Signalman 1 & C - Historic Naval Ships Association

SECURITYIn the interest of security, transmission by R/Tshould be as short and concise as possible. Alloperators must be cautioned that transmission by R/Tis subject to enemy interception, and care must betaken when passing information.The following basic rules are essential totransmission security and are to be strictly enforced:1. No transmission will be made unless it has beenauthorized by proper authority.2. The following practices are forbidden:Violation of radio silenceUnofficial conversation between operatorsTransmitting on a direct net withoutpermissionExcessive tuning and testingTransmitting the operator's personal signUnauthorized use of plain languageUse of other than authorized prowordsLinkage or compromise of classified callsigns and address groups by plain languagedisclosures or association with unclassifiedcall signsProfane, indecent, or obscene language3. The following practices are to be avoided:RADIO NETUse of excessive transmitting powerExcessive time consumed in tuning,changing frequency, or adjusting equipmentTransmitting at a speed beyond thecapabilities of receiving operatorsA radio net is the organization of two or morestations in direct communication on a commonchannel. Usually the senior station in the circuit is netcontrol, and it directs the operation and flow of trafficon the net. The type of net and method of operation isdetermined from consideration of operational factorsinvolved.In a free net, the net control station (NCS)authorizes stations to transmit traffic to other stationswithout first obtaining permission from NCS.However, the NCS is not relieved of responsibility formaintaining circuit discipline.In a direct net, stations must obtain permissionfrom NCS before communicating with otherstations. When two or more stations have traffic tosend, NCS grants permission in order of messageprecedence. An exception is that flash messagesmay be sent direct.A net is deemed to be a free net unless otherwiseordered. To change the type of net in effect, the NCSwill transmit, “This is a free net” or "This is a directednet," as appropriate.Free and direct nets are generally associatedwith, but are not restricted to, administrativecircuits in port. They are a means of net operationand should not be confused with specificallynamed circuits; for example, task group reportingnet, naval gunfire control net, task group tactical/warning net.CIRCUIT LOGSCircuit logs are maintained, when possible, on allR/T nets or circuits. The log should show a completerecord of all transmitted and received traffic and ofoperating conditions. The log should also include thefollowing:Time of entering and leaving the circuitCauses of delays on the circuitFrequency adjustments and changesUnusual occurrences, such as procedures andsecurity violationMessages addressed to, or relayed by, the receivingstation are written in full on a message blank.Only sufficient data needs to be entered in the logto identify the message (originator, time ofreceipt, and the date-time group). Other messagesshould be logged with as much detail as possible.A watch-to-watch record of circuit operators iskept, with each operator signing the log on beingrelieved.No entries will be erased. Necessary changes aremade by drawing a single line through the originalentry and then entering the change adjacent to thelined-out entry. The operator making the changeinitials the correction. All entries must he legible.Abbreviations may be used, but they must be readilyunderstood.4-14