Guide to Two-Way Radio Communication Lingo
Short-hand expressions and codes are useful for radio communication, especially when you need to transfer information quickly. Remember, it’s important to make sure everyone’s on the same page with which terminology you’re using and what it all means, so make sure all radio users know and understand all the terms in advance. You may decide to just use plain English, or just use a few of these terms instead of all of them – whichever helps your team to communicate effectively.
- Roger that = “Message received and understood”
- Roger so far = Confirming part way through a long message that you’ve understood the message so far
- Affirmative = Yes
- Negative = No
- Come in = Asking another party to acknowledge they can hear you
- Go ahead = I am ready for your message
- Say again = Repeat all of your last message
- Say all before/after = Repeat all before/after a certain phrase or word if you didn’t catch part of the message
- Over = Message finished, inviting others to respond if needed
- Out = Conversation is finished, no answer is required or expected
- Radio check = What’s my signal strength? Can you hear me?
- Read you loud and clear = Your transmission signal is good, I can hear you fine
- Wilco = Abbreviation of “I will comply”, means the speaker will complete the task that’s been asked of them
- Break, break = Interruption to a transmission to communicate urgently
- Emergency, emergency = Distress call, only to be used when there is an imminent danger to life and immediate assistance is required
- Stand by = Wait for a short period and I will get back to you
- Wait out = Waiting period is longer than I expected, I will get back to you as soon as possible
- I spell = The next word will be spelled out using the phonetic alphabet
You may decide to use code words, e.g. “Code blue” for a non-crucial incident, “Code yellow” for a non-dangerous incident that still requires an immediate response, and “Code red” for a dangerous or serious incident that requires an immediate response.
If you work in the security sector, you may use terms like “Cyclone” meaning a violent situation or “Tanto” to request immediate backup. If you are in the marine or aviation industries, you might use “Mayday” if there is a life-threatening emergency.
The phonetic alphabet is internationally recognised and used and if you’ve ever tried to spell something over a radio you’ll understand why – it makes things much simpler.
- A = Alpha
- B = Bravo
- C = Charlie
- D = Delta
- E = Echo
- F = Foxtrot
- G = Golf
- H = Hotel
- I = India
- J = Juliet
- K = Kilo
- L = Lima
- M = Mike
- N = November
- O = Oscar
- P = Papa
- Q = Quebec
- R = Romeo
- S = Sierra
- T = Tango
- U = Uniform
- V = Victor
- W = Whiskey
- X = X-ray
- Y = Yankee
- Z = Zulu
Content copied from https://www.2cl.co.uk/essential-guide-to-two-way-radio-lingo/
