SAR Fundamentals/Communications
From PCSAR
hand-out:
- 1.0 hr
- SAR Fundamentals Manual: Ch.14 "Communications"
- Basic SAR Skills Manual: F-4 "Communications"
- Exercise
- see sar/pc/training/subject/sar-fundamentals/components/subject/11-communications
Contents |
Reference material
- SAR Fundamentals Manual: Ch.14 (pg 201)
- Basic SAR Skills Manual: Ch.F-4 (pg F-9)
- Study Guide for Restricted Operator Certificate
- The 2009 SAR Alberta Telecommunications Standard
- GMRS on Wikipedia
Syllabus
This training should include:
- Why communications is important
- Why professionalism, why standards?
- communications methods used in SAR
- Basic radio theory
- Radio waves / light waves
- Frequency
- Bands
- VHF: 30 - 300 MHz: 10 m to 1 m
- UHF: 300MHz - 3 GHz: 1 m to 10 cm
- Bands
- CTCSS - continuous tone squelch system
- interference
- FRS sub channels
- Propagation (sara std field)
- Anatomy of radios (sara std field)
- Types of radios
- Base (sara std field)
- Hand Held (sara std field)
- Mobile (sara std field)
- Repeater (sara std field)
- Simplex vs Duplex (Repeater)
- Connectors & Mobile Antennas (sara std field)
- Use of radios
- Battery Replacement (sara std field)
- Using the controls (sara std field)
- Posture of the user (sara std field)
- Base Radio setup and use (sara std control)
- Equipment and channels we have access to
- Communication Protocols
- Do not cut into a message being sent. Listen before you send.
- choosing your words
- Sound professional. Absolutely everyone is listening.
- Make sure your information is clear, concise and short. Think before you speak, not during.
- Speak slow and clear.
- Use simple words.
- Standard Words and Phrases
- ITU Alphabet (sara std field)
- numbers
- 3-Tree 4-Fower 9-Niner
- Calling procedures (sara std field)
- Over - I have finished talking and I am listening for your reply. Short for "Over to you."
- Out or Clear - I have finished talking to you and do not expect a reply.
- Roger - Information received.
- Copy - I understand what you just said (after receiving information).
- Acknowledge - confirm you've received
- This Is ...
- Go Ahead
- Stand By
- Correction / I Say Again / Say Again
- Read Back / That Is Correct
- Wilco - Will Comply (after receiving new directions).
- Affirmative / Negative / Wilco
- Use the 24 hr clock to tell time.
- Radio check
- How Do You Read?
- Strength / Clarity
- 1 - (unreadable)
- 2 - (breaking up)
- 3 - (readable with difficulty)
- 4 - (readable)
- 5 - (perfectly readable)
- MAYDAY / PAN PAN / SECURITY
- Use of plain language (sara std field)
- One exception 10-62 means turn radio off or move away from group. (sara std field)
- PCSAR's codes
- Death or injury relayed in code or special word by mgmt., instructions.
- Call Signs
- All Stations
- Communications Traffic Logging (sara std control)
- Laws
- must identify yourself
- profane language
- false distress
- e.g. tests that seem real
- privacy
- Hands On use of radios
- Calling other stations (sara std field)
- Passing traffic (sara std field)
- Multiple Radio use simulation (sara std control)
Instruction
Lesson Plan
See Plan (odt) 
Presentation
See Slides (odt) 
Phonetic alphabet
Letter Code word Pronunciation A Alfa AL FAH B Bravo BRAH VOE C Charlie CHAR LEE or SHAR LEE D Delta DELL TAH E Echo ECK OH F Foxtrot FOKS TROT G Golf GOLF H Hotel HO TELL I India IN DEE AH J Juliet JEW LEE ETT K Kilo KEY LOH L Lima LEE MAH M Mike MIKE N November NO VEM BER O Oscar OSS CAH P Papa PAH PAH Q Quebec KEH BECK R Romeo ROW ME OH S Sierra SEE AIR AH T Tango TANG GO U Uniform YOU NEE FORM V Victor VIK TAH W Whiskey WISS KEY X X-ray ECKS RAY Y Yankee YANG KEY Z Zulu ZOO LOO 0 Zero ZE RO 1 One WUN 2 Two TOO 3 Three TREE 4 Four FOW ER 5 Five FIFE 6 Six SIX 7 Seven SEV EN 8 Eight AIT 9 Nine NIN ER
Examples
* examples, Putting it together: - contact, basic message TEAM ALPHA, THIS IS BASE, OVER BASE, THIS IS TEAM ALPHA, GO AHEAD, OVER TEAM ALPHA, ... OVER BASE, ROGER OUT - a sample message PROCEED TO UTM 915026 AND SWEEP TRAIL TO BOULTON CREEK - Radio check BASE, THIS TEAM BRAVO, HOW DO YOU READ?, OVER TEAM BRAVO, THIS IS BASE, READING YOUR STRENGTH 4, OVER (THIS IS) TEAM BRAVO, OUT. - Need to hear part of message again BASE, THIS IS TEAM BRAVO, SAY AGAIN COORDINATES, OVER - Broadcast message ALL STATIONS, THIS IS SAR BASE, PINCHER CREEK SAR WILL BE CONDUCTING RADIO TRAINING ON THIS CHANNEL UNTIL 2200 HOURS. OUT ALL SAR TEAMS, THIS IS BASE, RETURN TO BASE. TEAM ALPHA ACKNOWLEDGE OVER (THIS IS) TEAM ALPHA ROGER (OVER) TEAM BRAVO, ACKNOWLEDGE (OVER) (THIS IS) TEAM BRAVO WILCO OVER TEAM CHARLIE, ACKNOWLEDGE (OVER) (THIS IS) TEAM CHARLIE WILCO (OVER) (THIS IS) SAR BASE. OUT. Which teams are returning to base? - Relay message TEAM ALPHA, THIS IS BASE, OVER BASE, GO AHEAD TEAM ALPHA PLEASE RELAY FOLLOWING MESSAGE TO TEAM BRAVO PROCEED 1 MILE EAST ON HIGHWAY 507 OVER THIS IS ALPHA, WILCO, OUT. TEAM BRAVO, THIS IS ALPHA OVER TEAM ALPHA, GO AHEAD MESSAGE FROM BASE READS: PROCEED 1 MILE EAST ON HIGHWAY 507 OVER TEAM ALPHA ROGER. OUT.
Exercise
19:45 to (Return to base by) 21:00
ALL STATIONS, THIS IS SAR BASE, PINCHER CREEK SAR WILL BE CONDUCTING
RADIO TRAINING ON THIS CHANNEL UNTIL 2200 HOURS. OUT
5 teams + base
Base Team
- person likely to be at base
- any that may need to leave early
Practice Objective: Create as big a circle as possible around Pincher
Creek. Each team is in contact either directly or indirectly with
base.
Vehicles
- Driver (more experienced radio person)
- Radio (less experienced radio person)
- If no communications for 5 minutes head back towards base
- Base is in control
Underlying Objective: To practice proper use of radios.
Use the techniques we've described.
If you hear a communication that doesn't follow the protocol that
we've learned, respond as if it was 'garbled'.
Sometime between 20:30 and 21:00 everyone at base.
Follow up comments.
