REMEMBER

•   Motorsport is dangerous and carries risks
•   Officials use radio network to track vehicles and ensure that they are safe
•   In case of an accident tracking helps narrow down search and enables quick rescue
•   Use tracking sheets to properly track vehicles as they pass through the stage
•   Use radio communication to communicate passage of vehicles from your location
•   Use radio efficiently

FIRST CONCERNS

SAFETY

•   Safety is paramount. This is equally true of competitors, officials, media and spectators. This should never be compromised.
•   Always adopt safe working procedures. You are here to help and should not get into a situation where you need to be helped.
•   Be alert always. Someone’s life might depend on your actions.
•   Always be aware of the following:
  •   Your Stage Commander
  •   Radio position before you
  •   Radio position after you
•   If in any doubt, always contact, or relay, message to your Stage Commander.
•   Radio Ops sometimes involves handling electrical wiring and connections – double check for safety and avoid fire hazards.

RESOURCES

•   Always ensure your resources are available and in good working order to last you through the day.
•   Make sure you have everything ready for the next day, before you retire for the night e.g. filling up fuel, putting batteries on charge (if you’re using batteries other than from your vehicle),road book, signage and such.

RADIO OPERATIONS

TO BEGIN WITH:

•   Ensure radio is fitted securely and connected properly to the vehicle battery.
•   Antenna connection wire should be as short and securely fitted as possible
•   Loose, lengthy wires might trip you when getting into or out of the vehicle, apart from causing signal losses.
•   Vehicle battery should be in good condition to enable radio ops from the time you leave the hotel until completion of the stage.
•   Check that the radio channels are programmed correctly – Order of preference of Channels working for the rally will be 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 6 and 7
•   Switch on the radio to Channel #3 from the time you leave night halt to the next halt.

PRIORITY OF RADIO TRAFFIC

As in our daily life, radio traffic also has ‘protocol’ and depending on the nature, accorded priority. Below are the priorities you must observe for radio traffic:

•   Emergency – when a human life is in danger or for grievous injuries;
•   Medical – medical assistance not of a very serious nature;
•   Priority – medical assistance of a mild nature or, an announcement / message given slightly more importance over normal rally radio traffic.

Raise the priority of messages if situation so dictates. Contact Stage Commander / seniors / peers if you need a second opinion.

• Use “break break” message when you need to transmit priority message and then wait for radio channel to be free.
•  All operators to stand by if priority message is being transmitted
•  Always help in “hopping” / relaying message if direct communication between tthe sender and recipient is not possible.

PLACEMENT

•  The Stage Commander, or his representative, will place you at a given spot and assign you a ‘call’ for that stage e.g. SOS2. This could change for each stage.
•  Never move away from the spot assigned without the consent of the Stage Commander.
•  Inform the preceding or following position if you have to move in an emergency and are not able to contact the Stage Commander.
•  Remember position number assigned to you for the stage and always identify yourself as such on the ‘band’. Not all officials on the rally may know you by name or, what position you are at.
•  Understand the route for the stage and remember the position numbers before you and, after you.
•  Be aware of the medical access and evacuation routes in your stage.
•  Wait for the Stage Commander to announce ‘end/completion’ of stage before you move away.
•  If you are moving away from radio for a while announce this to preceding and succeeding stations and be sure that this will not effect communications.
•  Try to minimise “hop” / relay communications by remaining silent trackers if situation permits. This improves communications.

ON THE AIR

•   Radio time is at a premium, especially at peak of a stage – be brief, be precise, be clear.
•   The golden rule of communications is “maximum communication with minimum words”.
•   Do not press the PTT (Press-To-Talk) switch unnecessarily. This might prevent others from using the band when they need to most.
•   Make sure the band is ‘free’ before you transmit. Two or more persons talking simultaneously is called ‘doubling’ and often suppresses each other’s frequencies.
•   After pressing the PTT, allow one or two seconds before you start to talk and, release the PTT immediately after you finish. Comes with a little bit of practice. To practice, use the transport stages when you’re going to or proceeding after a stage.
•   Always identify yourself after calling another station. While this is basic courtesy, it helps the called person understand the context and give a quick response.
  •   As an example of the previous point, if SOS3 is calling SOS2, (s)he just has to say “SOS2 SOS3.”
•   Allow some time for called position to respond before repeating call,
  •   If, in this example, SOS2 is free to take the call, replies “Go SOS3 SOS2”.
  •   Notice, both stations identified themselves yet there are minimum words exchanged.
  •   Do not call by name as there may be more than two people in the car
•   You need to monitor only the position before yours and note down the competitor number they announce as ‘passed’. The competitors should normally come to you in the same sequential order.
•   As each competitor passes your position, note it against that competitor number in your list from the previous point and announce it on the radio. The competitors should normally reach the position after you in the same order.
•   As the succeeding position (after you) announces the competitors passing by, tick their numbers off in your list
•   Do seek clarification from the radio position just before you or just after you, should you need any.
•   Together you should now have three readings for each competitor – first at the preceding position, second at your position and third at the position after yours.
•   If you notice any competitor missing or delayed beyond reasonable time, inform or relay the message to your Stage Commander.
•   Do not transmit anything apart from this standard reporting, unless it falls in the three categories of priority mentioned earlier.