Communications & Radio Ettiquette

Radio Etiquette

Radio priority: This is difficult but understand that there is no point in getting on the radio unless it is free. If you key in while another is talking you are cutting him off and not getting thru yourself. So Stay off the radio while others are speaking. Priority tends to fall to 1st on gets to talk so it is important to try and allow the team leaders to use the radios most and all players should learn to listen extra carefully to these leaders on the radio as they will be giving out instructions and asking for reports that are vital to the team effort. Therefore, try to use the radio mostly to report when called on and use it for your own communications sparingly as needed.
Priority list
1st Priority - Team leader has radio priority (Usually Blackdog or Buckshot)
2nd Priority – Squad leaders (Usually Buckshot, Rodman or Dagwood, Cdnballer)
3rd Priority – Radio leads (Dominant radio person in each pair or their partner when KIA)
4th priority – Everyone else should be reporting when called on but otherwise, mostly listen.

Proper call etiquette:
When keying in, be sure to hold the PTT for a second before talking or your first words will be cut off.
Also keep the PTT pressed a second or 2 after you finish speaking so the last words aren’t cut off.
Always start by addressing : “Blackdog calling Buckshot, Blackdog calling Buckshot” Repeat everything!
Wait for reply: “Buckshot Here!, Buckshot here!”
Continue: ” Buckshot, send squads to flank right, thru the valley, send squads to flank right, thru the valley”
Reply: “ Buckshot roger, will send flankers right thru the valley, Roger, Flankers right thru the valley!”

-Repeat everything!
-Use addressing, even if you don’t have a handle to call on, call to the Left flank, or to the team in whole.
-Wait for replies so you know someone is listening.
-Be sure to reply to EVERY call where you are addressed, but not unless you are addressed.
-If it is a general call to the left flank then reply if you are leading left flank.
-If it is a general call to the team then wait a second to see if the team leaders reply, else reply yourself.

-Individual player use: Players will also need to use the radios to report their deaths and other tactical data, they may also need to use radios when needing instructions or support. Please keep this sort of communications limited as much as possible. And be sure to use addressing to let others know who is calling for help. Try to slip it in between other communications as best as possible so you don’t interrupt main coms.

If you can not get a response from a player. Try a second time, if that doesn’t yield result, the players may be on Radio quiet or having radio issues. DOnt flog a dead horse, call his partner to report or another close player to try and achieve coms with the intended recipient. Verify his status and radio status.

Content: OK, to keep communications efficient, here are the types of things that should be communicated:
-Useful communications:
_To report your death to the team – “Blackdog - Im KIA – going to the MASH”
_To report enemy sighting to the team – “ Blackdog, I have 2 Opfor in the trees at 11 and 11:30”
_To report achieved objective to the team “Blackdog, I have the flag, returning to base, cover me!”
_To report kills to your team commanders so they know how many left to kill – “ Dragon to BD, 2 Opfor eliminated on left flank.”
_To report your position when asked “ Blackdog, Im on Blood alley 1 bunker back from Bloodbridge, shooting at Gloriabase!”
_To report your status when asked “Blackdog, Im pinned down at Kwai bridge head, send support!”
_To call your partners attention for hand signals or quick instructions = “Blackdog to Buckhot, look to me, on your rear left!”
_ For quick instructions between squads when you are the radio lead for your squad. – “ Buckshot to Ltd, whats your teams status & location?”

Key words:
KIA – Killed in action
MASH – main gear area
OPFOR – Opposing forces – the enemy
REGEN – regeneration point, not the main MASH
LOOK TO ME – Look at the caller – he has visual signals for you.
RALLY ON ME – gather at the callers position.
FLANK –Sneak around the enemy to get a side or back shot.
BUNKER HIM – Lay down constant fire on a player behind a bunker so he cant move and send you partner up to demand his surrender or shoot him.
COVER FIRE – lay down general fire on the opfor positons so your players can move (like bunkering but less specific)
COMS – Communications
STEALTH - QUIET MODE – Player is sniping/hiding or flanking and is unable to communicate during this time. Usage: “ BD gone Stealth”
SITREP – (Situation report)Status – R U and your partner alive? Where are yu located and what OPFOR are you facing. Any equipment issues?
RADIOS 5 BY 5 – Quality of Coms – Excellent. Rating out of 5.
STAND-BY 1-5 – Standby, am busy will reply in 1-5 minutes (State how many)
Repeat: ask to have last instructions repeated – “ BD, Repeat last please”


SITREP: (the leaders will be calling for this report most commonly!)

SITREP – (Situation report) – 4 Key parts: (this always refers to you & your partner, so whoever answers for you pair answers for both, unless the other player is KIA or MIA in which case you would report that so the leader can try and contact that player directly)

1/ Health – both partners are alive and together? In contact?
2/ Status – Any equipment issues, air or paint low, radio 5 by 5?
3/ Location – Where are you & your partner located?
4/ Opfor – Location of any Enemy you have encountered?

Call: “ Blackdog to Rodman, what is your Sitrep?”

Reply “ Rodman here, we are both here together, At the green fence, 2 opfor spotted, 1 at Heartbreak tower, the other in Bunkerland. Ballers radio is 0 by 5! I repeat : Rodman here: we are together, At the green fence, 2 opfor spotted, 1 at Heartbreak tower, the other in Bunkerland. Ballers radio is 0 by 5! Instructions??

Response “ Understood Rodman, both at green fence, 2 opfor tower & bunkerland, ballers radio is dead! Please stay togethor and proceed up yellow rope for rear flank on Tower Opfor, then hold tower and report. Verify?”

Reply: “Rodman to Blackdog, understood, proceeding up yellow rope as pair, will report when at tower position.”

You get the idea, locating by position is much easier to understand when possible, but be sure it is an Un-ambigous reference point, ie, don’t say : I am behind the big tree on the trail. Which trail and which big tree. This is why we have tried to add reference points to our field. On other fields we will develop them as we can. A more useful system than the clock is the field zone system to give general location on any field.

Spotting:

Spotting the enemy is one of the most important jobs on the paintball field. When you spot an OPFOR, be sure to let your players know! Use the radio but if you have to and your position is already known, yell it out! I am not a huge fan of on field yelling, fine for speedball where there is little cover, but in woodsball it gives you away too much, use it cautiously, even if you think your position is known, it may not be known exactly and it may be only known by one player, if you start yelling too much, ALL the OPFOR will know where you are and you will be aiding them in sending guys to creep up on you while you are yelling and cant hear them approaching.

On the radio, you need to note the number of Opfor you have encountered and where they are.
It is pointless to use the clock system unless you have some bearing on the spotters position. If he calls out 2 Opfor at 11 oclock and you have no idea where he is, it means very littleunless you can see the caller, so here are some conventions to use:

12 oclock is always directly up the field towards the enemy starting position, if it was hockey, 12 oclock would be the OPFOR net! Obviously 6 oclock is a retreat and back towards your base.

Use the clock system only when you must, it is way more efficient to use specific locations as reference points! Always give your location before reporting OPFOR locations.

Zones:

Belts: 3 belts on any field (Again, like hockey, think of the blue lines)

Friendly zone – friendly end of field
Battle zone – Center of field where most fighting occurs.
Enemy Zone – Enemies end of the field

5 Avenues on any field

Far left
Near Left
Center
Near Right
Far Right

Combine these to give you
Far left/Friendly to Far Right/Enemy zone across the field, useful way of giving your basic location.


OK, This is pretty basic stuff that I will be presenting at the next Vimy game. All you have to do is read it(or listen to me) and try to grasp the ideas. If you were to take 2 things out of this piece of training it would be:

1/ The 8 basic Hand Signals! (see 'Training Materials/Hand Signals' thread in this forum)

2/ The SITREP report! and it's 4 parts!

These alone will give us enough common ground to communicate efficiently, both on the radio & using visual hand signals.
Lets try and work these into our game play wherever possible! The more players we get on radios the better, especially, 1 player in each pair.