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Introduction

Radio is our primary means of communication in a fast moving, tactical situation. Attempts at sending messages over the radio without guidelines would quickly degenerate into chaos.

Importance

The Marine Corps has established doctrine delineating exactly who will talk to each other on the radio; this doctrine is a guideline for communications planners. How to talk on the radio has been standardized for the sake of brevity and conciseness. Preparing and writing (referred to as drafting) a message has also been standardized for the sake of brevity and accuracy.

In This Lesson

In this lesson, you will learn about different radio nets, voice radio procedures, tactical message drafting, preventive maintenance of communications equipment, and troubleshooting communications equipment. You will also learn how to properly set up a gun loop using two different types of field telephone systems.

This lesson covers the following topics:

Topic Page
Radio Nets 5
Tactical Nets 5
Fire Support Nets 7
Parallel and Alternate Means of Communication 9
Voice Radio Discipline 12
Radio Procedures 14
Message Drafting 16
Preventive Maintenance and Operation Checks for SINCGARS 18
Summary 20
Appendix A: Communications Diagram 21
Appendix B: Sample Message 22
Table 1: Precedence Table 22
References 23
Glossary of Terms and Acronyms 23
Notes 24