Example:

“Unit 20 to base, do you copy?” “Unit 20 to base, please respond.”

The security officer should wait for five seconds to allow proper time for the base station or other officer with a radio to respond.

Usually the response will be something such as:

“Unit 20, this is Base…”

The security officer should then clearly and distinct­ly speak to the base:

“Base, this is unit 20. I have a person requesting to see Mr. Jones. He states he has an appointment. Please advise.”

Often, because of past experiences, two security officer’s can easily communicate with two-way radios and not waste a great deal of time. They do not necessarily have to say everything in order for the other person to understand what they are trying to say.

Abbreviations are often used in order to expedite conversations when using two-way radios. Additionally, certain words may be misunderstood because of similarity, in sound, to other words. Therefore, the Phonetic Alphabet was designed by the military:

Equivalent/Phonetic

A – Alpha

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

 

Numbers are also important in communications and should be clearly spoken in telephone and radio conversa­tions. The pronunciation of numerals should be exaggerated to avoid any misunderstanding by the receiving party. Each digit of large numbers should be pronounced separately, even in the case of “hundreds” and “thousands”.

When using a two-way radio, security officers should transmit only when necessary and only approved messages.

Merely talking to pass the time or communicating for an extended period of time when telephones are available is inappropriate and prohibited.

As mentioned earlier, to be certain that your message has been properly received, wait for a return response indi­cating that the message was, in fact, received.

The following phrases are an example of what may be utilized to expedite communication, but please refer to your company standards for correct and authorized radio procedures:

“Correct.” -You are correct, or what you have transmitted is correct.

“Say Again.” – Repeat your last

“Silence.” – Cease transmission immediately.

“Wilco.” – I have received your message, I understand and will comply.

“Correction.” – An error has been made.

“More To Follow.” -Transmitting unit has more information to transmit.

“Out.” – This is the end of my transmission.

“Over.” – This is the end of my transmission.

“Radio Check.” – What is my signal strength and readability?

“Read Back.” – Repeat entire transmission.