The Associated Press recently ran a story stating that the old radio “10 codes” used by the Virginia State Police are being phased out. I’m not sure where that writer got his/her information, but the story was inaccurate.

According to the article, “The 10-code system dates to the 1920’s when police radios had only one channel and officers needed to relay information succinctly.” Apparently, the Homeland Security Department is pressing local law enforcement, fire, and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to improve communications between agencies during an emergency. They feel that plain old English is better. Sorry to pop anyone’s bubble here, but as an ex-military Communications Specialist, I think I qualify to set the record straight.

There are a number of code systems that were originated by the military, including many of the 10 codes. There are also “Q-sigs”, a series of usually 3 letters that begin with the letter Q. These codes were used primarily when communicating in morse code, and their primary purpose was brevity, and the ability to communicate with others regardless of their language. “QRL” for example, meant “are you busy?” and “QTA” meant to stop or discontinue. The military also had what were referred to as “Z-signals”, similar to the Q sigs except they were meant for military-to-military communications. Back in the 70’s when the CB radio craze was in full swing, 10 codes were adopted for the same reason - brevity and clarity.

The writer used TV shows such as “Dragnet” and “Adam 12″ as the method of first learning about 10 codes and other radio procedures. That’s probably part of the problem.

Here are some Hollywood examples that have always driven me nuts. Everyone has heard the term “Over and Out”. In radio-lingo, “Over” literally means “I am finished transmitting, now it is your turn. “Out” literally means “I am finished talking.” So, “Over and Out” means “I am finished talking, now it is your turn, but I am done communicating.”

Or even better, the phrase “Roger Wilco, Over and Out.” “Roger” simply was an acknowledgement. “Wilco” is short for Will Comply. So, that infamous phrase is saying “I acknowledge what you said, I will comply with your request, I am done talking, it is now your turn, but I am finished.” Yeah, Homeland Security is really going to simplify things by using plain English. One thing that the AP story got correct is that many departments made modifications to their use of the 10 codes. Some even had 8 codes. What Homeland Security should have done is standardized the 10 codes across the board. The codes themselves worked great. Remember, brevity and clarity. It is when we start to accomodate the needs of a few that things really get messed up for the remainder.

As a little side story, did you know that morse code is no longer used for military or commercial purposes? It has been demoted to hobby status, a favorite now of amateur radio operators. When I was in the military, morse code was often the means of last resort when communication was impossible any other way. Now they have digital communications. The cool thing about morse code was that, no matter how bad the reception was, or how distant the signal needs to travel, if you could do nothing more than start and stop a burst of static, you could communicate. The kicker? In the event of a nuclear blast, the EMP (electro-magnetic-pulse) generated will fry all the satellite and digital communications. But the amateur enthusiasts will be able to talk about the war with each other, as morse code would still be functional.