Civil Air Patrol ICUT

DEWG -Introduction to Communications User Training

THIS IS A NHQ BETA COURSE UNDER DEVLOPMENT

This Class can be uses as a self-passed or a Classroom based class. HOWEVER you must be involved. If you have any questions please ask the instructor.

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​How this Class Works

Open Ended

What is your name?

Open Ended

What is your CAPID#

Draw

What do you think of when I say Communications?

Welcome to Civil Air Patrol Introductory Communications User Training (ICUT). This is the initial training for all CAP personnel using CAP radios.

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Introduction

Operation - 1

Lesson - 1

You must score 80 percent or better on the OP1 quiz to receive credit for this portion of the course. Please take notes as we can give you points for taking notes to boost your overall score.

• Regulated by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration

• Our radio frequencies are assigned by the USAF ​

• We are given millions for equipment so we must meet mission requirements.

​Foundation of Communications

We do not use phone due to a stressed communication ​system.

​Why not Use Phones?

When a natural disaster or major event occurs and everyone calls and texts, phone towers can be overloaded and calls start to fail.

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Stressed Communications Environment

How we use Radios

​In CAP we have two types of Communications, Simplex and Duplex.

Simplex is when one radio talks to another. An example of simplex communication is when you talk directly to another person

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Simplex

Communications

Duplex is when there is an intermediary, or a 3rd component such as a Repeater. Think of this like you tell the person to your right to tell the person their right.

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​Duplex

Communications

A radio repeater is a combination of a radio receiver and a radio transmitter that receives a signal and retransmits it on another signal (DUPLEX), so that two-way radio signals can cover longer distances. Extends the distance we can communicate

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What is a Repeter

HF - High Frequency

VHF - Very High Frequency

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​Types of Frequencies

• Used to talk 1,000s of miles.

• Bounces Around

• Huge Antennas

• Very High POWER

• Over The Horizon

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​​High Frequency Radio

• Short Distances

• Line of Sight Communcations

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​​Very High Frequency Radio

Multiple Choice

What do we call it when the commercial infrastructure doesn’t work but we still have a lot of urgent information we have pass.

• A Stressed Communications Environment

• A Compressed Communications Environment

• A Compromised Communications Environment

Multiple Choice

What does "simplex" Communications Mean?

• One radio talks directly to another.

• Two Radios Talk with a repeter in the middle

• To talk to someone fairly close, when you are “line-of-sight”,

Multiple Choice

How does CAP use “duplex” communications?

• Repeaters receive on one channel and automatically send the signal back out

  on another channel.

• One radio talks directly to another.

• To talk to someone fairly close, when you are “line-of-sight”,

Multiple Choice

When would you use the HF radio?

• To talk to someone hundreds of miles away, or even across the country.

• To talk to someone fairly close, when you are “line-of-sight”, either direct or

  through repeaters.

• In order to help keep our communications secure.

• TSCI Communications

Multiple Choice

When would you use the VHF-FM radio?

• To talk to someone fairly close, when you are “line-of-sight”, either direct or

  through repeaters.

• To talk to someone hundreds of miles away, or even across the country.

• In order to help keep our communications secure.

• TSCI Communications

  ONLY

Multiple Choice

We talk about CAP using VHF radios...and pilots also use VHF radios in the

airplanes. Are they the same?

• No, they are different.

• No, they require a permit

• Yes, they are the same

• Yes, we are the government we do what we want when we want

Multiple Choice

What organization assigns CAP’s radio frequencies?

• The Air Force

• The Space Force

• The TOA

• The Wing Commander

Multiple Choice

What organization regulates the frequencies CAP uses?

• NTIA

• FCC

• FAA

• FDIC

Operation 1

Lesson 1.5

We do not talk about frequency to anyone. We do not talk about what channels are which over the radio at all.

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​Frequency OPSEC

​VHF Channels

​We have 6 Simplex Channels

• Command and Control

• Air

• Tactical (TAC)

• CapGuard or Guard

Any channel that has a "R-" is a repeater. You do not have to memorize all of them. However you do need to know DEWGs. We uses these letters to make it more secure when we talk over the radio

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Repeater Channels

​R-09

​R-62

​R-37

Multiple Choice

Why do we use letters to designate channels and NOT talk about the actual

frequencies?

• In order to help keep our communications secure.

• To make Russia's head hurt when they listen to us

• to show people we know our alphabet

When commercial infrastructure fails we need a means of communicating to our Ground Teams and Aircrews so they can get the vital information they need to do their jobs

​Communications needs

Every radio has liaison channel, we use liaisons channels to talk to other agency.

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​Liaison Frequencies

Multiple Choice

What is it called when we communicate on the radio with other emergency agencies?

• Liaison Communications

• Group

  Communications

• Joint

  Communications

• Congruent

  Communications

The Goal is not to rely on public or Commercial infrastructure. That way when it fails during a natural disaster we can still get vital communication to where it needs to go.

The Goal

Civil Air Patrol IS NOT to use HAM radio under NO circumstance.

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​Amateur radio

Sometimes thSometimes the USAF or other Alphabet Agencias de sopa.

What we do when we hear them

Don't Interfere, be prepared to assist them if they ask for help, and advise our wing communications staff

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​Other Agency Use

Multiple Choice

What do we do if we hear another agency using our channels when we were not expecting it?

(what would you do if USAF is using one of our channels)

• Don’t interfere, be prepared to assist them if they ask for help, and advise  your wing Communications staff.

• interfere, be prepared to stop them

• interfere, be prepared to assist them if they ask for help and tell them to leave the channel.

Multiple Choice

Why does CAP avoid using “commercial infrastructure” for mission communications?

• During emergencies, these systems often get jammed making it hard to get messages through.

• During emergencies, these systems often get work making it easier to get messages through. Via Phone

• During emergencies, these systems often get jammed making it EASY to get messages through.

• During emergencies, these systems often work so why use radios.

Multiple Choice

What do we call it when the commercial infrastructure doesn’t work but we still have a lot of urgent information we have to radio from one place to another.

• A Stressed Communications Environment

• A Failed Communications Environment

• A Successful Communications Environment

Open Ended

Questions

Operation - 1

Lesson - 2

​A word or phrase that has an assigned meaning for the purpose of expediting communications 

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​Basic Prowords

When we talk on the radio we say, ______This is ____, (Message), Over/Out

This is - who you are

Over - I want a reply

Out - I'm done not reply

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How to talk on the radio

Implementing Prowords 

Multiple Choice

CAP742 ____ is Command Radio Check Over

(CTS)

• This

• Than

• I am

Multiple Choice

Ground Team 1 This is Command ________, _____

• Radio check, over

• Signal Check, out

• Check Radio, Over

• Check Radio, out

RADIO FUNCTIONS (Alphabet.

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