Radio Comms - The proper way?

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Lynn
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Radio Comms - The proper way?

Post by Lynn »

Hi guys,
New player here - its nice to meet everyone and Im hoping to catch everyone on the next game night.

I've been wondering is there a proper guide maybe on how to handle radio comms?
I mean, when is "[Unit name] to [Command], Message" is appropriate? and when am I just ignoring that and sending a msg regardless
since Im underfire or the like?


It would be really nice to hear from the more experienced commanders on how they perform their radio comms and perhaps set up a guide
so that newbies like me could fear the squad lead position less and provide much more concise radio comms.

(btw I was on yesterday under "ThomasReiner" which is just another handle I use, sorry for the confusion - will use this name from now on :lol: :lol: )
Cobra.
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Re: Radio Comms - The proper way?

Post by Cobra. »

Realistically it comes down to unit SOPs. SF units are far more relaxed and will usually use first names over the net especially when using PRRs and tactical nets. On regular units radio nets you'd expect the usual radio protocol of:

"Hello [Callsign A], this is [Callsign B], Message Over"
"[Callsign A], Send Message, over"
"[Callsign B], blah blah blah, out."

You have radio protocol in order to speed up transmissions and to make it clearer since in real life you don't always know who is on the other end and radio transmissions attenuate far more easily meaning they become distorted. In Zeus that is not a problem, If you are playing a small rifle platoon mission with 4 call-signs then it isn't really a worry. When you have more call signs involved then it becomes easier to be more professional with the protocol.

People that demand perfect radio protocol like they've seen in all the movies, usually have never been within 5 feet of an actual combat net radio. This is just a game, Say who you want to speak to then the rest of your message. None of our signals systems are very realistic and that just a nature of Arma when it deals with a surprisingly complicated subject.

If you get contacted just say something along the lines of "HQ, this is Alpha, Contact, Wait out." then later send a sitrep on what has occurred. If you have any other questions regarding comms, ping me a message on discord since I have nothing better to do.
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Lynn
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Re: Radio Comms - The proper way?

Post by Lynn »

Cheers Cobra, Appreciate the reply
Eagle-Eye
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Re: Radio Comms - The proper way?

Post by Eagle-Eye »

Welcome Lynn,

You can find the basics of the information you're looking for in the Z-FMT Handbook found here. We have recently had some people show interest in doing the FMTs, so we might start those again soon-ish. When we do, we'll announce it here on the forum, and on game nights.
As you'll see in the FMT Handbook, we also use the FMTs to teach (new) players the procedures and tactics we like to use, some weapon familiarisation, platoon and squad roles / responsibilities etc, so it's beneficial for everyone to at least read the document, and preferably do the FMTs.


That said, the FMTs primarily provide a solid framework to build upon, and a lot of things are acquired skills picked up by experience "in the field" during missions.
To use your example of being engaged by enemies, we teach people to say "Command, Alpha, in contact, wait out", because it is a very short phrase, by design. It makes others on the net aware you might need assistance sooner or later, aren't focused on the radio chatter, can't move forward as planned etc., but in those first few moments, it's far more important to get your team sorted and escape from contact or commence counterfire, than it is to spend your time on the radio thinking of what to say to give the others a full rundown on what's happening.

If the situation allows or requires it, however, you can add to, or skip that call and immediately say something like "Alpha, in contact, infantry and BTR west, 300, we're out of AT, request support."
Cobra. wrote: Fri Jul 31, 2020 5:38 pm You have radio protocol in order to speed up transmissions and to make it clearer
[...]
People that demand perfect radio protocol like they've seen in all the movies, usually have never been within 5 feet of an actual combat net radio. This is just a game
I'm one of those who's never been within 5 feet of an actual combat net radio, but I know most movies hardly, if ever, have perfect comms, so I wouldn't use that as an example. The only exception to that is that the radio quality is always perfect, no matter the distance, until it benefits the story that you can't understand the guy in the room next to you. :lol:

Personally, I'm a stickler for good comms though. Not because I consider myself a purist or a desk general, as I know "trucker comms" have their use and benefit at times, but I've foudn that proper comm protocol and procedures are usually the first thing to be thrown out the window when SHTF, while exactly those things are meant to pass a lot information in as short a timeframe as possible, without ambiguity or talking over each other, and increase efficiency tenfold as a result.
In my experience, if comms break down, it's not uncommon for the mission to go sideways and fail, whereas if after a mission goes sideways, good comms are maintained, it can still be successfully completed.
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Rodi
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Re: Radio Comms - The proper way?

Post by Rodi »

What Cobra said. Id rather you focus on actually delivering useful information and not the way you package your chatter. Going full autismo on "proper" comms usually ends with people wasting more time than its worth...
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