On the 16th of March myself and 13 cadets attended a Blue Radio Course ran by squadron staff. In this course, we learnt about various things such as: how to operate the radios, signal and causes of signal disruption, the phonetic alphabet, radio checks and our squadron radio name. We also got to use the radios to communicate a message to the other people on the course using a radio. In addition to this, we found out the different types of radio equipment and their purposes. The instructors were all very knowledgeable and supportive throughout the day and used different activities to help us practise what we had learned and solidify our understanding, as well as get exposure to talking over the radio.
The practical assessment towards the end was quite a nervous experience for me and everyone else because we had to remember radio names and the correct procedures to go through and much more. Although the assessment was scary to do at first, everyone was really happy to know we had all passed.
I thoroughly enjoyed learning about how to use radios using the correct military radio procedure and the phonetic alphabet. Speaking to others who attended this course they said that it was ‘a great introduction to learning how to use radios’ and ‘it was fun’. The course was enjoyed by all and it sparked interest to go on to learn more and work through the radio syllabus that the air cadets offer.
Cdt Sgt Bloomer
