Walkie talkie lingo and Codes Ultimate Guide (Copy that, Over!)

Are you a diehard fan of The Walking Dead? How about shooting movies? You have definitely heard at least a few words of the walkie-talkie lingo multiple times. It personally gives me a magnificent feeling imagining myself in that role and using the radio, “eyes on target”, “do you copy?”, ”Roger that!”, “Over and out!” and more…

I am sure you are excited to learn these short language codes as much as I was in the past.

Without further ado, Let’s get started…

What are walkie talkie codes?

walkie-talkie-lingo-codes

Why try the walkie talkie language?

Learning the walkie-talkie language or getting familiar with its codes may sound absurd to most, but you may find yourself in situations where this lingo would come in handy and may even save your life, and not ONLY yours.

This is not something like learning Chinese, it’s a pretty simple and easy-to-understand language that will deliver the message across shortly and clearly.

cellular-tower

Unlike mobile phones which use cell phone towers to transmit clear communication, the walkie-talkies use audio waves which do not give a perfectly clear audio quality. That’s why the military, police, or civilians have adopted this short language protocol to send a message in fewer words so that the receiver would clearly understand it.

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Walkie Talkie Lingo and Codes

walkie-talkie-codes

Now comes the part we are excited about; the lingo.

We divided the walkie talkie language into parts so you can easily grasp it.

1. Starting the Conversation

Starting the conversation is not always easy especially if you are connected with a group of people, you will need to get the right person you want to communicate with, Use these:

Come in Robert: Are you there Robert?
Go Ahead: Please speak
Go for Robert: “Robert” wants to contact me and I’m ready to listen
Mary Calling Robert: I, Mary, want to talk with Robert
Robert, Come In: Are you there Robert?

Wait for a second after pressing the transmit button as radios take that time to start transmitting properly. If you start speaking instantly after hitting the button, the first one or two words would be cut and you don’t want that right?

2. Basic walkie talkie lingo for beginners

After learning how to initiate a conversation, now comes the basic lingo:

Affirmative: Yes
Negative or Negatory: No
Go Ahead: I’m all ears
Disregard: Ignore previous message
Copy: Understood the message
Roger or Roger that: Message received and Understood
Stand by: I’m busy right now, will call you back
Wilco: Message understood, action will follow
On it: Doing what you have asked for

3. Phrases for unsmooth communication?

You will face communication issues now and then. So instead of shouting “Hello? Can you hear me?” just like we do on phone calls, use the following codes as radio communication is a whole different medium.

Mic Check or Radio Check: Is my radio working? Used in setting up new radios or checking if the battery has any juice left in it or is it dead.
Loud and Clear: “Your radio is working fine” or “I can hear you”
Do You Copy? Can you hear me? Used where the conversation is not clear and the person needs to confirm if his message is delivered or not
Say Again or Go Again: Retransmit your message. Note that “repeat” can’t be used here because that is used to “fire again” in the military’s artillery units’ conversation.

4. Finishing the conversation

Unlike in a normal conversation where you say “Bye”, “Take care” or “See you later”, you need to use clear words to properly end the radio conversations in a way that the listener would understand.

Over: “I’m done speaking”, lets your partner know that you have finished talking and waiting for his/her reply or ending the conversation.
Out: End of transmission
Over and Out: Means both “I am done speaking” and “End of conversation”

Just like starting the conversation, you should also resist your temptation to end the communication immediately. Wait a moment after you have finished talking so that your message will be delivered completely without cutting your last word or two.

What are Walkie Talkie Codes or Signals:

Following are the short, easy but important walkie talkie codes designed for simple and fast communication. You don’t need to memories ALL but remembering a few important ones could save someone’s life.

10-1: “Receiving poorly”, The quickest way to tell your partner that the voice is not clear.
10-2: “Receiving well”, means that he’s heard clearly.
10-3: Stop transmitting
10-4: Message received
10-5: Relay message to ***someone’s name***
10-6: I am Busy, please stand by
10-7: Out of service, leaving the air
10-8: In service, subject to call
10-9: Repeat the message
10-10: Transmission has been completed, standing by
10-11: Talking too rapidly
10-12: Visitors present
10-13: Advice required regarding Weather/Road conditions
10-16: “Make pick up at”, used to schedule a pickup.
10-17: Something Urgent
10-18: Anything for us?
10-19: Nothing for you, return to base
10-20: My location is ***location name***
10-21: Call by telephone
10-22: Report in person to ***this person***
10-23: Stand by
10-24: Last assignment has been completed
10-25: Can you contact ***this person***
10-26: Disregard/ignore last information
10-27: I am moving to channel ***ABC***
10-28: Identify your station
10-29: Time is up for contact
10-30: Does not conform to FCC rules
10-32: I will give you a radio check
10-33: Emergency Traffic at this station
10-34: Trouble at this station
10-35: Confidential information sharing
10-36: Correct time is ***XYZ***
10-37: Wrecker needed at ***A***
10-38: Ambulance needed at ***B***
10-39: Message delivered
10-41: Please turn to channel ***ABC***
10-42: Traffic accident at ***this location***
10-43: Traffic tie up at ***this location***
10-44: I have a message for you
10-45: All units within range please report
10-50: Break channel
10-60: What is the next message number?
10-62: Unable to understand, use a phone
10-63: Net directed to
10-64: Net clear
10-65: Awaiting your next message/assignment
10-67: All units comply
10-70: Fire at ***this location***, used by firefighting and emergency departments.
10-71: Proceed with the transmission in sequence
10-73: Speed Trap at ***this location***
10-75: You are causing interference
10-77: Negative contact
10-84: My telephone number is ***this***
10-85: My address is ***this***
10-91: Talk closer to the microphone
10-92: Your transmitter is out of adjustment, needs modification.
10-93: Check my frequency on this channel
10-94: Please give me a long count
10-95: Transmit dead carrier for 5 sec
10-99: Mission completed, all units secure
10-100: Need to go to the bathroom
10-200: Police needed at ***location name***

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What is Alfa, Bravo, Charlie?

You have definitely heard these words a thousand times, ever wonder what does it mean and for what purpose they are used in communications over the radio?

Well, it’s a way of communicating over radio clearly, because the audio can’t be always clear and a lot of miscommunication can occur. For instance, you want to spell someone’s name, but many similar-sounding letters could be heard incorrectly. For example, it’s not easy to differentiate between s & x, d & t, etc. over the radio.

That’s where the NATO Phonetic Alphabet comes in, it is very helpful to avoid spelling mistakes because it uses full words like Alfa, Bravo, and Charlie etc. for A, B, and C respectively. And it is a universal communication system understood by all.

A – Alfa (AL-fah)
B – Bravo (BRAH-voh)
C – Charlie (CHAR-lee / SHAR-lee)
D – Delta (DEL-tah)
E – Echo (EK-oh)
F – Foxtrot (FOKS-trot)
G – Golf (GOLF)
H – Hotel (hoh-TEL)
I – India (IN-dee-ah)
J – Juliet (JEW-lee-et)
K – Kilo (KEE-loh)
L – Lima (LEE-mah)
M – Mike (MYK)
N – November (noh-VEM-ber)
O – Oscar (OS-kah)
P – Papa (pah-PAH)
Q – Quebec (ke-BEK)
R – Romeo (ROH-mee-oh)
S – Sierra (see-ERR-ah)
T – Tango (TANG-goh)
U – Uniform (EW-nee-form)
V – Victor (VIK-tah)
W – Whiskey (Wis-key)
X – X-ray (x-ray)
Y – Yankee (yang-kee)
Z – Zulu (zoo-loo)

Read: Best Spring Airsoft Bolt Action Sniper Rifles – Top 7 Guns Reviewed

FAQs regarding Walkie Talkie Lingo

Why do you say “over” a walkie talkie?

Since only one person at a time speaks over a walkie talkie conversation and the audio is also not very clear. So saying “over” means that the person has said what he wanted to say and now he’s waiting for a reply from another person.

What does 104 mean on a walkie talkie?

104 or 10-4 walkie talkie code means that the message has been received.

How do I speak to a radio code?

Use a normal tone with slower speed, and keep your message simple enough so that the listener will easily understand it. Only talk to the point.

What frequency is walkie talkie?

The walkie talkie (formally known as two-way radio) operates at the FCC defined frequency range of 136 to 900 MHz.

What's your 20 mean?

“What’s your 20?” simply means “Where are you?” or “What’s your location?” in a radio conversation. It’s taken from the truck drivers’ community back in the time when they were using two-way radio for communication when mobile phones were not a thing.

Can walkie talkies pick up the police?

No, you cannot pick up police chatter with your normal consumer FRS/GMRS walkie talkie. However, if you get your hands on a police scanner then you can listen to many other interesting channels as well including air traffic, EMS, fire brigade, and police.

Are walkie talkies universal?

Yes, usually all the average consumer walkie talkies support FRS/GMRS. So, by putting the same frequency and privacy codes in all devices, you would be able to hear each other with it.

Do you copy? (Conclusion)

Learning the walkie-talkie lingo aka procedure words or prowords, its codes, and the NATO Phonetic Alphabet may take a while but you should start with memorizing and practicing the essential ones first.

Start using what you learn with your friends whether you are a hunter, airsoft player, camper, or anything.

Let’s the fun begin, Over and Out! 😉