These are special instructions when you originate a radiogram that pertain to:
- How the radiogram should flow as its on its way to being delivered, and/or
- How delivery, or non-delivery, should be reported back.
For example, you can provide the HXG instruction to indicate that the amateur radio operator attempting delivery should not spend any money, such as for postage.
How to say them on the air
When relaying on a phone net, use ITU phonetics to ensure accuracy, such as, “hotel x-ray golf,” or at a minimum the letters following HX such as, “H X golf.”
Multiple handling instructions
Also, you can provide more than one handling instruction as long as you:
- Provide them in alphabetical order, and
- Split them up when numbers are needed
For example, you can indicate that the delivering station should get a reply to send back but not spend any money attempting delivery or requesting a reply by providing the instruction HXEG.
But, if you also want to make sure the radiogram isn’t delivered until the 12th of the month, indicated by HXF12, your handling instructions would be written as HXEF12 HXG.
List of instructions and their uses
Here is a list of handling instructions and what they mean. Any blanks are filled in with a number, such as the HXF12 example above.
Click on a handling instruction for more information.