CAP Communications Orientation Class

1
CAP Communications Orientation Class
Voice of Command
2
CAP Radio Operator Authorization
Authorization is done in two phases

• Communications Orientation Class
• 1-2 Hour Class on
• Standard Operating Procedures
• Local Operating Procedures
• Entitles CAP member to operate a CAP Radio
• Issued a CAPF 76, Radio Operators Permit by Wing
  or higher headquarters
• Advanced Communications User Training
• 4 Hour Class
• Pass the Advanced Communications User Test, CAPF
  119
• Entitles CAP member to be assigned a call sign
  for their radio
• Required as part of the Communications Specialty
  Track

3
CAP Radio Station Licensing

• CAP is a considered a federal agency, thus its
  Radio Stations are authorized by the National
  Telecommunications and Information Administration
  (NTIA)
• Public stations are licensed by the FCC
• Federal agencies are not allowed to use services
  allocated exclusively to the public sector for
  their business.
• This excludes the use of Amateur Radio and
  Citizens Band for CAP business.

The regulation for all CAP Communications is CAPR
100-1
4
Types of Stations Tactical Call Signs
TEXAS WING CALL SIGN EXAMPLES
AIRMOBILE
GROUND
CAPFLIGHT 4244 Sortie 09
MOBILE
Stinson Mission Base
Ground Team 1
5
PROWORDS
Reference 100-1
Prowords are a special set of words used for
clarity and brevity in communications. Some of
the most commonly used prowords are

• THIS IS Preface to your call sign
• ROGER Last transmission received OK
• OVER Im done, go ahead
• OUT Im done, bye
• WAIT I will be back in a few seconds
• SAY AGAIN Say that again
• CORRECTION Oops! I really meant to say
• WILCO ROGER and I will comply
• AFFIRMATIVE Yes

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Phonetic Alphabet
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 M
ike
N November O Oscar P Papa Q Quebec R Romeo S Sierr
a T Tango U Uniform V Victor W Whiskey X X-Ray Y Y
ankee Z Zulu
7
Numbers

• Pronunciation
• 1 WUN
• 2 TOO
• 3 TREE
• 4 FO-WER
• 5 FIFE
• 6 SIX
• 7 SEVEN
• 8 ATE
• 9 NINER
• 0 ZERO

When writing the numbers, do not write them down
the way they are pronounced. For example, do
not write one as wun or five as fife.
Write them as one and five.
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I SPELL / FIGURES / INITIALS

• Use I SPELL for pronounceable words
• PIZZA
• I SPELL PIZZA PAPA INDIA ZULU ZULU ALPHA
  PIZZA
• Use FIGURE(S) AND INITIAL(S) for non-words
• N516F
• INITIAL NOVEMBER FIGURES FIVE ONE SIX INTIAL
  FOXTROT

CORRECTIONS
? Use proword CORRECTION to correct a
mistake Example Turn right at next corner
CORRECTION Turn left at next corner
9
SENDING NUMBERS

• Use Prowords FIGURES, DECIMAL, TIME,
  INITIALS

Digit-by-Digit Not Seven Fifty
750 FIGURES SEVEN FIVE ZERO
Niner Not Nine
849 FIGURES EIGHT FOUR NINER
Decimal Point
14.5 FIGURES ONE FOUR DECIMAL FIVE
Z Time
1635Z TIME ONE SIX THREE FIVE ZULU
Initial And Figures
E21 INITIAL ECHO FIGURES TWO ONE
One Figure and Initial
3-A FIGURE THREE DASH INITIAL ALPHA
10
Distress and Emergency Signals

MAYDAY Distress PAN Urgency SECURITE Safety
Supercedes all Priority or Routine Traffic
11
Operator Responsibility

• LISTEN
• Be Prepared to Assist
• Do NOT Transmit Unless You Have Something to
  Offer or Contact is Requested

12
Calling Another Station

• To Establish Contact
• CAP 1925 THIS IS Capflight 4244 OVER
• Response from the Ground Station
• Capflight 4244 THIS IS CAP 1925 OVER
• No need to use call signs until communications
  are complete
• On Closing the Contact
• Capflight 4244 OUT

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Calling Another Station cont

• Always end a transmission with OVER or OUT -
  NOT BOTH!
• Do not use Roger Wilco instead of Wilco.
  Roger Wilco means Last transmission received
  OK last transmission received OK and I will
  comply.

14

• Airborne operators
• Before transmitting, make sure you are on the
  correct frequency.
• Before leaving the aircraft at the close of a
  mission, make sure the ELT is off.

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5 Habits of a Good Radio Operator

• Speak clearly
• Annunciate your words.
• Speak slowly
• Remain calm no matter what happens - Never Panic
• THINK - Use Your Head

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Prohibited Operating Practices

• Violation of Radio Silence
• Personal Conversation
• Transmitting in a Net without permission of NCS
• Lack of identifying call sign
• Excessive tuning and testing
• Use of Amateur Radio or Citizens Band frequencies
  for CAP business, and Vice-Versa.
• Use of 10 codes or Amateur Radio Q Signals

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(No Transcript)
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CAP Communications cont.

• Telephones - Landline and cellular telephones can
  be used in addition to radio communications.
• INTERNET - E-mail communications, information web
  pages, internet phone and other methods of
  communication over the internet.
• GOAL - To have a readily available and
  comprehensive communications network using a
  variety of assets.

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Voice Operating Modes
Single Frequency - One Station at a Time
SIMPLEX
148.15 MHz
REPEATER
Two Frequencies - One Station at a Time
143.90
148.15
R
T
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Repeater Operation
143.90
148.15
100.0 Hz Tone
Universal Access Tone used by low power stations
only
Repeater increases the range of mobile stations
due to its high profile location
Note All CAP Repeaters respond to the 100.0 Hz
tone
21
Airmobile use of Repeaters

• Primary mode of operation should be simplex.
• Only use the repeater if simplex is not possible.
• Selectively use a repeater through use of its
  assigned access tone
• Use of 100 Hz tone is prohibited since this will
  bring up multiple repeaters
• The key is to limit use to a single repeater

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Aeronautical SAR Stations

• Aeronautical Search And Rescue Stations (SAR)
  Operate on two Aircraft Frequencies
• 122.9 MHz - TRAINING Only
• 123.1 MHz - ACTUAL Missions Only
• Contact ground teams by using VHF-FM
• 149.5375 - Air-to-Ground Simplex
• Base Call Signs assigned by geographical location
• THIS IS STINSON Mission Base OVER

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Radio NET Operation Summary
Common Controls Volume Squelch
Channel Selector Mike with Push to Talk
Switch (Release to Listen)
Radio Setup Radio Transceiver (VHF-FM,
HF-SSB, SAR) Power Supply (110 VAC or 12
Volt DC) Antenna (Vertical, Magnetic Mount,
Dipole)
1
Power Supply
V
S
24
Radio Net Operation

• A Formal Net is established to control the flow
  of traffic on a single radio channel
• The Net Control Station (NCS) maintains net
  discipline by controlling who is talking
• Break Ins to the Net should be done only if you
  have emergency traffic
• The NCS must be contacted first for permission to
  contact another station
• Sample Net Check-in (CAP 1925 is the NCS)
• CAP 1925, THIS IS CAP 1960 with no traffic, over

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Radio Nets - Contacting another Station
CAP 1925
1
CAP 1960
CAP 1970
2
3

• All transmissions must receive permission from
  the Net Control Station (NCS)

1 - CAP 1925, THIS IS CAP 1960 with traffic for
CAP 1970 OVER 2 - CAP 1962, Contact CAP 1970
with your traffic, OUT 3 - CAP 1970, THIS IS
CAP 1960, OVER
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NET STATION CHECK IN ANDOPERATING EXAMPLES

• Checking into a Net with no traffic during roll
  call
• This is ltYOUR CALL SIGNgt with no traffic OVER"
• Requesting permission from NCS to send a message
• " ltNCS CALL SIGNgt this is ltYOUR CALL SIGNgt with
  a ltPRIORITYgt message for ltADDRESSEE CALL SIGNgt
  OVER"
• Acknowledging readiness to receive traffic
• "This is ltADDRESSEE CALL SIGNgt, go ahead with
  your traffic OVER"
• Acknowledging receipt of a message
• "This is ltADDRESSEE CALL SIGNgt, roger your
  message OUT"

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Levels of Precedence

• FLASH - Not used in CAP Messages
• HIGHEST PRIORITY
• HANDLED AS FAST AS POSSIBLE, AHEAD OF OTHER
  MESSAGES
• IMMEDIATE
• MESSAGES RELATED TO SITUATIONS GRAVELY AFFECTING
  THE SECURITY OF THE NATION.
• REQUIRES IMMEDIATE DELIVERY
• PRIORITY
• USED FOR MESSAGES WHERE ROUTINE ISNT FAST
  ENOUGH
• PROCESSED AHEAD OF ROUTINE MESSAGES
• ROUTINE
• MOST USED. DELIVERED IN ORDER RECEIVED.

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Message Construction

• MESSAGE HEADING
• The Originator (From)
• The Addressee (To)
• Precedence (Urgency)
• Date and Time Group
• TEXT
• Information being sent.
• Separated from the heading and ending by the
  proword BREAK (may not be part of the text
  being passed)
• ENDING
• Reserved for the Radio Operators Notes

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ZULU Time

• AKA Greenwich Mean Time or Universal Coordinated
  Time.
• Refers to the current time in Greenwich, United
  Kingdom.
• Zulu time is a system of timekeeping that refers
  to the same time, no matter what time zone you
  are in.

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Date-Time Group
16 0218Z APR 97
Date
Time
Month
Year
Date and Time in ZULU