How to Talk on a Radio
The Youth Division uses the standard military method for communicating.
First, you identify the person or group that you are trying to talk to. Then, identify yourself. Example would be: Headquarters, this is The Youth Division Team 1 - do you copy? The reply would be similar: Team 1, this is Headquarters, go ahead.
You can see that you always identify the other person, then yourself.
When talking on the radio, we use military time and military phonetics.
Military time is different from 12 hours of morning and 12 hours of afternoon/evening.
With military time, we just count from the first hour of the day to the 24th hour. See charts below.
So, to say midnight, it would be pronounced, O hundred hours.
For 1:00 in the morning, you would say, O One hundred hours.
For 1:30 in the morning, you would say, O One thirty hours.
For noon, you would say, 12 hundred hours.
For midnight, 24 hundred hours (Which is the same as O hundred hours).
So, seventeen hundred hours = 5 p:m.
Spelling Out Words Over the Radio
Many times communicating over a radio can be a problem. You might wonder if the person on the other end said B or P.
Because of this, the military develops words that stand for letters in the alphabet. Below are the list of letters to words.
Example: if I was talking on the radio, and I wanted to tell the other person that I am in section D on the map, I would say that I am in section Delta. They would understand that it is only the first letter of the word that is important.
Sometimes code words are used to refer to something. There are hundreds of these, but here are a few that are commonly used:
10-4 means I acknowledge what you said.
What is your 20? Means what is your location?
5 by 5 means I can hear you loud and clear.
Wilco means I will comply.
Say Again means retransmit because I am not sure I heard what you said.
Affirmative - yes
Negative - no
Roger - means I heard the message loud and clear.
Another bit of information, typically, whoever initiates the conversation is the one who will end the conversation. This is done by simply saying “over and out”. If instructions were given, such as “We are sending a helicopter to your position”, it is good to repeat those instructions and maybe say Wilco over and out. So, you would say, “I understand the helicopter in in route. Wilco. Over and out”. Repeating instruction eliminates any doubt that you and the other party communicated efficiently.
Also, keep it simple. Don’t hold down the mic for several minutes while you stumble and mumble because you do not know what to say. Simply say, “Please stand by”.
When communicating with other groups, such as a Search & Rescue operation, it is important to know their channel on the radio.
Whenever you call Search & Rescue or any other operation, it is good to know your location. Many cell phones have a compass or GPS download that gives you your location in GPS coordinates.
Know what you are going to say before you grab the radio and start talking. Think about the questions you will be asked and get your answers ready ahead of time. For instance, a Search & Rescue operation headquarters will want to know your location if you found the missing person or persons. They will want to know how many are injured and is there going to be a safe place for the rescue helicopter to land. If doing search and rescue at night, you might want to let them know that you have an IR beacon that you will deploy for the pilots to find you.
So, first quickly evaluate you situation before you grab the radio.
Talking on the Radio with Your Team Members
Whenever you are calling headquarters or another group you use formal radio communications. That is, you say their call sign and then yours.
When there is just a team of six of you, you do not have to use call signs or be formal. You will still need to use military time and use letters to describe words (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie).
Bruce Willis in Tears of the Sun
Code Talkers
The Navajo Code Talkers used the Navajo language to send secret communications on the battlefield during World War II. The enemy was unable to understand the messages which gave the U.S. Military a strategic advantage.
At The Youth Division we can appreciate their contribution and follow in their footsteps to honor their memory and allow this generation to learn Navajo.
We will be offering classes in basic Navajo. Any Youth Division member who excels in this area can be used in our radio communications. When we play games with visitors, communicating in Navajo will allow us to have secure communications.
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_talker#/media/File:Navajo_Code_Talkers.jpg
In honor and memory of the Navajo Code Talkers, The Youth Division will be starting a Wind Talkers groups. In the near future we will offer classes in basic Navajo.