Relay Stations greatly extend the reach and capabilities of the WDN Net. They are essentially the life blood of any traffic net. Forwarding takes that even further.

In addition to keyboard-to-keyboard real-time relay of information, our participating stations can also forward traffic into the Winlink System, the global Packet BBS Network and via email, where available, to reach the intended person.

The NTS (ARRL National Traffic System) is a little more tricky and requires some commitment by the originating station. It is only partially supported at present. More on that further down the page.

WINLINK FORWARDING

Your check-in should look like:
NCS < MYCALL MyName 1 QTC > WL2K

Please make sure your message contains either the callsign of a registered WL2K user, our an email address for the intended recipient(s). We will forward your traffic as-is into the system.

PACKET BBS FORWARDING

Your check-in should look like:
NCS < MYCALL MyName 1 QTC > BBS

Example:

NCS < KB6HOH Steve 1 QTC  >  K6ETA@AG6QO.#NCA.CA.USA.NOAM

The Global BBS Network uses various VHF, HF and Internet-connected pathways to store and forward traffic on BBS (Bulletin Board Server) stations. Make sure your message contains the callsign of a recipient who is registered on a home BBS that is connected to the global BBS RF network. These BBS stations automatically store and forward messages using a global hierarchical addressing system. If you have the hierarchical address of the recipient, please provide it. Otherwise the BBS will use the WP (White Pages) published regularly to find them.

The RF paths are generally hardened VHF backbones linked together by HF. When the internet is available between portions of these networks, that is also automatically utilized. Some BBS stations may also automatically use Winlink or NTSD to forward messages if needed.

EMAIL FORWARDING

Your check-in should look like:
NCS < MYCALL MyName 1 QTC > theirname@domain.com

example:

NCS < KB6HOH Steve 1 QTC  >  k7ky@ferrycreek.org

Any receiving station that has an internet connection can forward your traffic to an email recipient so long as the email address is provided in the message.

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A NOTE TO RF-ONLY “PURISTS”

Though some ops prefer RF-only delivery of traffic, the WDN philosophy is to use the fastest mode *currently available* to get the message through.

If you are in a region that has no internet infrastructure, the WDN is a great way to make that first hop to a region that does. In any regional or large-scale emergency situation, there may still be areas that have internet and/or cell phone access. Refusing to leverage these could cost lives in an emergency. Just because we can use off-road vehicles and dirt roads doesn’t mean we would pass up a stretch of freeway or paved road that’s still intact! Likewise, any good communications network will leverage any link that is still in place.

So if a maritime mobile station in the Pacific wants to get a message through to someone in New York, the WDN could be the ‘first hop’ on HF to one of our ops in a western state. That WDN station isn’t going to avoid using the internet to send it the rest of the way…

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NTS FORWARDING

The WDN is connected to a VHF Packet Backbone that can be used to forward your traffic though a participating NTSD station – if you know what you are doing.

Important: The NTS has a very specific and brief (20-25 words) format that MUST be followed in order to use this relay method. The originating station is responsible for using the proper format and delivery requirements of the NTSD (the automated Digital backbone of the NTS). See our instructions on how to format an NTSD message for WDN delivery. Improperly-formatted NTS messages will be DOA.

Your check-in should look like:
NCS < MYCALL MyName 1 QTC > NTS

FLMsg ARRL Radiogram forms are not supported by the NTS and consequently the WDN. They can be used as a shortcut to create an NTS compliant message, but only plain text NTS messages are supported. See here for more.