Transmission Techniques

Rhythm

Maintain the natural rhythm used in conversation to help make the message intelligible, Avoid saying ‘er’ or ‘um’

Speed

Speak steadily and at medium speed so as to avoid an unintelligible jumble of words from speaking too quickly or losing rhythm when too slow When it is known that the recipient will write down an element of the message, leave much larger spaces between short phases.

To get an idea how long is required try writing down your own message

Experienced operators will often transmit phases twice when the receiving operator is writing

Volume

Speak at an ordinary conversational level to avoid distortion with the mike-to-mouth distance kept constant. Without sacrificing rhythm, every word should be clearly spoken and the voice must not fade away on the last part of the phase.

Pitch

Use a pitch that is a little higher than usual to aid reception, especially in poor conditions. Maintain an even pitch, being especially conscious of the last syllable of words where the natural tendency is to lower the pitch

Content

Think about what is going to be said and how it can be said before pressing the transmit button. A good maxim is ‘Select brain before engaging mouth’ The radio is for communicating but, particularly during busy incidents, consider whether the message is really necessary; unimportant messages can wait until later.

Never the less during exercises and at other times Radio Voice procedure practise is essential and operators should be at ease when using the Radio