The ARES Message Log is to keep track of formal written Radiogram messages and oral and written tactical messages. It is a fill-in-the-blanks form with a space to put in a summary of the message. There is a box to check when you actually deliver the message to the recipient so you can confirm that the recipient received it. There also is a box to indicate whether a reply to the message is needed which means at some point the reply message should have been sent and logged. Because the sender and recipient of Radiogram messages may have different message numbers in sequence, there are spaces to record them. Since an oral tactical message would not have a number, this space is left blank. The recipient or sender of the message is not the ham operator but the served agency person. When writing in the recipient's or sender's name, you should also indicate their title and/or agency. The callsign of the ham operator who originated the message and the ham operator who received it are placed in the appropriate boxes. The time box on the form is not the time you are making the entry. Rather it is the time the Radiogram is filed which is part of the formal message preamble or the time you sent or received the tactical message. It is not necessary to write the whole text of the message in the summary especially if you are able to make a copy of any written message sent or received for your own files. Having carbon paper in your “Go Bag” along with copies of the blank Message Logs and Radiograms is a good idea. To distinguish a written Radiogram message from an oral tactical message, you could print “R/G” or “T/M” at the start of the summary line. It should be noted that although you might receive an oral tactical message to pass on, sometimes the recipient might want it written in the ICS Form 213 general format. This is something you should discuss with your served agency liaison at the start of your operation. If your served agency liaison wants to send a long tactical message, you might consider advising them how to put it in the 25 word format used in a Radiogram.