Comms

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Channels and Frequencies

PRI

This is the default comms plan for missions.

Mission specific channels (9 through 13) are used to fit the scenario of a mission. These may include additional tankers, airport towers & ground, specific tasking channels, JTAC etc. If used for a mission, the table will be updated with said channels' functions in the mission forum thread.

These common channels are called the PRI (primary) channels. They are used on Com1 (i.e the left radio in the Hornet).

Channel	Function	Frequency
1	Carrier Tower	305.00
2	Carrier Tower, AI	264.00
3	Package	265.00
4	Carrier Red Crown	256.00
5	AWACS Backup	254.00
6	Airfield Ground, Human-controlled	250.00
7	Airfield Tower, Human-controlled	270.00
8	Airfield Control, Human-controlled	257.00
9	MISSION SPECIFIC	255.00
10	MISSION SPECIFIC	262.00
11	MISSION SPECIFIC	259.00
12	MISSION SPECIFIC	268.00
13	MISSION SPECIFIC	269.00
14	Navy Main Tanker	260.00
15	Carrier Approach A	263.00
16	Carrier Marshal	261.00
17	Carrier Approach B	267.00
18	AWACS, AI	251.00
19	Carrier Overhead Tankers	253.00
20	Air Force Main Tanker	266.00

AUX

The AUX frequencies are used by flights for intraflight comms. These are not presets. You have to manually tune your AUX radio to the correct frequency. The frequencies start at 130.10 and increases by .10 for each flight, corresponding to that flight's number.

Com2 (i.e the right radio in the Hornet) is used for this. As a flight lead, you may instead opt to use Teamspeak for intraflight comms. (If you do, the recommendation is to use TS instead of the AUX radio, not using TS as third radio)

Flight	VHF	UHF
Flight 1	130.10	330.10
Flight 2	130.20	330.20
Flight 3	130.30	330.30
Flight 4	130.40	330.40
Flight 5	130.50	330.50
...	...	...
Flight 10	131.00	331.00
Flight 11	131.10	331.10
...	...	...

Common Radio Procedures

Check-ins

When a flight switches its PRI channel, they should "check in". This is done by having the leader say "[Flight name and number], check in!". The wingmen then simply replies (on the channel they are entering) with their numbers in the flight.

Example: (Enfield1, flight of four Hornets, checks in on Package channel)

Enfield11: "Enfield1, check in!"
Enfield12: "Two!"
Enfield13: "Three!"
Enfield14: "Four!"

Contacting controlling agency

After a flight has checked in for the first time, it is common (and in the case of the Package channel, mandatory) to contact the controlling agency on that channel. The most common situation is that a flight has checked in on the package channel and contacts AWACS. Let the controlling agency know your airframe count, your position and any other relevant information (for instance fuel state on lowest flight member, tasking, any technical issues and so on). If some of these things should already be known by the controlling agency (because they are pre-briefed) and they haven't changed, you don't need to mention them, but instead state "as fragged".

Example: (Enfield1, flight of four Hornets on CAP tasking, has just checked in and now contacts AWACS "Focus" on Package channel)

Enfield11: "Focus, Enfield1, marking bullseye 270 for 35 at angels 28, lowest state 10.8, as fragged!"
Focus: "Enfield1, Focus, radar contact, continue as fragged. Good hunting!"

Authentication

This is not always used, but sometimes a controlling agency may ask a flight (or vice-versa) to authenticate themselves to prove that they are friendly. When this happens, we're using a system called "RAMROD". It works by having a certain phrase communicated to all parties in the briefing. The phrase is then used as a key to be able to correctly reply to the querying instance's authentication request. The query consists of two letters from the phrase, with exactly one letter between them. The letter in between is the correct answer. Not that the phrase is assumed to "wrap around", meaning the first letter in the phrase is located between the last and the second letter.

Example 1: (Focus asks Enfield1 for authentication. The prebriefed RAMROD key is "MONKEYSPIT")

Focus: "Enfield1, authenticate October Kilo!"
Enfield11: "Focus, Enfield1 authenticates November."
Focus: "Enfield1, approved."

MONKEYSPIT

Example 2: (Same situation)

Focus: "Enfield1, authenticate India Mike!"
Enfield11: "Focus, Enfield1 authenticates Tango."
Focus: "Enfield1, approved."

MONKEYSPIT