Procedural words are used in radio communications for clear and concise communication, especially in emergency situations. They are internationally recognized and used for tasks such as signal checks and indicating message reception. Different words have small differences in meaning, and they are especially important in emergency situations, with “mayday” being a well-known word for distress calls.
Sometimes shortened to proword, a procedural word is one of a set of words used in radio communications in military and civilian efforts. Often used when one or both parties are traveling, such as on ships or planes, procedural words allow for clear, concise communication with little chance of misunderstanding. While they are often used in general communication, they are often employed in emergency situations.
There may be some minor variations between the procedure words used for a given organization, but overall these words are internationally recognized and have the same meanings across countries and organizations. Procedural words are generally used for various tasks, such as asking or confirming the clarity of a signal. They also indicate that a message is incoming or completed, has been received, or needs to be repeated. In addition, they quickly inform about an emergency situation.
Signal checks are often used before any actual message is transmitted. Used to determine the clarity and strength of a connection, signal checks are usually initiated by one party using the procedure word “radio check” or “as you read”. Signal strength and clarity of received transmission are determined on five point scales with each point corresponding to a different word.
For example, a five in strength is “strong” and a five in clarity is “clear,” while a two in strength is “faded” and in clarity is “intermittent.” The responder may use the procedural word “loud and clear” or “five by five” to indicate a loud and clear connection or “faded and intermittent” or “two by two” to indicate a poor connection. Alternatively, if the signal is “loud and clear” the procedural word “roger” which means “message received” can also be used.
Many procedural words mean almost the same thing, but have small differences in meaning. For example, like “roger”, “wilco” is used to indicate that a message has been received but it also indicates that any instructions in that message will be carried out. Similarly, the words “over” and “out” both indicate that a transmission has ended, but unlike “out”, “over” implies that a response is needed. Other prowords are designed simply for clarity in an answer. For example, any affirmative or negative response is provided as “yes” or “negative”.
While procedural words aid in clear and quick communication in any radio messaging situation, they are especially important during an emergency. Perhaps the best-known word for emergency procedure is “mayday.” This word generally initiates a distress call, usually to a ship or aircraft, and is repeated several times at the beginning and again at the end of the message.
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