SAR Radio Communication Maui Search and Rescue Channels Our radios are programmed with the following channels: Ch. 1: Primary search frequency (155.160 MHz Wide) Ch. 2: Backup search frequency (155.805 MHz Wide) Ch. 3: Primary training frequency (151.625 MHz Narrow) Ch. 4: Backup training frequency (155.625 MHz Narrow) Ch. 5: MURS4 (business band) as additional backup (154.579 MHz Narrow) Ch. 6: MURS5 (business band) as additional backup (154.600 MHz Narrow) Ch. 13: Marine weather channel (162.400 MHz Wide - receive only) Ch. 14: Marine channel 71 (156.575 MHz Wide) Ch. 15: Marine channel 72 (156.625 MHz Wide) Ch. 16: Marine channel 16 (for emergency use 156.800 MHz) Overview The SAR radio operator represents their entire unit. Remember that everything you do on the radio is heard by everyone else. Your team s radio usage is one of the most evident signs of your team s ability. Always assume that the public, family, press, other agencies, etc may be listening. If you are unprofessional on the radio, regardless of your other skills they will assume that you are unprofessional in general, and vise versa. Unprofessional or ineffective communication is also a distraction to other search teams in the field. Radios are one of the most useful devices used in SAR. Become very familiar with it, it might save your life someday. Keep in mind these key points: 1. Keep messages brief and to the point 2. Use plain English 3. Pronounce words clearly and distinctly 4. Speak slowly and clearly 5. Don t be hesitant, be decisive and deliberate Be Brief It takes very little battery power to listen, but a lot to transmit, so being brief will help conserve battery power. It will also prevent other search teams from being distracted and ridiculing you later for your extensive dissertations. Before you ask which end of the compass points north, remember that
everyone on a search is probably listening to you. Always think about what you are going to say & how you will say it before pressing the transmit button. Plain English Clear speech should always be used. If there are 10 ways to phrase something, choose the simplest, shortest, and easiest to understand way. Avoid words or tones that carry strong emotions, emergency situations are emotionally charged already, and you don t need to add to the problem. General Operation 1. Double check that the radio is on the correct channel before transmitting. 2. The antenna transmits your signal. Hold it high and vertical whenever possible, don t hold your radio horizontally. 3. If you may not have good reception, position the radio between your body and the party you are communicating with so that your body is not blocking the transmission. 4. Hold the mic about 1 inch from your mouth. Hold the mic to one side of your mouth so that you aren t blowing directly into it, but talk across it. 5. Don t shout, shouting distorts your voice and makes it harder to understand. 6. Make your voice as emotionless as possible. 7. Use simple, easily understood words. 8. Never, ever use the word victim. Use the word subject. Calling Protocols 1. Make sure the channel is clear and you aren t interrupting another communication in progress. 2. Hold the transmit button for at least one second before speaking to make sure others radios have keyed in. Say who you want to speak to, then your call sign. For example, hold button, wait 1 second, then say Search Base, this is Team 2. 3. When responding to call, respond with either, Go for team 2, or this is team 2, go ahead. Search base may reply to a call from team 2 with, Go ahead team 2. 4. The last person to talk ends the conversation with clear, so that others know the channel is clear for someone else to use. For example, Search Base clear. 5. The word copy may be used to communicate that you heard and understood the other person s transmission, but does not necessarily need to be said in response to every transmission. 6. Use the words affirmative and negative instead of yes or no.
7. If you are given specific instructions or numbers, read them back to let the other person know you heard accurately and/or you re doing as instructed. Example: Copy, returning to search base. 8. Always communicate with search base rather than directly to other search teams, unless specifically instructed to do so by search. 9. UTM coordinates are communicated in a 5x5 format, such that the last 5 digits of each coordinate are read. For example, the coordinates of 10S 0671842 by 4344475 would be communicated 71842 x 44475. Read the coordinates slow enough that the person you are communicating with has time to write them down. 10. If you need to ask the other person to wait, use the word, standby. 11. Don t use number codes or say roger. No 10-4 (say copy ), no what s your 20 (say what is your location or what are your coordinates ) or other lingo and jargon from CBs or movies, even if they sound cool. 12. An example of correct radio calling protocol: Team 2: Search Base, this is Team 2 Search Base: Go ahead Team 2 Team 2: Entering search area at coordinates seven-one-eight-fourtwo by four-four-four-seven-five Search Base: Copy, entering search area at coordinates sevenone-eight-four-two by four-four-four-seven-five. Team 2: Affirmative, team 2 clear. Procedures 1. Radio Operator. Only one person should be a team s radio operator at any given time. By default this is the team leader, but the team leader will often assign radio operations to another team member, either for the duration of the search or for a specific communication. In other words the team should know who is responsible for radio communications at any given time so everyone is on the same page and multiple team members aren t trying to communicate simultaneously. 2. Radio Check. Before leaving Search Base, do a radio check to ensure that your radio is functioning and on the correct channel, and you can communicate with search base: Team 2: This is team 2, radio check. Search Base: Copy team 2, Search Base clear. 3. Entering search area. Inform search base that you are entering your search area and beginning your search. If the exact location of entry was not predetermined, give search base your coordinates. If Search Base does not reply, do not enter your search area. Wait a few minutes, try again, then return to Search Base. 4. Radio communication is mandatory. Never enter a search area without radio communication with Search Base or a relay. If you lose radio communication while in your search area: If Search Base is not responding but you believe you are in range, stop, wait a few minutes, and try again. If you may be out of range, return to a location that is in range.
If you are unable to communicate with Search Base, exit your search area and return to base. 5. Returning to base. When you have completed your search, inform search base. Team 2: Search Base, this is team 2. Search Base: Go ahead team 2. Team 2: We are exiting search area, returning to base. Search Base: Copy team 2, Search Base clear. 6. Search Base Check-ins. On most searches, Search Base will call for check-ins at regular intervals. This will depend on the circumstances of each search, but most often will be every half hour. This is to ensure everyone is safe, in radio communications, and to get your most current location in case they are unable to communicate with you later. In order to give you a few minutes to get your current coordinates, Search Base will warn before check in, then call each team round-robin style. Search Base may or may not do read-backs on check-ins. If they may not have understood your transmission they probably will. Example: Search Base: All teams, check-in with coordinates in 3 minutes...3 minutes go by as teams scramble to get their coordinates from their map because they have no GPS reception Search Base: Team 1, check in Team 1: This is team 1 at, at coordinates [coordinates] Search Base: Copy team 1, team 2 check-in. Team 2: This is team 2, at coordinates [coordinates] Search Base: Copy team 2, Search Base clear. 7. Unprompted check-ins. If you haven t heard any radio communications but are still on your search plan, you may still check in to ensure radio communications are working properly. In all other circumstances wait for a reply to Search Base, this is team2 before saying anything else, but in this case you can add Checking in. Have your coordinates ready in case Search Base asks. Team 2: Search Base, this is team 2 checking in. Search Base: Copy team 2, what is your location? Team 2: Coordinates are [coordinates] Search Base: Copy, Search Base clear. 8. Deceased Code. Incidence Command will issue a deceased code during your briefing. If you find the subject deceased, or think you may have found remains of the subject, use the deceased code. Be conscious of it and make sure to not accidentally say the word at any other time. For example, if the deceased word was apples you could call Search Base and say, We have apples or we think we may have apples. 9. The find. If you find the subject, obviously you will notify Search Base immediately. Wait for Search Base to tell you what to do before doing anything, and be ready with your coordinates. Maintain unemotional professionalism over the radio no matter what. Whether the subject is alive and well, severely injured, or deceased. If the subject is deceased,
Search Base will likely ask you to stay with the subject until PD or FD can investigate or do a recovery. If the subject is injured, communicate the severity of the injury, whether you and the subject thinks they are mobile enough to walk out, whether you need immediate medical assistance, etc. If you hear that somebody else found the subject, don t leave your search area until Search Base tells you to return to base or go to the subject to assist. Assume that the search is still on until incident command is able to verify the find and gives you further instructions. Advanced/Unique Circumstances On a search and in trainings, there will often be circumstances that require going outside of the regular protocols. 1. Direct communication with another team. In some situations, it may be necessary to communicate directly with another search team. Request direct communication from Search Base first. In most situations, unless you are the only 2 teams in the field, Search Base will ask you to switch channels. If you do switch channels, make sure at least one person in your search team leaves their radio on the primary search channel to listen to any important communications. Example: Team 2: Search Base, this is team 2. Search Base: Go ahead team 2 Team 2: Have team 3 contact us directly. Search Base: Copy team 2, go to backup channel 1. Team 3, contact team 2 on backup channel 1. Team 3: This is team 3, switching to backup channel 1. 2. Private Communication with Search Base. In some unique circumstances, it may be necessary to communicate more privately with Search Base, either for privacy or for a long/detailed communication that would distract other teams. Keep in mind, however, that others may still be listening on other radios, and anyone within audible range of Search Base will be able to hear it. If you are within cell phone range, request Search Base contact you via cell phone. Otherwise, request a channel change. Search Base is free to or tell you a different channel deny your request as circumstances dictate, especially if they do not have the equipment to maintain watch on primary search channel. Example: Team 2: Search Base, this is Team 2 Search Base: Go ahead Team 2 Team 2: Contact us on backup channel 1 Search Base: Copy, go to backup channel 1. Search Base clear. Search Base on Backup Channel 1: Team 2, Search Base 3. Interrupting. If you have an urgent situation and there is a conversation in progress, you can use the word break to interrupt the conversation between transmissions. Keep in mind that if multiple people are transmitting simultaneously, they may not know it and anybody else will only hear noise. Say break, identify yourself, and explain in a few words
what the urgent situation is. Break, Houston, this is Apollo 13, we have a problem, our oxygen tank has exploded. 4. Mayday. In a true life threatening emergency situation, you can call mayday. Say mayday 3 times, identify yourself, say mayday again, and very briefly explain the situation. If you must use HAM or marine bands because Search Base is out of contact, identify yourself more than just team 2, such as search team 2 or MSAR search team 2. If no response, try again 3 times. If still no response, try a different emergency frequency or wait a minute and try again. Example: Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, this is Search & Rescue team 2 calling Mayday, Service Module oxygen tank has exploded. Terminology 1. Band: A range of frequencies. 2. VHF Band: The Very High Frequency band, 136-174MHz. The VHF band includes commercial frequencies (which are what search frequencies are), marine frequencies, and HAM frequencies. You do not need to memorize the exact frequency range, just know that around 150MHz is VHF. 3. UHF Band: The Ultra High Frequency band, 400-500MHz. The UHF band includes commercial, HAM, FRS, and GMRS frequencies. You do not need to memorize the exact frequency range, just remember anything in 400 s MHz is UHF. UHF does not penetrate as well through terrain and obstacles as VHF, which is why VHF is generally superior for SAR. 4. Aviation band. Just below normal VHF, still technically in the VHF band, 108-137MHz. Non-aviation specific radios cannot transmit on the aviation band. Most aviation resources SAR will communicate with, such as fire department or Coast Guard, will likely have commercial VHF band capable radios, except probably not CAP. 5. Channel. A label for a specific frequency. 6. Station. A specific radio and its operator. Your callsign is your station identifier. 7. Watch. A watch indicates you are listening, generally in the context of, maintain watch on primary search channel, which would mean keep listening on primary search channel.
Phonetic Alphabet A - Alfa B - Bravo C - Charlie D - Delta E - Echo F - Foxtrot G - Golf H - Hotel I - India J - Juliet K - Kilo L - Lima M Mike N - November O - Oscar P - Papa Q - Quebec R - Romeo S - Sierra T - Tango U - Uniform V - Victor W - Whiskey X - X-Ray Y - Yankee Z - Zulu