- When using a two-way radio, you cannot speak and listen at the same time, as you can with a phone.
- Do not interrupt if you hear other people talking. If you hear other people talking, wait until their conversation is finished unless it is an emergency.
- Do not respond if you aren’t sure the call is for you. Wait until you hear your call sign to respond.
- Never transmit sensitive or confidential information (unless you are certain your conversations are secured with the proper level of encryption, assume your conversations can be heard by others).
- Perform radio checks to ensure your radio is in good working condition or is within range to transmit/receive signals.
- Memorize call signs of persons and radio stations you communicate with regularly.
- Keep the volume high enough to be able to hear calls.
- In radio communication, you are not called by your name. Everybody has their own unique call sign.
- Think before you speak.
- Decide what you will say before you say it, and to whom it is meant.
- Make your conversations as concise, precise, and clear as possible.
- Avoid long and complicated sentences. If your message is long, divide it into separate shorter messages.
- Do not use abbreviations unless they are well understood by your group.
Your voice should be clear. Speak a little slower than normal. Speak in a normal tone, do not shout.
Simplicity
Keep your message simple enough for intended listeners to understand.
Brevity
Be precise and to the point.
Security
Do not transmit confidential information on a radio unless you know the proper security technology is in place. Remember, frequencies are shared, you do not have exclusive use of the frequency.
Radio Communication Tips
It’s good radio communication etiquette to leave a second or two between “hand-offs” to give others a chance to break in.
It is always best to speak in short simple phrases on the radio and toss the conversation back and forth with the word “OVER.”
Don’t speak immediately when you press the PTT (push to talk), especially with digital radios which among all their benefits have slightly longer delay. Wait 2-3 seconds. If you speak as soon as you press the PTT button, it can chop off your first syllable or word, making it hard to understand. If that word doesn’t make it, you will just have to repeat it and run down your batteries faster.