ROAD CLOSED ROADBLOCK BLUE “CONTROL, CONTROL. ROADBLOCK BLUE. OVER.” “ROADBLOCK BLUE. CONTROL. GO AHEAD. OVER.”

Communication
Best Practices

Part 1

Tactical callsigns

ROAD CLOSED ROADBLOCK BLUE
Tactical callsigns

What is a tactical callsign?

At larger events we often use tactical callsigns for a responder, a group of responders, a role or a location.

  • The callsign stays with the person, group, role or location, even if people move.
  • For example, “ROADBLOCK BLUE” means any responder at that roadblock.
  • If you have the radio at Roadblock Blue, your callsign is “ROADBLOCK BLUE”.
  • If you leave that location, give the radio to a responder who remains there, unless you're instructed otherwise.
CONTROL Role stays the same
Another example

“CONTROL” is a role

“CONTROL” is a role, not an individual. The person may change during a duty cycle, but the role stays the same.

Part 2

Voice procedure

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Why it matters

Why best practice is important

Communicating at distance needs a set process.

  1. You could be miles apart and not expecting a call.
  2. You could be in a noisy environment.
  3. Comms can be busy, and it's easy to get confused about who is calling or who is being answered.
  4. It avoids mistakes and misunderstandings.
On Zello or radio

Making and answering a call

Calling someone

  1. Say the name of who you're calling, twice!They may not hear you the first time, or background noise may hide who the call is for.
  2. Say your name or tactical callsignSo they know who is calling.
  3. Say “OVER”So they know you've finished talking and are waiting for a reply.
  4. Wait for them to respond.
Example

“CONTROL, CONTROL. ROADBLOCK BLUE. OVER.”

Responding to a call

  1. Say the name of who you're responding toSo everyone knows who is being replied to.
  2. Say your name or tactical callsignFor example, “CONTROL”, so they know who is calling.
  3. Say “GO AHEAD”Give an instruction: “GO AHEAD” for them to continue, or “WAIT ONE” if you're busy.
  4. Say “OVER”So they know you've finished talking and are waiting for a reply.
Example

“ROADBLOCK BLUE. CONTROL. GO AHEAD. OVER.”

The conversation can now continue. It's best practice to use callsigns at the start of every transmission.

Common words and phrases

What the words mean

“OVER”

You've finished talking and the other party can reply.

“OUT”

The conversation is finished. Do not reply. In a group, only Control should use it, to end a conversation and let other responders know they're free to call.

Control only, in a group

“GO AHEAD”

Continue with your message.

“WAIT ONE” / “STANDBY”

Please wait. I'm busy, but I've heard your call and will get back to you.

“SAY AGAIN”

Please repeat, or “I WILL REPEAT”, for example when reading back a licence plate.

“MESSAGE RECEIVED”

I have heard and understood your message.

“NO DUFF, NO DUFF”

This situation is real. Keep the channel clear unless necessary.

“ACKNOWLEDGE”

Let me know that you have received and understood this message.

“AFFIRMATIVE”

Yes, or that is correct.

“NEGATIVE”

No, or that is not correct.

“READ BACK”

Repeat my message back to me so I can confirm it is correct.

Please don't

Please don't say “ROGER!” or “OVER AND OUT”

That's a cake fine!

Urgent and emergency calls

When it can't wait

“BREAK, BREAK”

If you need to interrupt an ongoing conversation, key up the radio when one of the parties stops speaking. Wait for one of them, or Control, to respond to your break message.

“EMERGENCY, EMERGENCY, EMERGENCY”

ALL COMMUNICATION STOPS SO CONTROL OR A TEAM MEMBER CAN RESPOND TO YOU.

Spelling

Use the phonetic alphabet

We spell things out a lot, for example licence plates.

GBAB12CDE
AlphaBravoNumber 1Number 2CharlieDeltaEcho
AAlpha
BBravo
CCharlie
DDelta
EEcho
FFoxtrot
GGolf
HHotel
IIndia
JJuliett
KKilo
LLima
MMike
NNovember
OOscar
PPapa
QQuebec
RRomeo
SSierra
TTango
UUniform
VVictor
WWhiskey
XX-ray
YYankee
ZZulu
Numbers

Saying numbers

Don't just say the number. It can be hard to understand. Always say the word “NUMBER” first.

673→ “NUMBER 6”“NUMBER 7”“NUMBER 3”