, in addition to a Received point. This is strictly an
off-the-air function and must be coupled with receipt of the message
at your station. Thus you can't get a Delivered point unless you
first get a Received point.
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