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
ALABAMA WING CALL SIGN EXAMPLES
AIRMOBILE
GROUND
CAPFLIGHT 101
MOBILE
Goldenrod 265
Goldenrod 75
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

6
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.
8
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
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.

11
Date-Time Group
16 0218Z APR 97
Date
Time
Month
Year
Date and Time in ZULU
12
Distress and Emergency Signals

MAYDAY Distress PAN Urgency SECURITE Safety
Supercedes all Priority or Routine Traffic
13
Operator Responsibility

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

14
Calling Another Station

• To Establish Contact
• Goldenrod 40 THIS IS Capflight 3421 OVER
• Response from the Ground Station
• Capflight 3421 THIS IS Goldenrod 40 OVER
• No need to use call signs until communications
  are complete
• On Closing the Contact
• Capflight 3421 OUT

15
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.

16

• 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.

17
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

18
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

19
(No Transcript)
20
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.

21
NTIA Deviation Changes

• Currently, 25Khz channel spacing and 5Khz
  deviation
• By January 1, 2008, the NTIA has mandated the
  Federal government to use radio equipment with
  12.5kHz channel spacing and 2.5kHz deviation to
  allow for more channels and more users.
• If you purchase your own equipment, be sure that
  the equipment has the new 2.5 kHz deviation and
  that it is capable of the new channel plan. Make
  sure that the receiver will be selective enough
  to ignore stations that are 12.5 kHz away

22
Voice Operating Modes
Single Frequency - One Station at a Time
SIMPLEX
Channel 3 or 4
REPEATER
Two Frequencies - One Station at a Time
R
T
23
Repeater Operation
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
24
Inside the Repeater
Repeater will only turn on its transmitter if it
hears one of two tones 1) Universal access tone
(100.0 Hz) or 2) Repeater site specific tone
(123.0 Hz for the Montgomery Repeater)
Receive Frequency
Transmit Frequency
Voice
Receiver
Transmitter
PTT
123.0 Hz Tone
100.0 123.0 Hz Tone Decoder
Mike Button
The Tone Decoder listens for either of the two
tones on the incoming signal
The Tone Decoder presses the Push To Talk (PTT)
button to turn on the transmitter.
25
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

26
CAP Radio Frequencies

• CAP Radio Frequencies are For Official Use Only
  (FOUO). Listings are available in CAPR 100-1
  Vol. 1

27
Aeronautical SAR Stations

• Aeronautical Search And Rescue Stations (SAR)
  Operate on two Aircraft Frequencies (see CAPR
  100-1 Vol. 1 for frequencies).
• Contact ground teams by using VHF-FM
• Air-to-Ground Simplex
• Base Call Signs assigned by geographical location
• THIS IS Montgomery Mission Base OVER

28
Radio 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
29
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 (GR10 is the NCS)
• Goldenrod 10, THIS IS Goldenrod 404 with no
  traffic, over

30
Radio Nets - Contacting another Station
GR 10 NCS
1
GR 401
GR404
2
3

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

1 - Goldenrod 10, THIS IS Goldenrod 401 with
traffic for Goldenrod 404 OVER 2 - Goldenrod
401, Contact Goldenrod 404 with your traffic,
OUT 3 - Goldenrod 404, THIS IS Goldenrod 401,
OVER
31
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"

32
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.

33
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