“. . . Proceed Underwater Sound Laboratories,
DISREGARD THIS TRANSMISSION, OUT.”
After a message has been completely transmitted, it
can be canceled only by another message. For example:
“Polk, THIS IS Key, Cancel My Zero Eight Zero
Nine Three Zero Zulu, TIME Zero Nine Five Zero Zulu,
OVER.”
Polk transmits:
“Key, THIS IS Polk, ROGER, OUT.”
RECEIPT OF A MESSAGE
No message is considered delivered on an R/T
circuit until the transmitting station receives a receipt.
A receipt is effected by the use of the proword ROGER.
The receiving station can transmit a receipt after each
message or after a string of messages if there is more
than one message to be receipted for.
In a collective net, the transmitting station may
determine that speed of handling should be the primary
consideration. In this case, one station in the net maybe
directed to receipt for the message or messages and no
other station may answer until instructed to do so. This,
however, does not prohibit any station in the net from
requesting repetition.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF R/T MESSAGES
You should not confuse an acknowledgment with a
reply or receipt. An acknowledgment is a reply from an
addressee indicating that a certain message was
received, understood, and can be complied with. A
receipt means only that the message was received
satisfactorily. Only the commanding officer or his or
her authorized representative can authorize
A request for acknowledgment is accomplished by
use of the word “acknowledge” (not a proword) as the
final word of the text. The reply is the proword WILCO.
If the commanding officer can acknowledge at once, the
communications operator may receipt for the message
with WILCO because the meaning of ROGER is
contained in WILCO. If the acknowledgment cannot be
returned immediately, the communications operator
receipts for the message with ROGER, and replies with
WILCO later. The return transmission to a request for
an acknowledgment is either ROGER or WILCO; never
c o m m u n i c a t i o n s p e r s o n n e l t o s e n d an
acknowledgment.
“Polk, THIS IS Key, Request Special
Communications Training, Acknowledge, OVER.”
The commanding officer wishes to consider the request
before acknowledging; the operator sends:
“Key, THIS IS Polk, ROGER, OUT.”
After consideration, the commanding officer of Polk
understands and can comply with the message. The
operator then transmits:
“Key, THIS IS Polk, WILCO, OUT.”
VERIFICATION OF R/T MESSAGES
When a receiving station requests verification of an
R/T message, the originating station verifies the
message with the originating person, checks the
cryptography (if the message is encrypted), and sends
the correct version. For example:
“Key, THIS IS Polk, VERIFY your Zero Eight Zero
Nine Three Zero Zulu—SAY AGAIN FROM TO
INFO, OVER.”
Key then transmits:
“THIS IS Key, ROGER, OUT.”
After checking with the originating officer, Key
determines that the portion to be verified is correct as
transmitted previously and sends:
“Polk, THIS IS Key, I VERIFY My Zero Eight Zero
Nine Three Zero Zulu, I SAY AGAIN, FROM TO
INFO—FROM Key, TO Polk, INFO, OVER.”
Polk receipts for the transmission:
“THIS IS Polk, ROGER, OUT.”
BREAK-IN PROCEDURES
A station having a message of higher precedence
than the transmission in progress may break in and
suspend that transmission in the following manner:
FLASH message—The station should break in at
once and transmit the message.
IMMEDIATE message—The station may break in
at once and pass the message. The station may make a
preliminary call before transmitting the message, if
necessary. On a directed net, the station must obtain
control approval before transmitting the message.
PRIORITY message—The station should use the
same procedure as for IMMEDIATE, except that only
long ROUTINE messages should be interrupted.
both. For example, Polk receives the following
transmission from Key:
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