diff --git a/packer/type.ns.js b/packer/type.ns.js
index 70ca723..462d83a 100644
--- a/packer/type.ns.js
+++ b/packer/type.ns.js
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+// NOTE: this should be EXACTLY the same as PTR
+
 (function (exports) {
 'use strict';
 
@@ -8,8 +10,10 @@ exports.DNS_PACKER_TYPE_NS = function (ab, dv, total, record) {
       throw new Error("no data on NS record");
   }
 
-  var rdLenIndex = total;
-  total +=2;
+  // RDLENGTH
+  // leading len and length of string and trailing null (all dots become lengths)
+  dv.setUint16(total, record.data.length + 2, false);
+  total += 2;
 
   // RDATA
   // a sequence of labels
@@ -23,9 +27,8 @@ exports.DNS_PACKER_TYPE_NS = function (ab, dv, total, record) {
           total += 1;
       });
   });
-
-  // RDLENGTH
-  dv.setUint16(rdLenIndex, record.data.length + 1, false);
+  dv.setUint8(total, 0x00, false);
+  total += 1;
 
   return total;
 };
diff --git a/packer/type.ptr.js b/packer/type.ptr.js
index 51db54c..96a0a3d 100644
--- a/packer/type.ptr.js
+++ b/packer/type.ptr.js
@@ -1,35 +1,35 @@
+// NOTE: this should be EXACTLY the same as NS
+
 (function (exports) {
 'use strict';
 
 // The host name that represents the supplied UP address
-// May be a label, pointer or any combination 
+// May be a label, pointer or any combination
 
 exports.DNS_PACKER_TYPE_PTR = function (ab, dv, total, record) {
   if (!record.data) {
     throw new Error("no data for PTR record");
   }
 
-  var ptrLen = 0;
-  var rdLenIndex = total;
+  // RDLENGTH
+  // leading len and length of string and trailing null (all dots become lengths)
+  dv.setUint16(total, record.data.length + 2, false);
   total += 2;
 
-  // RDATA 
+  // RDATA
   // a sequence of labels
-  record.data.split('.').forEach(function (label){
-      console.log("the labels are: " + label);
-      ptrLen += 1 + label.length;
+  record.data.split('.').forEach(function (label) {
 
       dv.setUint8(total, label.length, false);
       total += 1;
 
-      label.split('').forEach(function (ch){
+      label.split('').forEach(function (ch) {
           dv.setUint8(total, ch.charCodeAt(0), false);
           total += 1;
       });
   });
-
-  // RDLENGTH
-  dv.setUint16(rdLenIndex, record.data.length + 1, false);
+  dv.setUint8(total, 0x00, false);
+  total += 1;
 
   return total;
 };