GZ Weekender/NAE 2012

[craig]

we will have to figure out something in the first hour of the game as setting up any thing before hand could be in vain, ill stress this again batts for your scopes peq's and comms

just had a look on the GZ page they have over 1200 people so far or as i see it "target rich environment"

[jcheeseright]

That sounds like a pretty good deal to me, my preference would be for the surplus bowman headset and separate PTT, I've made extensive use of the bowman headsets at work and they're really very good.

 

East midlands is a bit far for me, I'm in Devon, perfectly happy to trust you with bringing the kit along though.

 

With regards channels, The stepping for VHF frequencies is .25 MHz, so there are literally thousands of available channels to use. Even with 1600 people there I don't think there'll be much of a problem finding a quiet frequency.

[joshcowin]

just seen no rubber knife's damn there go's my bayonet if every one has a radio we will have to find out what fq every one else is on with around 1600 people there will be a lot of radio chatter

that seems a bit harsh and they must have enforced it this year because a few people had them and one delta player got 5 others with his.their was also a guy who went into the enemys base with a claymore strapped to his chest then opened hi jacket

[craig]

back in 2010 two others and my self did a bayonet charge it was a very bad but epic idea the claymore striped to the chest idea is something my brother dose as well

[Ian_Gere]

That sounds like a pretty good deal to me, my preference would be for the surplus bowman headset and separate PTT, I've made extensive use of the bowman headsets at work and they're really very good.

 

East midlands is a bit far for me, I'm in Devon, perfectly happy to trust you with bringing the kit along though.

 

With regards channels, The stepping for VHF frequencies is .25 MHz, so there are literally thousands of available channels to use. Even with 1600 people there I don't think there'll be much of a problem finding a quiet frequency.

OK - here's the Skirmish Forum thread that is the hub of info regarding this deal. You joining the cabal gives us 4, so we can go ahead with the radios @£12.50 each. I'm asking everyone to use PayPal to Personal Gift me their share, so PM for my PP addy (I'll give you my full deets too). If you read that thread you'll see I'm planning to get whichever headsets we choose on or just after 07/08/12. If we do go for the surplus Bowmans, I'm leaning toward wiring them direct to the PTT's, because, given the time frame, I don't need anything to be any more complex than necessary and sourcing the right plugs or new plugs and sockets, not only adds to the soldering but introduces another element where we are dependant on post arriving in time. Obviously I'd do it neatly so you could get the socket refitted later should you want to.

 

The channels thing isn't entirely straightforward - each PMR446 radio has 8 Channels and many also have the ability to encode the speech information differently while transmitting on one of those 8 Channels. This is what they call the sub channels or codes for privacy. After using a Cobra today, in a network consisting of 2 Cobra MT700's and 2 Motorola Talkabouts (the Cobra was pretty crappy, but apparently it is old and has had a lot of use), I've discovered that the sub channel codes are compatible across different manufacturers' platforms (However, James, the TLKR T4 seems to just have the 8 basic channels. I don't think it matters, because we'll need some codewords and radio drill no matter how many sub channels we might have had, because we'd have no way of knowing who was listening, especially since many radios incorporate a scan feature.)

[craig]

radio drill is a good idea but could go backwards if its not explained properly or in a rush as you cant cram 26 weeks of signal training into half a hour if you keep it to basics we should be fine ill throw up my old radio stuff tomorrow if you'd like

[Ian_Gere]

radio drill is a good idea but could go backwards if its not explained properly or in a rush as you cant cram 26 weeks of signal training into half a hour if you keep it to basics we should be fine ill throw up my old radio stuff tomorrow if you'd like

Brilliant! I mean, I may sound like I know what I'm on about here, but actually I have no more clue than I can dimly remember from ATC back in '81-'83 and, believe me, there has been a lot more water under the bridge than the simple tally of years would suggest. Of course there's also the media, but much of that is yank. I swear, if I ever catch myself uttering the word "niner" into a radio, I will have to give myself a damn good talking to, possibly even do penance!

 

One thing I noticed, while using a radio for the 1st time airsofting, yesterday was that the usefulness of what was actually being transmitted was totally random - we'd had no prior conversation about when to give a "sitrep" and what to mention, we had no "call signs" and the audio I was receiving was distorted enough that it was difficult and mostly impossible to tell who was speaking, so if I missed something all I could say was "say again" - to whom? Obviously anybody that had transmitted in the past few seconds; is that the question, an answer, which answer? The radios were really only useful when talking to someone whom we knew could see what we were seeing, to identify targets without shouting and waving arms about basically.

[Ian_Gere]

that seems a bit harsh and they must have enforced it this year because a few people had them and one delta player got 5 others with his.their was also a guy who went into the enemys base with a claymore strapped to his chest then opened hi jacket

Hmmm... I think I'll take my training knife then, just in case, but leave the sword idea alone!

[jcheeseright]

No snags reference comms discipline, I can give everyone who needs it a brief primer on RT procedures on Friday night if needed. Codewords are more of an issue as they have limited usefulness when not everyone is 100% familiar, sometimes they're counter productive, as I remember when speaking to an American aircraft once, desperately trying to convey the meaning of the codeword 'woodpecker' without actually saying it. Taking a compass and using a COVEC (covered vector) is always handy for passing directions also.

 

It's all moot though, since even signallers default to 'over there by the south corner of the compound!' once under a bit of pressure!

 

Having looked through some reviews of the element headset, I now think they're probably the better option, surplus ones are great but 'sold as seen' is less than encouraging!

 

Have sent you a PM for PayPal details, will send you the initial £12.50 straight away an then top-up whatever the headset costs either via PayPal before the event or cash when we get there, whichever works best for you.

[Liam Porter]

We are booking into Delta team, right?

[joshcowin]

yeah delta hoo rah

[craig]

ill throw up a page of basic stuff for radio usage and whet ever else i can remember from the signal's later tonight

[Ian_Gere]

Emailed you, James.

 

Good plans re radio procedure, lads. I'm not suggesting we try to learn a whole lexicon of code words for every possibility, just a handful for circumstances we can be pretty sure would need a codeword to deal with - like some penis disrupting our comms by transmitting taunts etc. on the same channel - we'd need to be able to all change to another channel without giving away which one, right?

[craig]

here you go

Radio shack

also after reading this i think i would be best if we had a radio operator to keep every one in check

[jcheeseright]

There are Codewords already for those things, I'll compile a cheat sheet to bring along with me, changing channels is fairly straightforward also, you just encode the number of the channel/sub channel you're switching to. Best way i know, and the method the navy use is a low grade code called ramrod. Very easy to teach and use.

 

Providing everyone uses correct terminology and isn't too verbose there's no need fr an operator/coordinator.

[Ian_Gere]

Craig, are you going to be sans mobile phone when you're in England?

[Jacob Wright]

Hi y'all,

 

I booked my place on Delta a while back and I've just caught up on everything that's happened on this thread since about April

 

Have we got any tactical plans or is it just "try to be tactical, but probably get picked off as quickly as everyone else"

 

Cheers,

 

11B

[joshcowin]

hi do you wanted to be added to the af-uk list and im not sure on objectives.if a few get picked off the group soon gets seperated

[Jacob Wright]

Yeah might as well. And that's true. I normally end up on my own stalking people with just the 45, but I'm just as happy to be in a group attacking somewhere.

[craig]

new plan send the navy guys in first and see what happens

[Ian_Gere]

I'd like us to come up with some "standing orders" concerning things like returning to the squad after regen (because even with radio comms, I can think of a few scenarios off the top of my head where radios/mobile phones wouldn't help) and what the remainder of the squad should do at different casualty levels.

 

I just think it would be really cool to get, if not the, maximum benefit possible out of working as a team, then at least the benefit of not having to traipse hundreds of metres to regen so often, which we ought to be able to achieve by such simple expedients as the military use, like named individuals detailed to be 'point', 'scout/s' and 'rearguard', which we can all take stints at, and pre-organised roles in a/some 'contact drill/s' - like 'base of fire' to suppress the enemy and try to pin them in place, 'battle buddy' pairs to give specific covering fire while the other moves and vice versa, an 'assault group' consisting of two 'fire teams', one hopefully made up of left handers, but both filled by the faster moving squad members, whose job it would be to close with the enemy, taking advantage of support from the base of fire, and hose 'em!

 

One of my points then is that when the squad is 'reduced', just like IRL, its 'combat effectiveness' falls off exponentially, so it could well make more sense to disengage, go defensive, and wait for regen-ed members. As far as I understand it, part of the 'advance to contact' drill is to pick a rally point as you pass it and then we'd have a pre-arranged withdrawal procedure for if the rally point becomes untenable.

 

Am I just talking out of my arse here, expecting too much from us in terms of commitment and/or skill, or does anybody else like the sound of these ideas?

[Jacob Wright]

Sounds like a good idea I reckon. We could do some dry runs Friday night?

[craig]

my wee brother Jason has came up with a good idea

two main teams alpha and bravo with people who work well in a group and a raci team echo with people that are more independent

the reci team will go in front and bumps the enemy then they holds up radio in and then alpha and bravo come in flank, suppress and slot them, then we all move on and find more enemy target's the same way

 

"find the enemy develop the situation and kill 'em all"

[Jacob Wright]

@Craig sounds like a good, basic idea without complicating things.

 

On another note, do we want a Facebook page to ease comms or does everyone want to have a group chat on Skype? Just thinking it'd be easier than PM's and the forum if we had an arranged time and date?

[craig]

who is going since the booking is now closed i plan to put our team in the NAE teams section