General green radio questions.

[Diana Alan]

Out of interest, and given that army radios are generally able to tune over an entire frequency band, what frequencies wiuld the Army generally use on exercises in Australia?

Do individual signallers usually have a preferred callsign or are the callsigns allocated as the net is established for the particular exercise?

Diana

[THE BOOGER]

Signallers them selves do not have a call sign they use the call sign for what ever unit they are working for it is also a security thing. Frequencies are allocated for exercises by sig corp so any freq can be used.

[Mick]

Diana, adding to "The Booger" , the frequencies used are issued to the unit Regimental Signals Officer. These would be allocated from the Brigade Signals Officer.Details would include primary and alternate freq's, sub unit, unit, brigade frequencies, duration these freq's would used.

Unit Standing Operating Procedures (SOP's) provide a list of all callsigns within unit. Then there are unit designaters , phonetic alphabet , radio telephone procedures that would be followed.

You might be familiar with 0A = zero Alpha which is the net HQ, SUNRAY = Commanding Officer, Playtime = transport elements, Hold fast = engineers, etc.

I reckon if was up to individual sig's to allocate their own callsigns , you'd have some callsigns that would be unprintable - particularly for HQ elements :-)

Mick

[Diana Alan]

    

What you mean that the call: "Dumbf### this is Dropkick", wouldn't be printable???  (Dropkick being the arty guys) 

Yes I'm aware about regular RT procedure, and the general names "Sunray" etc but not necessarily how the military set up a net and allocate callsigns. The call recordings in the doco on Long Tan have a very good example of a little bit of the military RT procedure.

The bits I'm really interested in is the actual frequency bands the Army use. (given that the whole spectrum is allocated to various commercial and civilian uses, TV, Broadcast Radio, Satellite coms, commercial radio, marine radio, telephony, amateur radio and CB etc).  Other things of interest are the Artilliary commands/calls, "shoot"; "splash", "up" and "down" etc, right and left are self explanatory.  Fire for effect am assuming is targetting a location for maximum damage, but what about when you want precise targeting.  I guess I want the whole nine yards of mil comms.     

VK2F VRC over!

[Phoenix]

Trouble is that the whole nine yards is still restricted information.  Certainly diffferent corps have different callsigns.  Artillery is shelldrake if I recall, transport was playtime and so on. 

I have done a little military comms training, but that was while I was a part of the AAFC.

[THE BOOGER]

You have varying levels of signaller too an inf sig does a short course an armoured sig does about 6 months and a sig corp sig is even longer how much time do you have diana

[Diana Alan]

Will I get my full call at the end of it?  best I do the sig corps course!  (but then again I could end up as a sigs corpse when my brain explodes)

Trouble is that the whole nine yards is still restricted information. 

Thats alright, I'm on restricted duties at the moment (back injury) so Restricted information is right up my alley! 

VK2F VRC over.

[Mick]

There is a lot in your question and would take some time to cover. A lot of these answers are in SOP's , in The Long Tan video there is plenty of mil radio jargon, contact reports, call for fire etc. these requests are all in SOP's and most sig's could rattle off the reports /returns without thinking after a little experience.

Booger is spot on there are sig trained and sig qualified , different corps have their own ways as well. Phoenix is on the money to - it is restricted info - you could be a threat to national security :-)

Mick

[aussiegregmac]

Diana,  info that''s not secret.   High Frequency is 2 Megahertz to about 30 Megahertz.
The lower band of the Very High Frequency is about 30 Mhz to about 76 Mhz.
Generally, HF good for long distance use,  VHF for tactical and local area.

Ultra High Freq. suited for Aircraft use etc. including from the ground.  Freq. used can be found easily so won't speculate.
Ultra Low Freq. suitable for transmission underwater.  Good for Abalone Divers off the coast of South Australia maybe.
I don't know.  Wonder why so many whales beach themselves though.

Some frequencies conflict or are used for other purposes as well.  For example ABC TV used to be in the lower VHF band and could be listened to.  Not that we would of course.  Might be different now that the Teev has gone digital.

ALL Freqs. used in the Military are designated by higher command and generally change daily.  Things have changed lately with radio gear that use several freqs at the same time and do funny things at both ends.

Callsigns in Field Force groups are fixed.  Some others can change depending on the purpose.
The fixed callsign groups also use a fixed arrangement of stations for ease of control.
Operators dont get their own callsign so you can't use Iceman or Goose.

I haven't told you too much have I
Greg
 

[Minikeg]

can you repeat that?

*explosion*

[Diana Alan]

Hi Greg

No you havent told me too much.

For example ACMA have allocated virtually the entire radio frequency spectrium to designated users.  e.g. in the HF Band starting at 3MHz we have:
Aeronautical Mobile
Land Fixed station (Mobile secondary)
Aeronautical Mobile
80 metre Amateur band
Land Fixed station (Mobile secondary, broadcast tertiary)
more 80 metre Amateur band
Land Fixed station (Mobile secondary, broadcast tertiary)
Aeronautical Mobile
Land Fixed station (Broadcast secondary)
Land Fixed station (Maritime Mobile secondary)
Maritime Mobile
Land Fixed station (Maritime Mobile secondary)
Aeronautical Mobile
Land Fixed station (Broadcast secondary)
Land Fixed station (Land Mobile secondary)
Standard Frequency and Time Signal
Land Fixed station (Broadcast secondary)
And so far we've only got to 5.060Mkz (5,060 kilocycles)

CB radio is at 27MHz and between 5MHz and 27MHz we have the 40 metre, 30 metre, 20 metre, 17 metre, 15 metre and 12 metre amateur bands as well as a whole heap of other users.

I guess what I was asking was if the military used any particular part of the spectrum, or if they planned their frequency use so as to not interfere with other licenced local users in that part of the spectrum.

I'm very sad that I can't use big chief or soup dog for my callsign 

Mick, I'm pretty sure they already think I'm a threat to national security.  That's why the Government keeps me at a desk, so they can keep an eye on me!

All is good. 

Diana
VK2F VRC Out

[aussiegregmac]

Just as well the days Freqs. and Alternates are given by Higher Command then.
They must know more about the subject than we plebs could ever guess.
Greg

[THE BOOGER]

Just as well the days Freqs. and Alternates are given by Higher Command then.
They must know more about the subject than we plebs could ever guess.
Greg

Ha that doesn't stop troopies from selecting and using unauthorised back channels no RTP there either