VII. OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES

F. Prowords, Phonetic Alphabet and Numbers. When passing formal traffic prowords are used to ensure brevity and clarity in sending the message. Unfamiliar words are often spelled phonetically to ensure that the word is rendered accurately. Numbers are pronounced the same way , every time to ensure they are also accurately rendered. Following are lists of prowords, the Phonetic Alphabet and Numbers:

Figure 1.
PROWORDS LISTED ALPHABETICALLY
ALL AFTER The portion of the message to which I have reference is all that which follows
ALL BEFORE The portion of the message to which I have reference is all that which proceeds
BREAK I hereby indicate the separation of the text from other portions of the message
CORRECT You are correct or what you have transmitted is correct
CORRECTION An error has been made in this transmission. Transmission will continue with the last word correctly transmitted. An error has been made in this transmission (or message indicated) The correct version is__________ That which follows is a corrected version answer to your request for verification.
DISREGARD THIS TRANSMISSION This transmission is in error. Disregard it. (This proword shall not be used to cancel any message that has been completely transmitted and for which receipt or acknowledgment has been received.)
DO NOT ANSWER Stations called are not to answer this call, receipt for this message, or otherwise to transmit in connection with this transmission. When this proword is employed, the transmission shall be ended with the proword "OUT
FIGURES Numerals or numbers follow (Optional)
FROM The originator of this message is indicated by address designation immediately following
GROUPS This message contains the number of groups indicated.
INFO The addressees immediately following are addressed for information
I READ BACK The following is my response to your instructions to read back
I SAY AGAIN I am repeating transmission or portion indicated
I SPELL I spell the next word phonetically
I VERIFY That which follows has been verified at your request and is repeated. (To be used as a reply to verify.)
MESSAGE A message which requires recording is about to follow (Transmitted immediately after the call. )
MINIMIZE Please limit your transmissions to essential traffic. Emergency operational traffic is in progress. MINIMIZE is imposed by Net Control or by the Incident Commander.
MINIMIZE LIFTED Minimize is lifted by Net Control or by the Incident Commander
MORE TO FOLLOW Transmitting station has additional traffic for the receiving station
OUT This is the end of my transmission to you and no answer is required or expected. (Since OVER and OUT have opposite meanings, they are never used together
OVER This is the end of my transmission to you and a response is necessary. Go ahead; transmit
READ BACK Repeat this entire transmission back to me exactly as received.
RELAY (TO) Transmit this message to all addresses (or addresses immediately following this proword). The address component is mandatory when this proword is used
REPEAT Not used in normal traffic (This proword is used in US Army Artillery to request another artillery round be fired.)
ROGER I have received your last transmission satisfactorily.
ROUTINE Precedence ROUTINE. Reserved for all types of messages which are not of sufficient urgency to justify a higher precedence, but must be delivered to the addressee without delay.
SAY AGAIN Repeat all of your last transmission. (Followed by identification date means "Repeat __________ (portion indication). "
SERVICE The message that follows is a service message.
SPEAK SLOWER Your transmission is at too fast a speed. Reduce speed of transmission
THIS IS This transmission is from the station whose designator immediately follows
TIME That which immediately follows is the time or date/time group of the message
TO The addressee(s) immediately following is (are) addressed for action
UNKNOWN STATION The identity of the station with whom I am attempting to establish communication is unknown.
VERIFY Verify entire message (or portion indicated) with the originator and send correct version. (To be used only at the direction of the addressee to which the questioned message was directed.)
WAIT I must pause for a few seconds.
WAIT OUT I must pause for more than a few seconds.
WILCO I have received your signal, understand it, and will comply. (To be used only by the addressee. Since the meaning of ROGER is included in that of WILCO, the two prowords are never used together.
WORD AFTER The word of the message to which I have reference is that which follows.
WORD BEFORE The word of the message to which I have reference is that which precedes.
WORDS TWICE Communication is difficult. Transmit each phrase twice. This proword may be used as an order, request, or as information.

Proword List is from Army FM 24-19 - Radio Operator' Handbook, Chapter 5 Operating Procedures, Section I - Radiotelephone Procedures. Prowords MINIMIZE and MINIMIZE LIFTED are from a list of Civil Air Patrol prowords

 

Figure 2.
Phonetic Alphabet
Letter Phonetic Equivalent Pronounced
A Alpha AL FAH
B Bravo BRAH VOH
C Charlie CHAR LEE or SHAR LEE
D Delta DELL TAH
E Echo ECK OH
F Foxtrot FOKS TROT
G Golf GOLF
H Hotel HOH TELL
I India IN DEE AH
J Juliet JEW LEE ETT
K Kilo KEY LOH
L Lima LEE MAH
M Mike MIKE
N November NO VEM BER
O Oscar OSS CAH
P Papa PAH PAH
Q Quebec KEH BEC
R Romeo ROW ME OH
S Sierra SEE AIR RAH
T Tango TANG GO
U Uniform YOU NEE FORM or OO NE FORM
V Victor VIK TAH
W Whiskey WISS KEY
X Xray ECKS RAY
Y Yankee YANG KEY
Z Zulu ZOO LOO

 

Figure 3.
NUMERICAL PRONUNCIATIONS
Numeral Spoken As
и ZE-RO
1 WUN
2 TOO
3 TREE
4 FOW-ER
5 FIFE
6 SIX
7 SEV-EN
8 AIT
9 NIN-ER

1. To distinguish numerals from words similarly pronounced, the proword "FIGURES" may be used preceding such numbers.

2. When numerals are transmitted by radiotelephone, the following rules for their pronunciation will be observed:

3. Numbers will be transmitted digit by digit except that exact multiples of thousands may be spoken as such. However, there are special cases, such as anti-air warfare reporting procedures, when the normal pronunciation of numerals is prescribed for example, 17 would then be "seventeen."

4. The figure "ZERO" is to be written "и," the figure "ONE" is to be written "1" and the letter "ZULU" is to be written "Z."

5. Difficult words may be spelled phonetically using the four-step method. Abbreviations and isolated letters should be spelled phonetically without the proword "I SPELL."

Figure 4.
PHONETIC NUMERALS
Numeral Example Spoken As
44 FOW-ER FOW-ER
90 NIN-ER ZE-RO
136 WUN TREE SIX
TIME 12ии . WUN TOO ZE-RO ZE-RO
1478 WUN FOW-ER SEV-EN AIT
7иии SEV-EN TOU-SAND
16,иии WUN SIX TOU-SAND
812681 AIT WUN TOO SIX AIT WUN

From: Army FM 24-19 - Radio Operator' Handbook, Chapter 5 Operating Procedures, Section I -Radiotelephone Procedures