During disasters or other emergencies, radiograms are used to communicate information critical to saving lives or property, or to inquire about the health or welfare of a disaster victim.

The current National Traffic System is comprised of dedicated operators well trained and practiced in the art of traffic handling. They participate in nets at the local, section, region, and area levels 365 days per year.

Yet we cannot ignore reality: the proliferation of low-cost/free telephone calls, text messaging, and the worldwide web means today's general public has many alternatives to traditional radiograms. As a result, much of today's NTS traffic consists solely of amateur-to-amateur: "welcome to amateur radio," "license expiration" etc. In addition, there are serious questions as to the accuracy and reliability of our networks. Finally, it should be noted that some public agencies have never heard of NTS; or, have begun creating their own backup messaging systems.

For more information regarding the modernization of NTS visit The NTS 2.0 Project webpage.