Radios in Airsoft: The most lethal weapon of all.

[Warpig [USMC]]

This is an excerpt I wrote in my teams training section a while ago, before we started to train and practice proper radio procedures. After many practices and discussions, we have been utilizing our radios a lot more effectively, and in turn, have been a lot more effective on the airsoft field.

Now, keep in mind, you dont have to do this "by the book." If your team uses radios, come up with ways that will work for you and your team.

"In real-world operations, Radio communication is probably one of the single most important "weapons" you can have in your arsenal. It lets people know where you're at, what you need, what the enemy is doing, where they are located, and helps make a hasty plan-of-action. Too many people overlook the importance of keeping positive communications between your team...and a lot of the time in airsoft, people just use radios because they like to look cool and say the word "over" when they're done transmitting.

But in big Ops such as BoB, even down to small-scale skirmishes that we have at the home field, radios can come in handy a lot more than you think.

I know most of you are good at using the radio, but I've noticed that there could be improvements. Talking more isnt always necissarily a bad thing, just as long as the information you're passing through is useful to you and your team. I know there have been instances while playing where I wish I had positive comm with my teammates. Whether it be that they didnt have a radio, or my radio was a POS (stupid Cobra radios...luckily I picked up some motorolas), but it could have drasticly changed the outcome of the game.

Most of the time you want to keep the transmition short and sweet, mainly because (in the real world) you dont know if the enemy is listening, or if they can be close enough to hear you actually talk into the microphone because they're right around the corner. In instances where a long transmission is needed, normally what we would do, is insert the word "break" every sentence or two. This is to let the person reciving the transmission know that there is more information to be followed. Heres an example:

"Bad-Motha, this is Warpig."
-This is Bad-Motha, send it.
"I have 3 tangos across the river engaging Schwag at the South, break"
*this is where you take a pause between transmissions to catch your breath*
"He's pinned down. Lets sweep north and come up behind them from the trail, how copy?"

(Its always a good at the end of your transmissions to say "how copy", so the reciver of the message can say either "Roger, solid copy", or "Did not copy, say again your last")

In real-world radio comm, we usually dont say "repeat" because that word is normally reserved for when you want the person you're talking to, to do exactly what they did before. Normally this is only applicable when you're calling for fire, so you save time and dont have to call in the exact same fire order. Obviously you dont really have to worry about that in Airsoft, but normally instead of saying "repeat" we use "say again".

Obviously its great to have earpieces with mics so you know you're the only one who can hear your radio. This also comes in handy in case you're deep in enemy territory, and you dont want to give away your position (a lot of times I've had to turn off my radio so I didnt get spotted before I got my earpiece). This is also another reason why you want to keep your transmissions short and to the point, in case someone DOESNT have an earpiece, and they might be close to the enemy.

There are a million other things I havent covered Im sure, but as far as airsoft goes, I think this is all people really need to know.

All in all, the things you'll want to remember when using the radio are:
-Make sure you address who you're trying to call
-Before you start transmitting any valuble info over the radio, make sure the person you are calling acknowledges you and responds, otherwise you might be wasting your breath
-Always ensure that the person copies your entire transmission, and they respond with "Solid Copy" or "Did not copy, say again your last"
-Also, after they confirm they copied your transmission, shoot them a "Roger, out" to let THEM know that you know they got the information
-Keep it short and sweet, if at all possible. When sending long transmissions, use the work "break" to break up transmissions into short ones. "

REVIEW PORTION:
Opening Transmission: "You" this is "Me" (ie: "Tazz, this is Warpig, over.")

Confirmation of Transmission: This is "me", Send it. (ie: This is Tazz, Send it.")


-Make sure you keep your radio traffic as SHORT and TO THE POINT as possible.

-If you need to send a long transmission, insert the word "BREAK" to let the recipient know that there is more radio traffic to follow.

-If you need to cut off someone elses transmission to send something more vital/important, say "BREAK BREAK BREAK" to cut radio traffic. If you hear "BREAK BREAK BREAK" come over the radio, cease all radio traffic on your end, and stand by to receive information.

-After sending information, its smart to insert the phrase "How Copy?" at the end of your transmission. The recipient of the information will either confirm ("Roger, Solid Copy"), or ask the sender to say the transmission again ("Negative, did not copy, say again.")

-Instead of saying "repeat", try to get into the habit of saying "Say Again" to re-hear radio traffic. The word "repeat" is usually reserved for an action that you want repeated so you dont have to give orders again for the same exact action.

Example:
"Warpig this is Bad-Motha, I need covering fire on the Hilton in 3...2...1...Mark."
*Warpig gives cover fire*
"Warpig, this is Bad-Motha, REPEAT"
*Warpig again gives cover fire*

-The only person to say "OUT" is the issuer of the initial transmission. This is so the recipient of the radio traffic gets all the information, and the issuer can confirm when he is done sending radio traffic and all necessary information.

-Make sure you speak CLEARLY into the microphone. Whispering is hard to hear, and when the mic is too close to your mouth, it just sounds like a jumbled mess. Ensure everyone on your team can understand what you're saying, otherwise your comm is useless.

-Silent Confirmations of radio traffic are sometimes necessary so your position isnt compromised. Use 2 keys of the mic for "Yes", and 3 keys of the mic for "No"

-Count downs over the radio are a very effective tactic. Instead of yelling count-downs and letting your enemy know something is about to happen, practice using the radio for more stealthy surprise attacks/movements.

[Zømbié Øf WÅR]

Radios are the best weapon we had most of the time. Thank god for them.

[Crispy Spree]

Radios are a good tool but unfourtunatly are not the best, without the actual weapon you have nothing. But otherwise in my opinion radios are one of the most important tools in airsoft hands down.

[Warpig [USMC]]

LoL, well obviously if you dont have a weapon, you probably wouldnt be playing in the first place. =P

[Nikon]

Good stuff Warpig. Thanks.

I can definitely tell the difference on the field when one or more member of my team is out of radio communication either by not having a radio or by it failing so a radio is a critical part of the arsenal.

Warpig's comments and advice take the level of competition up a notch. When playing a big field, especially a wooded one, getting comm right might make the difference in a game.

[Darth (SOG)]

yea I would have to agree. Radios are probably the most under-rated resource in the game of air soft. I have to admit that I could have used the radio alot more than I could have in situations and coordinate an attack more effectively. I bought the dam radio why not use it? This is a good practice for any team is syncing up over the radio.

[Mask]

Thanks for the helpful tips on ways to make comm easier =)