- Hold the radio or microphone close to the mouth.
- Keep portable radio antenna vertical.
- To achieve the best range, operate from the highest point possible.
- Push transmit button BEFORE speaking!
- Don’t cut in on other transmissions.
- All users transmit and receive on the same channel, and must therefore take turns to speak.
- If two people send at once, neither station will be heard.
- Use allocated call signs.
- When making the initial contact, first mention the call sign of the station you are trying to contact, and then identify yourself.
- “OVER” must be used during all ongoing messages to indicate a break in transmission.
- Use the Phonetic Alphabet for Letters and Call Signs.
- Figures are sent digit by digit.
- If your communications are scratchy, move a small distance. A couple of meters could make a big difference.
- Finish the conversation with the word “OUT“.
- Speak clearly.
CALLING STATION | MESSAGE | COMMENT |
---|---|---|
ROMEO 1 | "MIKE ONE THREE, THIS IS ROMEO ONE, OVER" | Making contact with M13 |
MIKE 13 | "MIKE ONE THREE, SEND " | Transmit your message |
ROMEO 1 | "Are the cyclists there yet? OVER" | Question |
MIKE 13 | "Affirmative, OVER" | Answer |
ROMEO 1 | "Thank You, OUT" | Transmission ended! |
- NOTE: SEND has the same meaning as OVER, and means that you have permission to transmit your message.
- Emergency messages are preceded by the proword PRIORITY, e.g. ”SWEEP EIGHT FIVE, PRIORITY”
- Listening carefully is as important as talking properly!
Remember: Always put Brain into gear before engaging Mouth!
INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABET
LETTER WORD PRONOUNCIATION A ALPHA (AL FAH) B BRAVO (BRAH VOH) C CHARLIE (CHAR LEE) D DELTA (DELL TAH) E ECHO (ECK OH) F FOXTROT (FOKS TROT) G GOLF (GOLF) H HOTEL (HOH TELL) I INDIA (IN DEE AH) J JULIET (JEW LEE ETT) K KILO (KEY LOH) L LIMA (LEE MAH) M MIKE (MIKE) N NOVEMBER (NO VEM BER) O OSCAR (OSS CAH) P PAPA (PAH PAH) Q QUEBEC (KEH BECK) R ROMEO (ROW ME OH) S SIERRA (SEE AIR RAH) T TANGO (TANG GO) U UNIFORM (YOU NEE FORM) V VICTOR (VIK TAH) W WHISKEY (WISS KEY) X X-RAY (ECKS RAY) Y YANKEE (YANG KEY) Z ZULU (ZOO LOO)
FIGURES
NUMBER | PRONUNCIATION | NUMBER | PRONUNCIATION |
---|---|---|---|
1 | WUN | 6 | SIX |
2 | TOO | 7 | SEV-EN |
3 | TREE | 8 | AIT |
4 | FOW-ER | 9 | NIN-ER |
5 | FIFE | 0 | ZE-RO |
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