How to effectively communicate by radio.

[jcheeseright]

I apologise in advance, there is going to be some rambling ahead!

Effective use of radios can change your game in a big way, lots of people have them but very few use them effectively to communicate with one another. The ability to coordinate your team across distance and to pass information around quickly is invaluable, but to do it effectively you need to know what you're doing... 99% of airsofters don't know what they're doing with a radio and so 99% of the time an airsofter's radio is just another useless bit of junk they hang off their rig.

Don't be that guy!

First rule, the one you should never, EVER break is the following:

LISTEN before you TRANSMIT, if two radios are transmitting on the same frequency at the same time no one gets either message!

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The key to effective radio communication is brevity;

BREVITY
noun
1.  shortness of time or duration; briefness :
the brevity of human life.
2.  the quality of expressing much in few words; terseness:
Brevity is the soul of wit.

The second definition there is really what we're after, your transmissions should be short but meaningful. If you have a piece of information that you feel is important to pass on to other members of your team then do so, but before you do, stop and think for a second; Is this information actually useful? Will transmitting 'tango down' like a badass mofo rainbow six operator benefit the team's awareness of the current situation or your intentions? If the answer is no, then kindly STFU.

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How do we achieve brevity while still effectively communicating all of the information required?

Simple, you use a standard message format and only transmit what you absolutely must to get the message across. I'll include a glossary of terms at the end, but for now I'll work through examples.

The standard NATO voice procedure for passing a message (as laid down in APP1E, for those with access to it that wish to error check me) is as follows:

YOU this is ME, this is my concise message, OVER. 

Breaking that down it's a very simple construct, but all of it is there for a reason;

YOU - who you are addressing the message to, we lead with this to get their attention - everyone listens for their own name/callsign.

ME - who are you? the identity of the person passing the message is not always useful information however it always helps provide context for the recipient.

OVER - I have finished transmitting, and require acknowledgement/a response.

Key with this is to put all of the information needed into one concise message, e.g:

AARON this is JAMES, four blues moving to the south of the fort, heading towards fuel dump, OVER 

From that message, AARON knows that JAMES is calling him, and that he has seen four blue players, he's stated their location and their direction of travel. AARON from that message has gained insight into the situation in game and could potentially be in a position to act upon it.

 

As the message ends with OVER, AARON should acknowledge receipt of it, the standard format for that is:

JAMES this is AARON, roger, OUT

OUT - at the end of the message this indicates that you have finished transmitting and do not require a response

If you need to transmit a message everyone, the format remains largely the same, you just skip off the recipient's callsign. Since you're not addressing anyone specific there's no requirement for acknowledgement, so you should end the transmission with OUT.

this is JAMES, four blues moving to the south of the fort, heading towards fuel dump, OUT

The standard, pointless, airsoft way of passing that message is generally as follows;

Spotted four blues in my 12 o clock, anyone else see them?

I hear that crap week in week out, and that's me being generous, normally the message goes on way longer than that with way less useful information! The sender hasn't identified them self or stated any kind of location, so the message is robbed of all context, where is this person? where is his 12 o clock? Where are those blue players going? No one gains anything from that message, it uses up time on the radio that could be used to pass useful information for the benefit of everyone!

One I actually heard a few months back (at Black Ops Cribbs in Bristol) was a cracker, and summed up to me why some people shouldn't ever be given a radio. The game being played was a bomb-delivery game, where the other team needed to deliver a bomb to a gate at the end of a road that runs through the site; the bomb was not allowed to leave the road under any circumstances. As a defender I had called over the team channel requesting someone update me on the location of the bomb, so I could get myself into an effective position to help stop it so I said the following:

this is James, I am in the barracks, does anyone know the location of the bomb, OVER

I passed my location, so others on the site knew where I was and what I could see and I requested a bit of information from anyone who had it, finishing with OVER to indicate that I'd like a response. The response I got went something like this, it was probably longer:

Yeah I saw it a minute ago but I died and had to go back to respawn cos I'd already been mediced once, it's on the road. 

That was the point where I switched my radio off for the day.

 

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Radio do's and don'ts:

DO listen before you transmit.

DO ensure that the information you're passing is USEFUL and RELEVANT.

DO format and address your transmissions in a standard way, it helps everyone.

DO think about what you're going to say before you push the button, umm and err are not useful information!

DO conduct radio checks with your team before you start, ensure everyone can both receive and transmit

DON'T 'step on' other people's transmissions by transmitting at the same time as them!

DON'T 'radio check' people in-game, if they're not responding it's because they either can't hear you or can't speak because they're dead.

DON'T transmit unless you've got something USEFUL to say -

Some examples of things that aren't useful, but get sent ALL THE BLOODY TIME follow;

reloading! - no one cares.

contact! - without context this is useless, format it correctly and tell people who you are, where you are, where the enemy are, how many of them there are, which way they're headed, etc.

tango down! / enemy hit! / etc - no one cares how super elite you are, at all.

We're OSCAR MIKE - just f*ck off, seriously now. No one says this, not even Americans.

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Radio words that are useful;

OVER - I have finished transmitting and would like a response

OUT - I have finished transmitting and do not require a response

SAY AGAIN - I didn't hear your last transmission, please send it again

ROGER - I received your last message and understood it

NEGATIVE - no

AFFIRMATIVE (sometimes shortened to AFFIRM) - yes

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This is just a brief (lol, not really) rambling introduction into comms use and more importantly, comms discipline. It's a really deep subject which I can rant about for hours if required, but no one wants to read that! If anyone has any specific questions about voice procedures, not radio equipment, then I'm happy to answer them in this thread. Likewise, if anyone has anything specific they'd like to add or correct please chuck it below.

[n1ckh]

The only thing I can add to this is -- W.W.W

 

I know you've covered most of it cheese and I'm probably repeating what you said but this is how it was taught to me, pretty much every scenario/situation falls under the 3 W's, with practice and experience, you'll get used to it and learn so much more

 

What - what's important that your transmitting

Where - positions of yourself, your team mates and the enemy

Why - why are you transmitting, is it important

 

For communicating with all team members at once, say 'all call signs' and 'this is (your call sign) then say your message

 

If people learn the phonetic alphabet, you can be much better of with coded words, areas and situations

[two_zero]

great post

Also if not using inears/headset - switch the radio off/low while sneaking

[n1ckh]

Good point two zero, didn't take into account people without headsets etcb

 

Better to turn it down so you can just about hear it

[Chock]

I would add that when it comes to radio communication, you should attempt to moderate any accent you might have, if you a particularly broad one. By that, I don't mean you have to sound like Captain Tarquin Farquhar briefing the passengers on board his Boeing 737, on what the weather is going to be like upon arrival in Rome, but you should endeavour to make sure that any accent or dialect you have doesn't impede the clarity of your message.

[Deek]

Can I just add a point regarding the use of 'out'

 

'Out' should be used by the person originating the call to denote no further traffic from them. So, if James initiated the transmission in the first place, then James should acknowledge Aaron with the 'out', as James might want Aaron to act on the information passed.

 

Also, for the sake of brevity once communications have been started between two people then there should be no need to repeat the 'to - from' part of the transmission.

 

Example:

 

 

 

AARON this is JAMES, four blues moving to the south of the fort, heading towards fuel dump, OVER

 

 

 

 

JAMES this is AARON, roger, OVER

 

 

 

JAMES, I want you to provide covering fire so I can move into position, OVER

 

 

 

ROGER covering fire now, OVER

 

 

 

ROGER, AARON OUT

 

Everybody now knows what is going on and they are now aware that Aaron has finished his conversation.

 

The only time this should be different is if a CONTROL is in place, and then it will be the controller that will end the transmission with OUT.

 

Hope that makes sense?

[Chock]

Also. Remember to say things such as...

 

'Send three and fourpence, we're going to a dance'

 

'Broadsword Calling Danny Boy'

 

'Iron Man this is Wild Goose'

 

'UVB-76 calling Yankee Hotel Foxtrot...'

 

...every once in a while when everyone is taking it too seriously.

[cavninja]

Great guide JC, thanks, very clear and simple, just as Comms should be! No Comms, No Combat!

You're spot on with some of the inane waffle that gets passed over the net or the useless information because the listeners can't relate to "my 12 o'clock!!".

As well as doing Comms checks at the start of the day, its a good opportunity to agree on call signs, code words and lost Comms procedures.

And for those who are a little geographically vacant or in gaming areas with many similar buildings, such as FIBUA sites, a ground brief, pointing out the salient points, so everyone knows where North, South, East and West are and an agreed method for indicating specific buildings can be very useful. Most sites have small sketch maps, some can be downloaded in advance from the web, or there's always good old Google maps!

Combat net radio is one of the great aids to small unit cohesion, it can also be one of the biggest mill stones if you have a plumb that talks sh1te all the time!

 

Coven Leader to Raven, Come in Raven!!!!

[Finius]

 

I apologise in advance, there is going to be some rambling ahead!

[snip]

 

 

So, let me get this right...

 

You're suggesting, that screaming 'oi f**knugget' and derogatory remarks about various mothers at people down your radio, may not be an effective method of communication?

 

Good guide though, if more people bothered to us their radios properly, I'd think about using mine more often.

[two_zero]

suppose there is different rules in radio communication as well.. when I used radios at work a normal job would go something like this:

control: two zero two zero two zero John
two zero: two zero
control: **** going **, sending details

two zero: rodge

two zero: two zero
control: two zero
two zero: two zero POB going **
control: rodger

*except my name isn't John, thou my call sign was two zero

 

 

or some excellent example of effective radio communication from my site

bloke1: pizza afterwards?
bloke2: yea, I think I paid last time?
*silence*

bloke1: euuhm.. there's an elk here.
bloke2: you serious??
bloke1: yea.
bloke2: aim for the eyes!!

....thats the last we ever heard from bloke1

[jcheeseright]

Yeah that's not effective radio communication, pre-calling before passing a message is a waste of circuit time and pretty unprofessional. Just pass the message.

[two_zero]

sure beats controller shouting at you^^

[TheGrover]

In addition to the glossary, is Wilco (will comply) used in military operations? Or does Roger serve the same purpose? Don't hate me if it's wrong

[jcheeseright]

yes, wilco (abbreviation of will comply) is used, often in combination with roger i.e.

 

callsign this is call sign roger, wilco, out.

[cavninja]

Hmmm Wilco is an oldie, certainly not used in my time in the Army, but for airsoft? No biggie.

Others coming in to common usage "Afirm" - short for affirmative and "Break" to indicate you are pausing your message, and intend to continue. It would normally have been "Roger so far?"

[Chock]

'Break' should really be used to indicate that you have finished addressing the current recipient, but will commence addressing someone else, without ending your transmission. i.e. 'Sexbomb One, hold position - break - Muppet One, continue to the target area.'

[Undieing_Lust]

Improper radio communication is something that really bothers me to.

 

These are the radio comm rules that I learned for DEM Emergency Responders its the full PDF well worth a full read over.

 

http://www.dem.ri.gov/topics/erp/4_3.pdf

 

Its a bit like having a rifle and not knowing your stoppage drills...

 

(Edit) Oscar Mike, Infinity Ward's new favorite fetish word.

[jcheeseright]

Hmmm Wilco is an oldie, certainly not used in my time in the Army, but for airsoft? No biggie.

Others coming in to common usage "Afirm" - short for affirmative and "Break" to indicate you are pausing your message, and intend to continue. It would normally have been "Roger so far?"

 

didn't see this, wilco gets used a fair amount in aviation, it's definitely still in APP1

[Airsoft_Mr B]

 

I think I might as well leave this here as well. I know it isn't comms protocol but also something useful if you're using a radio.

[Colonel Kurtz]

damn good introductory guide, perhaps too good and i'll get less kills off people standing around with their head tilted/ear-covered suffering comms confusions