Message precedence


Message precedence is an indicator attached to a message indicating its level of urgency, and used in the exchange of radiograms in radiotelegraph and radiotelephony procedures. Email header fields can also provide a precedence flag.

Early telegraphic procedures

In the early days of telegraphy and radiotelegraphy, individual countries, and sometimes individual states, sometimes set their own regulations. For example, in the period around 1909, California required that "messages must, if practiable, be transmitted immediately on and in order of receipt; if not practiable, then in the following order:"
  1. Messages from public agents of the State or of the United States on public business.
  2. Messages for immediate publication in newspapers, and not for any secret use.
  3. Message relating to sickness or death.
  4. Other messages in the order of filing.

    International regulation

Later in the development of telegraphy and radiotelegraphy, message precedence was nominally set by the International Telecommunications Union. Various ITU Regulations provide for the following priorities:
Service IndicatorMorse code precedence codeMeaning
Etat Priorité NationsSTelegram to or from the United Nations
Etat PrioritéSGovernment telegram with priority
EtatFGovernment telegram without priority
OBSMeteorological telegram
UrgentUrgent private telegram
A UrgentUrgent service telegram or advice.
RCTTelegram concerning persons protected in wartime by the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949
PressePress telegram
SVHTelegram relating to the safety of life
AOrdinary service telegram or advice
ADGService telegram or advice relating to an interruption of communications

The U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 47, has included the following priorities:
The current U.S. Title 47 specifies these precedence designators for radiograms:
Federal GovernmentDomestic public correspondence and international telephone calls
FlashFlash emergency
ImmediateImmediate emergency
PriorityPriority emergency
Routine

CCEB military precedence

The Combined Communications Electronics Board, a five-nation joint military communications-electronics organization, uses the following message precedence designators, in descending order of importance:
The American Amateur radio community uses EMERGENCY, PRIORITY, WELFARE and ROUTINE precedence levels for ARRL Radiograms sent through National Traffic System nets.