(Continued from Part 1.)
Emergency Communications
The Emergency level (the “E” of the PACE acronym) methods of communications are used exclusively during recovery or for link up in the field where no electronic means are possible or desirable. The injured may need to use a whistle as their only means to call for help. Linking up in the field is a very dangerous situation that carries the threat of ambush with it, or even casualties from friendly fire. How the Emergency PACE level methods are used to signal using a code or a procedure only known to friendly participants must be well rehearsed and unambiguous. Participants must be confident enough to make contact, given the risk that is inherent.
Write It Well
Generating a new SOP or SOI is not “rocket-surgery” and can be put together in just a few minutes, and even in an ad hoc manner, yet only if we have the basics under our belt. It must, however, be presented clearly and coordinated with precision. We need to practice to make perfect and to make changes to a new and different SOI on a frequent basis, perhaps once a week. First and foremost, the operator needs to know how to navigate the radio’s menu and change channels.
After inventorying and determining what available the equipment is capable of, use a scanner to sweep the various bands, and range of frequencies that your equipment uses. Typically we might conduct a survey and scan 144 to 148 Mhz ( 2 Meter Amateur band), 420 to 450 Mhz (the 70cm Amateur band), 150 to 160Mhz (Upper VHF, where there is the most traffic), and 450 to 480Mhz (UHF that includes FRS/GMRS) if that is what the equipment is capable of. We need to know where most of the radio traffic occurs in the spectrum that we can use.
Avoid crowded channels and radio services, and stay off the beaten path. We would not wish to advertise our existence over the local popular and Ham frequencies, or any other radio service. It requires patience and at least a week of scanning to discover the quieter parts of the band. When traffic is heard, jot down the frequency and the nature of the activity. Upon review, a pattern will emerge. In rural areas, this is best performed during hunting season when hunters may use whatever radio gear they have for this special occasion.
The more flexible the radio equipment, the better. If the operators can master more complicated radios and operate them under duress, then we can improve our COMSEC. Can the operator fix the radio after it malfunctions as well as they can clear a stoppage from their weapon? Often, a single button is pressed and the operator can not ‘fix’ the radio he broke.
Instructions for Support Elements
We can use the SOI for a particular unit to identify which call sign the operator should use to be recognized on a particular net. For example, we can use a separate SOI for transportation and medical units that are different from the security operation and patrol. Those authorized to be on the medical net would be on the SOI for that net. To keep order, the authorized user must have the appropriate call sign that is associated with the SOI for that net, be it medical or transportation, to be recognized.
Consider that calls for help from casualties may jam the frequency as the injured may be desperate and holding the key of mic on continuously. We would not want the frequency to be jammed, and we would not want either transportation or medical units to be unable to respond, because their frequencies are jammed. It might be best for supporting units to use entirely different SOIs and other frequencies or best yet, transceivers that use another radio service that are unavailable to others.
A Brevity Matrix
As discussed in previous articles, a brevity matrix should be unique to your operations and not be the standard 10-code once used by law enforcement and CBers, or ‘Q’ codes as used by amateur radio operators to shorten transmission times and to communicate clearly. Your SOI and Brevity Matrix, and call-signs should be the most guarded ‘secrets’ that are not discussed with others outside your unit.
As well as call-signs, the SOI and Brevity Matrix should be changed weekly and more often if threat conditions are high. Each unit should change together. The call signs identify the user, and are directly associated with the newly issued SOI and brevity matrix. If the call-sign used is not correctly associated with the SOI, there may have been a breach of security and the impostor should not be recognized, and the SOI immediately changed.
A Brev-mat (Brevity Matrix) Made Simple
Generate your own brevmat (brevity matrix) with a row of numbers on the side of a chart and with a letter of the alphabet along the top. With the intersecting box between the number and letter is located a short description or activity. ‘2-G’ might indicate that “I am out of gas”, or “I am lost”, or “need ammo”, “need water” and so forth. A code word can be direct substitution in an index located below the Brevmat. Do a search to find various samples. This method of encoding is simple and proven to be effective over at least 60 years of use.
Reducing Your RF Footprint
Using a brevity matrix not only shortens transmission times and encodes messages, but also minimizes our overall RF footprint. To greatly reduce the overall RF footprint, I will use field phones whenever and wherever possible. And I would use field phone to transmit remotely from a static position or otherwise. And I would not issue radios, but to a few key and well-trained persons such as the RTO and team leader. Otherwise, the radios would be used excessively and a lack of on air or radio discipline would exist. The more people with access to a radio increases the odds of an open mic or negligent use. Not everyone needs a radio. Only the highly trained RTO and the team leader need a radio.
Consider that a negligent discharge of a firearm is a serious matter, and so would be a negligent transmission of any electronic device, including a radio. A frequency counter, a Uniden scanner with the Close Call feature, or SIGINT guy using an RTL-SDR or other brand SDR dongle could instantly identify your frequency and be prepared to jam your radio traffic just before they attack. And we could lose ‘tactical surprise’ just before we need it it most, just before that attack.
A lack of understanding and practice operating a particular radio is the most likely cause of failure. This is why I advocate the simplest to use radios for those who would use radio as a replacement for a telephone system. Dial-operated Business Band radios are ideal. However, for the best COMSEC that might be achieved, simply using one or two channels is not enough capability to avoid interception under high threat conditions. Utilizing complicated solutions to enhance COMSEC, such as encoding, brevity codes, or encryption is pointless if we have not mastered the basics of operating the transceiver, or have a lack understanding of the basics of radio communication in general. We should first stick with the basics, master the basics, and then improve COMSEC with additional techniques as we train and master the art.
Using easy-to-use radios at the onset and then graduating to more sophisticated and versatile transceivers that require much additional training is a wise and prudent approach. This is much akin to training a new shooter by using a single-shot .22LR rifle before introducing them to a box-fed semi-automatic. As time progresses during a WROL situation in a collapsed society, threats will increase in number and sophistication, and defenders will constantly improve their defenses and COMSEC.
Given that we are using a versatile transceiver, we can work the available spectrum from top to bottom, and greatly enhance COMSEC. Using multiple high speed scanners, the time required to sweep all the bands is considerable and the scanners may fail to intercept a short-duration signal. Those using RTL-SDR Dongle as a poor man’s spectrum analyzer can only monitor 4 megahertz of bandwidth at a time. For example, the 2 Meter Ham band is only 4 megahertz in size. This means there is more of the radio spectrum to hide in than a single person can keep an eye on using a RTL-SDR dongle. It would require several laptops or Androids and attendants to cover the upper VHF band, and more would be needed to cover the UHF band. This is like a game of Hide and Seek.
After we have mastered a transceiver that is as versatile as the ubiquitous early model Baofeng UV5R or Wouxan, Anytone, and others, these can be useful for the purpose of attaining higher levels of COMSEC, we can then proceed further. Or we might have many different radio sets that operate on different radio services, then we can have additional on-air security with a diversity of radio services, if we can master them all, and use Signal Operating Instructions (SOI) that are changed often. We should also be capable of making antennas for the various parts of the available radio spectrum that we can legally used.
(To be concluded tomorrow, in Part 3.)
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