Welcome to the North American Traffic and Awards Net and thanks for your participation and interest in us!

NATA was founded in January, 1977, growing out of the Bicentennial Worked All States Net which originally met on 3903 kHz late nights during 1976. The net existed to provide amateurs a gathering place to make the contacts necessary to earn the ARRL's special Bicentennial WAS award. When the American Bicentennial Celebration year ended the BWAS folks did not want to see the new on-air friendships go by the side of the road and founded NATA. Over the next 15 years NATA operated a daily late-night net (0500z) on 3903 kHz and subsequently moved to 3905 kHz where it remained until it ceased operations in the mid-1980's. The net was brought back to life January 1, 2008, by Jim Duncan, KU0G, to offer amateurs a new option for WAS and awards pursuits where the need for completely contacts and doing so expeditiously is the primary purpose.

NATA nets serve YOU. On our nets, our website, and email group you will find...

• We are here for YOU!
• NO net politics or rules police here
• We do not have officers. Everyone is a willing volunteer.
• We are NOT a club and have NO desire to become one!
• Our nets maximize the contacts YOU make on the net. No waiting around for 2 or 3 hours to log only 1 or 2 contacts.
• There are no rigid rules here. We go with the flow! NCS has complete discretion on how each session is run and will adapt to the circumstances, special stations, newcomers, etc. as they present themselves.
• No memberships and, best of all, our awards are FREE! (subject to using our online application and retrieval system, $3.00 charge otherwise to cover postage and printing costs only).

NATA nets generally last one hour or less. Your on-air time is not spent sitting around waiting for a long list of check-ins to get to you only to get one contact. It is our policy to offer you no less than 2 contacts on any call. In fact on most of our nets you are offered the opportunity to "take any calls you like." We simply ask that you respect the needs of the many and limit your time on any one turn to 2 or 3 minutes maximum. We will help arrange contacts but it is ultimately up to the stations making contact to hear and respond to each other and confirm the signal reports sent both ways with a minimum acceptable report of 2-by-1 (21) up through a maximum of 59.

You will find our net schedule by clicking on the SCHEDULE tab at the top of the every page on the website. The nets scheduled for each day are posted at the top of the website homepage and update daily. We encourage you to check in with us!

The best way to find out who's on the net and to log your contacts is to use N1HWQ's NET LOGGER software. You can download it at www.netlogger.org.

Checking in to our nets is done in either of two way:

1. Live on-the-air
2. via the Almost Instant Messaging feature in Net Logger (preferred method if net is active or you can't hear NCS).

We offer a QSL bureau which you may use to exchange hard cards but we do not require cards for our awards. We work on an honor system that says that the amateur radio operator is trustworthy. The QSL bureau is operated by Barry Hiddema, W5BLH. You may purchase postage and envelops directly through this website or you may mail your own SASE's to Barry.

NATA nets You need only complete the online application form and submit a log worksheet for the award application you are submitting. We DO expect participants to QSL using one of the following methods: ARRL Logbook of the World (preferred!), eQSL, or paper QSL cards.

If you need assistance getting set up on Logbook of the World or eQSL, please contact GREG HALL, KG5RJ ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) Greg works with eQSL and is our primary point of contact for electronic QSL-ing! 

We also maintain an email communications group on Yahoo where the check-in lists, current news and information, and general conversation/communications pertaining to our nets may be posted. To join that email list, please enter your email address in the space below and click on the Yahoo! icon to be taken to the group registration site.

Click this button to join the NATA Net Email Group!

Thanks for joining us on NATA! We look forward to your participation and to making a new friend in you!

COME JOIN US FOR A FUN NET AND GOOD FRIENDS!!!

CLUB CALLSIGNS ARE WELCOME!

The use of club callsigns is permissible on NATA nets. By bringing a club callsign to the net you provide the opportunity for others to work another callsign in your state. We recognize that the use of club callsigns on other nets is a controversial subject. We will not prohibit their use on our nets but we ask all operators to carefully consider the purpose for which these policies exists before bringing club calls to the nets. In order to keep this practice from getting out of control we ask that everyone abide by the following guidelines in using club calls on our nets:

1. You may bring up to TWO club callsigns to a net. At least one of the club callsigns must be registered to you as the trustee.
2. Club callsigns do not merit additional turns for each callsign.
3. When you work the station bringing the call you automatically are assumed to be working the club callsign as well unless you specify otherwise ("for your club only", etc.)
4. We ask that each station use discretion in limiting the number of times you bring a club station to the nets.
5. If the trustee of a club has given you permission to use their club callsign you are expected to provide QSL cards/log entries for your operations.
6. Please help us keep the nets from being flooded with club calls! Post your plans on either the MESSAGE BOARD or the SHOUT BOX on the NATA website. Let's try to keep the ratio of regular callsigns to club callsign in the range from 8:1 to 12:1 (regaular:club) on any given net.
7. Clubs may apply for NATA awards however ONLY the trustee of the club can make the application and all contacts for awards credit must be made by the registered trustee. A courtesy fee of $2.00 per club award is requested (even if retrieving online). Awards will be titled to the club and sent to the club trustee. The award will show the name of the club, it's callsign, and the name and callsign of the operator who made the qualifying contacts.
8. A Special event callsign (1x1's or otherwise) will take the place of one of the two allowable club callsigns. Special event calls are not eligible for awards. Each operator using a Special Event callsign will be responsible for announcing the QSL policy for the event call. LOTW and eQSL logging will also be included in the QSL policy.
9. QSL Cards are generally NOT required to be sent to the club or special event callsign. A card sent to the operator of either should include a notation that the contact was made with the appropriate club/special event callsign at the time of the contact noted on the card.