This page is about playing a video game. It is not medical, tactical, or safety advice for real life, and nothing here should be used as such.
Good radio work is short, clear, and predictable. The procedure on this page is the real one, shared by allied militaries, so that anyone can step onto any net and be understood. We keep the parts that make a net easy to listen to, and drop the parts that only matter when someone is trying to jam you or listen in.
In game
Nobody here will correct you for getting a word wrong. Clear beats correct. If the format goes out of your head, say what you see in plain words.
Before you press the key
- Listen first. If someone is talking, wait. Two people sending at once means neither is heard.
- Think, then talk. Know what you are going to say before you start.
- Keep it short. For a long message, stop every phrase or two and let go of the key, so someone with something urgent can break in.
- Speak normally. A steady voice at normal volume. Shouting distorts.
The shape of a call
Who you are calling, who you are, your message, then OVER or OUT.
On the radio
"Anvil One, this is Anvil Two. Crossing the road now. Over."
"Anvil Two, this is Anvil One. Roger. Out."
By the book
The station being called is named first, then THIS IS and your own call sign. When the net is clear, call signs are sent once, not repeated.
In game
Inside your own fireteam, once a conversation is going, drop the call signs: "Roger, moving." Use the full form when you call another element, when the net is busy, or when it has been quiet for a while.
Procedure words
Each of these has one meaning. Use the word in place of a sentence.
| Say | It means |
|---|---|
| THIS IS | The call sign that follows is mine. |
| OVER | I have finished and I need an answer. Go ahead. |
| OUT | I have finished and no answer is needed. |
| ROGER | I received your last transmission. |
| WILCO | I received it, I understand it, and I will do it. |
| CORRECT | You have it right. |
| NEGATIVE | No. |
| SAY AGAIN | Send your whole transmission again. |
| SAY AGAIN ALL AFTER | Send again everything after the word I name. |
| I SAY AGAIN | I am sending again what I just sent. |
| CORRECTION | I made a mistake. The right version follows. |
| WAIT | I need a few seconds. |
| WAIT OUT | I need longer than a few seconds. I will call you back. |
| BREAK | A gap between two parts of the same message. |
| I SPELL | I am about to spell a word with the phonetic alphabet. |
| FIGURES | Numbers follow. |
| READ BACK | Send my whole transmission back to me exactly as you heard it. |
| RELAY TO | Pass this message on to the station I name. |
| NOTHING HEARD | I called and got no answer. |
| UNKNOWN STATION | I do not know your call sign. Used to call someone you cannot identify. |
| SPEAK SLOWER | You are talking too fast. |
| WORDS TWICE | Reception is bad. Send each phrase twice. |
| SILENCE, said three times | Everyone stop sending, now. |
Three habits that mark someone who knows the procedure:
- OVER or OUT, never both. OVER asks for an answer and OUT says none is coming.
- ROGER or WILCO, never both. WILCO already includes ROGER.
- WILCO comes only from the person the instruction was for. ROGER means you heard it. It does not mean you agree or will do it.
Say SAY AGAIN, not "repeat". In military use "repeat" is kept for asking artillery to fire the same mission again.
In game
Plenty of us say "affirmative" for yes and "copy" for roger. Both are understood and nobody minds. The one worth being strict about is OVER and OUT, because it tells everyone else on the net whether they can talk yet.
Letters and numbers
Spell with the phonetic alphabet whenever a letter matters: a grid, a waypoint, a call sign.
| A Alfa | H Hotel | O Oscar | V Victor |
| B Bravo | I India | P Papa | W Whiskey |
| C Charlie | J Juliett | Q Quebec | X X-ray |
| D Delta | K Kilo | R Romeo | Y Yankee |
| E Echo | L Lima | S Sierra | Z Zulu |
| F Foxtrot | M Mike | T Tango | |
| G Golf | N November | U Uniform |
Numbers are sent one digit at a time. 44 is "four four". 500 is "five zero zero".
By the book
The spoken forms are ZE-ROH, WUN, TOO, TREE, FOW-ER, FIFE, SIX, SEV-UN, AIT, NINE-ER, with the word FIGURES before a number.
In game
Send numbers one digit at a time and you have done the part that matters. Nobody expects TREE and FIFE. NINER is worth keeping, because "nine" and "five" are easy to confuse on a bad connection.
Radio check
On the radio
"Anvil One, this is Anvil Two. Radio check. Over."
"Anvil Two, this is Anvil One. Roger. Over."
"Anvil One, this is Anvil Two. Roger. Out."
By the book
ROGER on its own means you are heard fine. Strength and readability are only described when there is a problem: how strong (loud, good, weak, very weak, fading) and how readable (clear, readable, distorted, with interference, intermittent, unreadable). For example, "weak but readable".
In game
Do your radio checks on each net during the brief, before we step off. Not in the middle of the operation.
Reporting what you see: SALUTE
SALUTE is the standard way to report an enemy, or anything else worth knowing about. Six things, in order:
| Letter | Say | Example |
|---|---|---|
| S | Size: how many | Six infantry |
| A | Activity: what they are doing | Setting up a roadblock |
| L | Location: where | Crossroads north of the fuel depot |
| U | Uniform: what they look like | Green camouflage, no helmets |
| T | Time: when you saw it | Now |
| E | Equipment: weapons and vehicles | One truck with a heavy machine gun |
On the radio
"Anvil One, this is Anvil Two. SALUTE report. Over."
"Anvil Two, send it. Over."
"Size, six infantry. Activity, setting up a roadblock. Location, crossroads north of the fuel depot. Uniform, green camouflage, no helmets. Time, now. Equipment, one truck with a heavy machine gun. Over."
In game
When you are being shot at there is no time for six lines. Send the short version first, direction, distance, and what it is: "Contact, north, two hundred meters, infantry." Follow with the SALUTE when you can.
What we leave out, and what we keep
In game
Real nets authenticate callers, rank messages by urgency, and send dates and times in a fixed form. None of that does anything for us, so we skip it.
The real rules also forbid chatter. Here the operation sets the tone: on a relaxed night the squad net can be relaxed, but keep the command net for the operation.
One real rule we keep exactly as written: no losing your temper on the radio.
Sources
This page is adapted for a game. Where it differs from the source, it says so. Read the current edition at the source for the real thing.
Reviewed by staff on . Version 1, updated .