Jargon & Procedure

[fixer 4,472]

"over" - I am done talking and am waiting for your response.

"out" - I am done talking and am not waiting for your response.

"prepare to copy" - I am sending you information that you will need to write down.

"how copy?" - did you understand and write down my last transmission?

"break" - I am still talking, but am breaking the transmission into smaller pieces.

"wait, over" - please stand by for a moment.

"wait, out" - I will call you back when I get the info you want.

"say again" - I missed something.

"say again all after..." - I missed what came after a certain word.

Use "affirmative" and "negative" instead of "yes" and "no"

Never use profanity.

Always establish who you are and to whom you are speaking

Speak clearly and effectively.

You will learn more of this as you do it. Also, be advised that militia persons may tend to co-mingle CB jargon with any radio communications. Make sure you brush up on that, as well, GOOD BUDDY.

[BuryTheHatchet 1,073]

10 - 4

 

...and make sure your squad leader gives you the proper authentication and reply for the day. Just saying...

[Whiskey6 520]

With tactical Commo, there's more to it than just proper PRO words. Knowing the formula, if you will, of tactical communications is vital. Romeo11 Romeo11 <Them>, This is Romeo Bravo <you>, OVER.

Romeo Bravo, Romeo11, Go ahead, OVER.

Romeo11, Romeo6 Actual Wants eyes on target, CONFIRM, OVER.

Romeo Bravo, Eyes on target, ROGER. OUT.

 

All comms start with who you want, then who you are, then the message, then the close. Knowing procedural words is just the tip of the tactical comms iceberg!

[Call Sign ROOSTER 14]

This protocol is more critical outside of I reread comms. Operating within you team or squad you will open the conversation with call signs but during you know the voice of your team mates and continue to communicate with out call signs until closing. That's how my platoon s have always operated. More often then not it would go like ". Godfather...Ginger..over". "Send it". "Ginger what's your 20 over?". "We are 1 click ahead of you running in the north bound lane over."

[Whiskey6 520]

I agree and disagree, Rooster. I'm a commo SGT, so I'm privy to why we practice and enforce formal comms even on team comm nets. That is so that if/when those soldiers wind up operating on other nets, they conform to the standards and eliminates mistakes and misunderstanding. This is very important, the way you practice and operate now, is the way you will operate during a firefight. Now, I agree with knowing your teams voice over radio, and in a hasty situation, brevity up your comms, formality goes out the window in a firefight, if you are working with your team. If you and I operate our teams on a standard setup (three nets, one yours, one mine, one ours), and one of your folks came over informally on the shared net or on my net, I'd have a right case of the ass for that person.

[Call Sign ROOSTER 14]

100% agree, your internal is your internal. It would be the same for us. When not on your own net we go by the book. You just have to know your audience, as is with everything.

[Erik Hanson 110]

Rooster is right. Even when I was active duty, we talked on platoon comms way different than on battalion

[Whiskey6 520]

My point was that training militia members proper radio etiquette and use of PROwords is important. Within a small team, yes, we will be lazy and improper, as long as the communication is effective that's all that matters. But we still need to teach and enforce the standard, if we wish to be capable of integrating into the NMCA structure. If a militia member has no background in military comms is suddenly thrust into a crisis and is helping out, at best, they'll just be laughed at, at worst, they may cost lives.

[Call Sign ROOSTER 14]

My point was that training militia members proper radio etiquette and use of PROwords is important. Within a small team, yes, we will be lazy and improper, as long as the communication is effective that's all that matters. But we still need to teach and enforce the standard, if we wish to be capable of integrating into the NMCA structure. If a militia member has no background in military comms is suddenly thrust into a crisis and is helping out, at best, they'll just be laughed at, at worst, they may cost lives.

Copy Whiskey6...We do teach the proper verbiage in my team, we even make it manditory to do radio checks on the way into each meeting. we rotate the meeting to a different team members house/location of there choice, and we have them log there first contact point and areas of no contact from there on in to base. that way every member has a area coverage map of there immediate area.