Making Voice Radio Communications Easier...

[Jonas]

Making Voice Radio Communications Easier...

OK, you’re communicating voice mode on the amateur bands, CB, or maybe just an inexpensive pair of walkie-talkies - you're transmitting at low power, or the band conditions are lousy, or your radios are about at the edge of their effective range or any combination thereof. You’re trying to get a message from your station to another station or the other station’s trying to get a message to you, and you both are having a rough time communicating. Here is the standard phonetic alphabet and the standard pro-words which every radio operator should be familiar with and use properly. These may not increase your transmitting power, make propagation better, or give your radios greater range, but they sure make communicating easier.

Phonetic Alphabet
A – Alpha – pronounced AL-fa
B - Bravo
C - Charlie
D - Delta
E – Echo – pronounced ECK-oh
F - Foxtrot
G - Golf
H - Hotel
I – India -
J - Juliet
K – Kilo – pronounced KEE-low
L – Lima – pronounced LEE-ma
M - Mike
N - November
O - Oscar
P – Papa – pronounced pa-PA
Q – Quebec – pronounced KEE-beck
R - Romeo
S - Sierra
T - Tango
U - Uniform
V - Victor
W - Whiskey
X - X-Ray
Y - Yankee
Z – Zulu

Ø - Zero (always written with the stroke through)
1 – One – pronounced WUN
2 - Two
3 – Three – pronounced TREE
4 – Four – pronounced FO-WER
5 – Five – pronounced FIFE
6 - Six
7 - Seven
8 – Eight – pronounced ATE
9 – Nine – pronounced NINER
Decimal point – pronounced POINT
Period – pronounced STOP (and written as "X")

Pro-words
“This Is” – the next words are my call-sign/name/identifier
“Figures” – my next words will be numbers, not letters
“I Spell” – I will spell out the next word letter by letter phonetically
“Affirmative” – Yes
“Negative” - No
“Say Twice” - request that broadcasting station say each word twice
“Say Again” - request that broadcasting station repeat last transmission
"Switch and answer" - change your frequency/channel to XXX and we'll resume contact on that frequency/channel.
“Roger” – I understand
“Wilco” – I understand and will comply
“Over” – Now it’s your turn to talk
“Out” – I’m through with this conversation and I’m turning off my radio

Other Prowords:
"Break" or "Break Break" - in Amateur Radio this signifies an emergency and is not used for any other purpose.
"Mayday" - emergency call when there is immediate danger to life. In most countries a false "Mayday" call comes with steep fines and imprisonment.
"Relay" - used only when you can hear two stations trying to contact each other, but the other stations cannot hear each other. You will relay information from one to another.
"Repeat" - not used on civilian radio. In the military, it requests that the artillery unit fire another salvo right where the last salvo landed.
"Roger" and "Wilco" are never used together. Neither are "Over" and "Out" despite what we've all seen in the movies.

Common Abbreviations:
From the old days of Morse code, but still widely used today.
73 - best wishes
88 - love and kisses
YL - young (and unmarried) lady
XYL - young and married lady
*note - ALL female radio operators, regardless of age, are either YLs or XYLs!

Finally, much to the dismay of us Texans, there is no official use of the pronoun "Y'all" in radio!

[Highlander]

Many of those pieces of information [ In particular pronunciation ] are not correct for the UK. and its not just an accent issue,... we say the words correctly we do not add or change the words,... I am not just talking civilian but also Military,....

Quebec is Q-BECK, we dont change it
One is One
Eight is eight we dont change it
Nine is nine we dont add to it
We dont say Wilco
I have never heard of `say twice ` when I was a signalman

Not getting at you, but you are trying to bring American ways to an already established network

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Three is Three,... a tree is a woody plant

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Five is Five,... Fife is a part of Scotland

[Jack]

Great idea sharing this Jonas thank you, Highlander is right to point out though that in the UK some of the pronunciation would be incorrect and for us in the uk a bad habit to get into early on.

Highlander, where you a railway signalman or army?

Also a practice worth while when operating a radio and one that's standard in the UK for relaying messages is to never use the "over and out" saying (lads I trained with had that beaten out of them, I learned through their example!) but instead state that "end of message, please repeat" to have the person repeat back message.
If you are receiving the message "please put the toilet seat down when your mothers visiting" and you only received the beginning part of the message ask "repeat from - please put the toilet".

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Also the three "tions" identification qualification and situation.

Eg:

Bad example "oh my god some kids just been hit by van I can help what do I do?"

Good example of all mentioned:

Jack "your speaking to Jack, I'm a paramedic, I have a child with me that's been involved in a traffic accident, I need assistance, please repeat my message back"

Operator "hello jack your a paramedic and your with someone that's been in an accident"

Jack "no that is incorrect. I am jack I am a paramedic and I am with a CHILD that has been involved in a TRAFFIC accident, please repeat my last message"

This type of communication eliminates mistakes and though sounds more long winded saves time-lives in the long run by having all parties involved informed of all the facts and so ready to react appropriately.

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You tell them who you are so they can identify with whome they have been speaking.
You tell them your qualification regardless of situation, in the railway/military this is done as the operator will no what your limitations and experience are to your role (paramedic is obvious, the bird that fetches your sandwiches on the train is trained in emergency first aid, emergency evacuation, fire etc etc.... Tell them what you are/do!
Situation: where are you, are their dangers? For example; if the roads collapsed, house on fire, etc etc...
Details are important to get across, the art is in getting them across without wasting time.

[Highlander]

Army, spent time in a Reconnaissance platoon, amongst others

[Jonas]

(22 April 2013, 21:12)Highlander Wrote: Army, spent time in a Reconnaissance platoon, amongst others

Coast Guard for me (and yes, a paramedic too). I'm not trying to "change your system". I just thought that the information might be useful. JP

[Skean Dhude]

Boy Scouts. Was kicked out because I caused too much trouble. No real experience iof anything useful if there is no power.

[Jack]

Infantry for my sins, then consultant after md.
Last year was my last in full time employ with the railway before a very long hospital stay.

A life saver twice over then Jonas! Oh I don't think either of us where suggesting you where mate, I think its great info you posted but just wanted to make sure the Brits saw the difference in Americanisms and our system.

SD, I was kicked out too for nicking skill badges from the leaders office and flogging them at 50p each to the lads...

[bigpaul]

when i was working in the telephone exchange 40 years ago, we were taught to say THREE as TH...REE and FIVE WAS FIFE !!!

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oh yes...and NINE was NINER!

[Jack]

Maybe it just sounded that way after your dodgy E Side cabling was thrown together
Iv never come across the American system being actively taught in the UK, but iv only been involved in safety critical work so may be more laxed in other sectors (or if your American "sectooor" -- tv reference --)

[Grumpy Grandpa]

(22 April 2013, 19:59)Jack Wrote: ...state that "end of message, please repeat" to have the person repeat back message.
If you are receiving the message "please put the toilet seat down when your mothers visiting" and you only received the beginning part of the message ask "repeat from - please put the toilet".

Hi Jack, My memory from 'rad op' days in the dim and distant, tells me this was "Read back", not "Repeat", which could get someone dead when the next salvo dropped on their head, as in, "read back, over" or "read back from..."