Phonetic Alphabet Challenge

Army, Sea and Air Cadets

History of the Phonetic Alphabet

In the 1950’s, the phonetic alphabet was developed to be intelligible and pronounceable to all North American

Treaty Organization (NATO) allies in the heat of battle. It has replaced other phonetic alphabets that were used in past years. The phonetic alphabet is used for clarification during communication, especially during radio procedures. It is used to spell out letters in place of saying only the letter itself. By using the phonetic alphabet, there is less chance for confusion during communication. For example, the letters “D” and “E” sound similar and could easily be mistaken for one another. When using the phonetic alphabet, “Delta” and “Echo” are easy to distinguish.

The phonetic alphabet is used internationally by marine communities, aircraft, amateur radio operators and the military.

In the Navy, flags representing each letter are used on signal mast to communicate with other ships in the surroundings.

Cadets will be exposed to the phonetic alphabet at their corps/squadron, and CTCs.

Level 1 Challenge : Spelling your last name (5 points)

Option A: You must spell your last name using the Zello application or record an audio message.

Here is the procedure:

1. Open the Zello application (User guide here)

2. Communicate with ursce-montreal and spell your last name.

3. Complete the compilation form below.

Option B: Write your last name using the phonetic alphabet and complete the form below.

Level 2 Challenge : Decoding three messages (10 points)

  1. You have to decode the message on the picture below.

  2. Once you are done, complete the form and enter the correct answer for the three messages.

Message #1


Message #2


Message #3


Level 3 Challenge : Decoding Flags (15 points)

FLAGS

  1. You have to decode the message on the picture on your right.

  2. Complete the form to confirm your participation.