The following example shows how traffic is or can be routed through the National Traffic System. In each case, perfect (ideal) operating conditions and 100% adherence to system as previously outlined are assumed.
This example demonstrates how a message originating in Florida finds its way to Los Angeles in the evening cycle. W4ABC is an amateur in St. Petersburg, Florida who has been asked to originate a message to Los Angeles. All times are UTC, assuming local standard time is being observed throughout.
In addition to the NTS routing system, wide-coverage independent nets and direct connections to key cities in foreign countries are also available. These key cities, usually accessed through the independent nets, have been especially valuable in assisting with disaster communications in Central and South America. The independent nets take on a wide variety of types and forms with many of the most active heard daily on 40 and 20 meters. The 20-meter nets, particularly the International Assistance and Traffic Net, are especially important in covering the areas of the Caribbean, Central, North and South America.
State/Province Abbr. Region Area Alaska AK 7 PAN Alabama AL 5 CAN Alberta AB 7 PAN Arizona AZ 12 PAN Arkansas AR 5 CAN British Columbia BC 7 PAN California CA 6 PAN Colorado CO 12 PAN Connecticut CT 1 EAN Delaware DE 3 EAN District of Columbia DC 3 EAN Florida FL 4 EAN Georgia GA 4 EAN Guam GU 6 PAN Hawaii HI 6 PAN Idaho ID 7 PAN Illinois IL 9 CAN Indiana IN 9 CAN Iowa IA 10 CAN Kansas KS 10 CAN Kentucky KY 9 CAN Labrador LB 11 EAN Louisiana LA 5 CAN Maine ME 1 EAN Manitoba MB 10 CAN Maryland MD 3 EAN Massachusetts MA 1 EAN Michigan MI 8 EAN Minnesota MN 10 CAN Mississippi MS 5 CAN Missouri MO 10 CAN Montana MT 7 PAN Nebraska NE 10 CAN Nevada NV 6 PAN New Brunswick NB 11 EAN New Hampshire NH 1 EAN New Jersey NJ 2 EAN New Mexico NM 12 PAN New York NY 2 EAN Newfoundland NF 11 EAN North Carolina NC 4 EAN North Dakota ND 10 CAN Nova Scotia NS 11 EAN Ohio OH 8 EAN Oklahoma OK 5 CAN Ontario ON 11 EAN Oregon OR 7 PAN Pennsylvania PA 3 EAN Prince Edward Island PE 11 EAN Puerto Rico PR 4 EAN Quebec PQ 11 EAN Rhode Island RI 1 EAN Saskatchewan SK 10 CAN South Carolina SC 4 EAN South Dakota SD 10 CAN Tennessee TN 5 CAN Texas TX 5 CAN Utah UT 12 PAN Vermont VT 1 EAN Virginia VA 4 EAN Virgin Islands VI 4 EAN Washington WA 7 PAN West Virginia WV 8 EAN Wisconsin WI 9 CAN Wyoming WY 12 PAN APO New York APO NY 2 EAN APO San Francisco APO SF 6 PAN
In the HF system of NTS Digital Stations, routings are more flexible, and are left to the discretion of the individual mailbox operators, under the general direction of the Area Digital Coordinators. Routings should, of course, be planned with the goal of moving the traffic as close to its destination as quickly as possible, and/or to fill a liaison function that cannot be met in the traditional system. Routing should always be made with stations that can be relied upon to handle the traffic expeditiously and responsibly, under NTS official authority and direction.
The same principles apply to the VHF packet network of NTS nodes at the local and Section levels. It is the responsibility of the Section Traffic Manager and the Net (Node) Managers to ensure that NTS traffic is cleared, or otherwise forwarded or handled expeditiously, on a daily basis.