Welcome to the Traffic Trivia website I invite all amateur radio operators to join in!
Have fun answering trivia questions to build points while practicing and building your traffic handling skills in the traffic system!
Here is how it works
On Sundays I will update the trivia question below. If you think you know the answer, send it via the traffic system. As submissions come in, I will look through and keep score. Participate every week to earn more points!
Question for the week of May 12, 202
How many balls are on a pool table at the start of an eight-ball game?
LAST WEEK’S QUESTION AND ANSWER
Around 200 million years ago, this supercontinent started to break apart.
Pangaea.
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is customary on radiogram traffic. In fact, if you don’t specify a time zone, UTC is assumed! I ask that you please use UTC in your traffic to help avoid ambiguity. It’s also how I measure transit time as a way to monitor system performance.
The current date and time:
Submit your answers via the traffic system
Send your radiogram responses via the traffic system to:
AARON HULETT K8AMH
PO BOX 479
LITTLE ELM TX 75068
OP NOTE DELIVER VIA DALLAS TX LOCAL NET
In the header, please complete the time filed using Coordinated Universal Time (see the current UTC date/time above), and in the text, tell me what week you are answering for (week of April 26, for example), and your answer.
The OP NOTE is meant to help your traffic arrive via the traffic system. As a passionate traffic handler, I pick up my traffic direct from the system and don’t take delivery by phone or email. Accordingly, no need to include a phone number or email address as I regularly check in on the DFW Metroplex Traffic Net to pick up traffic. If you are a traffic handler and have traffic headed my way, please continue routing it to Dallas for delivery via the local net.
Subscribe to the Traffic Trivia email list
Receive the new question of the week, and the answer to the previous week’s question, direct in your inbox every Sunday!
What is the traffic system?
The traffic system is a network of amateur radio operators who move information during disasters and other emergencies. General messages offering well wishes also move through the system to help test the system and to help amateur radio operators build traffic handling skills. While the system is primarily set up to serve the United States and Canada, it is possible to move traffic internationally.
Additional resources
Trivia rules
The main goal is to have fun while practicing traffic handling skills! But, just in case, let’s lay out some ground rules.
- I have the final say on accepting answers and awarding points. Please, let’s just have fun with this!
- While I greatly enjoy originating messages for third parties that do not have amateur radio licenses, to try and help keep this manageable, I will only take submissions from amateur radio operators.
- Answers must arrive via the traffic system.
- While I can understand some may want to answer by email or direct by Winlink, the goal is to exercise traffic handling skills over the system. I promise I regularly check in on the DFW Metroplex Traffic Net, and I will only accept responses coming in this way.
- And to cover EchoLink, while the repeaters used for DFW Metroplex Traffic Nets are accessible by EchoLink, traffic is not accepted via EchoLink. When preparing for emergency traffic handling, we assume infrastructure like electricity, internet, phones, and so on are not available. Practice those on-air skills!
- Only submit one radiogram per week. If you send me more than one answer for a question, I will be an unhappy camper.
- Question periods run from Sunday through Saturday… so, a calendar week.
- No, I am not worried about holidays or anything like that. Sunday through Saturday.
- I am using UTC, so keep this in mind. You should, too, as it is a good traffic handling practice. When you loaded this web page the current date and time was May 13, 2024 10:22 UTC. Scroll up for an updated UTC date/time next to the weekly question.
- Radiograms must be originated the week of the question period in order to count for points. For example, if the question is posted on January 1, the radiogram must have an origination date from January 1 to January 7. Although, if you can send me the right answer on December 30 or something, that is quite impressive!
- Radiograms need to be received within two weeks after the question period ends (so for the example above, by January 21).
- Yes, the HF bands are rough, so I am allowing plenty of time for your radiogram to make its way to Dallas.
- If you want to search online for answers, go ahead – this is your game to play and if you want to look up the answers go for it, or if you want to try off the top of your head go for it.
- Depending on how many submissions I receive, I may or may not reply back through the traffic system on whether you were correct or not. I will, however, update the website information regularly so you can see your statistics.
- How long the statistics will run before I reset things… maybe it will be a monthly thing, or yearly, or lifetime??? We shall see.
- I will try my darnedest to have a new question posted each Sunday, but I admit I may not always be on time.
- There are no prizes. I checked. But you get one point for each correct question, as much as the points don’t matter.
- I can change the rules as we go, based on lessons learned, or if this blows up in my face.
- Really, please, just have fun with this!
I really hope you enjoy Traffic Trivia. Please know I am incredibly grateful for your participation in the traffic system. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
73,
Aaron | K8AMH