Radio protocol
Introduction
Everyone wants a radio - they're exciting and cool. We use somewhere between 150-200 radios at the event and they can be a vital tool to coordinate teams or call for help, so it is important ensure that everyone uses proper radio protocol.
Allocation
Radios are loosely allocated to teams in advance of the event - please check with your team leader or head of department if you need a radio or if you need any radio equipment e.g. headsets.
Radios and charged batteries are available at GOD, if you are taking a radio please sign it out so we can track how many radios each team needs.
Depending on stocks there may be headsets available at GOD. During 2025 stocks will likely be limited to over-the-ear G type headsets and you should contact your team leader or head of department if you need another type of headset.
Radio Protocol & Use
When you want to speak to someone on a radio, press the speak button, wait a second (it takes a moment to engage) and then say your name clearly and your message. You are limited to 60 seconds so make your message clear and concise
Take care you do not accidentally lean on the transmit button or allow the headset lead to work loose - this can tie up the channel. If this occurs the person transmitting cannot hear any radio calls so check neighboring radio holders rather than try to use the radio to find them.
Several channels have high levels of use - do not hold a conversation with another radio user on any channel that is for contact purpose. Use the contact channel to locate the person you want to talk to and then then go to an adjacent conversation channel to communicate with them.
Avoid swearing on the radio and do not make personal comments, radio is not the place to have 'sensitive' discussions.
Emergencies
Any emergency at an event should be reported by radio to the relevant head of department. If your radio channel is being used to convey emergency information then you do not use that radio channel for any other reason. Keep the channel clear so that the crew who are responding to the emergency can use it.
Radio Channels
| Channel | Use |
|---|---|
| 1 | Site Contact / Emergency channel |
| 2 | Site Conversation |
| 3 | God/Gate |
| 4 | Traffic Management |
| 5 | Ref Contact |
| 6 | Ref Conversation |
| 7 | Plot + Plot Production |
| 8 | Matt Cave |
| 9 | Egregore contact |
| 10 | Egregore Conversation / Academy |
| 11 | Skirmish Command |
| 12 | Battle 1 |
| 13 | Battle 2 |
| 14 | Civil Service |
| 15 | First Aid |
| 16 | Security / Conduct / Participant Welfare |
Extra Channels - New Radios Only
| Channel | Use |
|---|---|
| 17 | Spare 1 |
| 18 | Spare 2 |
| 19 | Spare 3 |
| 20 | Spare 4 |
Site Contact
Site contact is the primary contact channel for all site team. It includes sparkies, hygiene and the people controlling vehicle movements.
Banksmen
When individual crew are operating vehicles like tractors or the hook loaders, they should operate their conversations on one of the higher channels - ideally one of the conversation channels which is unlikely to be busy before time-in.
Radio handsets
Our current handsets are mostly Baofeng model BF-888S (old radios) or Baofeng UV-5R (new radios). Their headset connector is a Kenwood K1 (sometimes sold as K01, K001, etc.): any headset with that connector should work with them or search for headsets compatible with one of the model numbers.
Voice prompts
UV-5R (New radios) These do not have a channel selector knob and instead you use buttons on the front to switch between channels, the instructions below are also on the channel lammy attached to the radio
- Change Channel – Press and hold the # key (bottom right) until lock symbol disappears, then use up and down keys
- Avoid tapping the # after unlocking as this changes the power. Power will reset when switching channels
- Frequency Mode (to be avoided) – VFO/MR button is pressed while unlocked, press this button again to exit.
BF-888S (Old radios)
Your radio should tell you which channel you're on; if it's beeping instead, follow this procedure to get voice prompts back:
- Turn it off
- Switch to channel 10
- Hold down the push-to-talk button and the orange button with two pips on, next to the push-to-talk button
- With these held down, turn the radio on
- The radio should greet you with "Power on, ten"
- You can let go of the buttons now
This is a toggle; if you actually prefer the beeps, follow the same procedure.
If you find your radio is speaking Chinese, follow the same process but use channel 15 instead of 10.