It was a cold winter’s day on the 2nd of November and 12 air cadets from a mixture of 1098 (Gosport) Squadron and 413 (Aldershot) Squadron in Hants and IOW wing embarked on the second part of their communications course.

The first part took place a few months prior to the 2nd of November. CI Dabbs and Flt Lt Mitchell were there instructors for the weekend.

All of the participants except one from the first part of the course entered phase two in the penultimate goal to achieve the air cadet Communication Badge.

The first phase was to learn about the basics of radios which are; voice procedures- these are things like radio checks, correct call signs, how to authenticate radio stations, prowords and how to send messages.

Operating rules- this teaches you what to do and not to do over the radio

Operating techniques- this is things like how to speak into the radio, where the best place to set up radios are, and how to be part of a free net or fixed net
 
Call sign- this is what you say at the beginning of every radio transmission, each squadron has an individual call sign, you also find out what the different parts of a call sign mean

Reveille the next day was an early 6:00am rise because they had a day jam packed day full of activities to carry out. The group was then split into two sections; Charlie and Delta section. The people in each group would become your pillar of support when you got stuck and in return you would be their pillar of support. For most of the cadets it was a new experience using radios,  most had only ever used radios once or twice, even then people would not know the correct radio procedures.

So what was being taught was not only difficult to understand but it was new and this should make it harder for the cadets to learn. Needless to say the cadets proved how intelligent and hard working they can be and rose to the new and exciting challenge!

First lesson of the day for Charlie section was voice procedures and for delta section it was learning about the different types of aerials and antennas that could be used. This knowledge would prove essential to the cadets the next day! Then in usual cadet fashion it was time for a tea break, refreshments were free which all the cadets were happy about I’m sure. After lunch the sections swapped lessons and carried on in the lessons until they were ready to take a test. This was on everything they had learned in that day and a half. No time was given to revise; this put the cadet’s knowledge to the test. Most pupils passed the test and if not they had to revise more, because the next day there was to be a re-sit of the test.

As we all know Top Gun is THE movie most cadets have watched, it almost seems essential to see it.   That night was no exception Top Gun was played in the auditorium, to a most grateful audience. Several people could be heard singing along to “danger zone” some were better than others!
One corporal was caught saying “Is goose not a real goose?” several of the participants found this hilariously funny, because as most of you will know goose is a person. Once the credits had starting to roll, it was time to head to their beds once again.

Sunday morning was the final day of their adventure. The day started off with resits of the test they had done the previous night, Sergeant Webber and Corporal Lillywhite achieved 100%. Now it was time for a practical test of all the things they had learnt, they were to walk around with radios and have a full conversation with anyone they wish. Cadets were running around in the bushes hiding from other participants, others were carrying huge radios with a phone receiver. One Sergeant was described as “looking like a big walking dodgem” because the size of the radio and antenna she was carrying. Doing such exercises helped every cadet put the knowledge they had gained and put it to use in a very productive way. It prepared them for next stage of the course that they knew would be a whole lot harder.

Soon it was time for the cadets to say their goodbyes. It was not an easy time because friendships had been made.  They all felt a sense of achievement they had finished the first part of achieving their communications badge.

The 2nd of November soon came around, and the cadets were delighted to see each other once again, the difference was this time there were more people there because it was the annual Browndown weekend. Browndown is the camp that everyone from Hants and IOW wing know about, it has so many courses that you can choose from. You could choose the L98, drill, communications, first class, and the all time cadet favourite general. The first night was the usual brief and early to bed for everyone, ready for inspection and to start the day. In the air cadets discipline is extremely important, without it the whole Corps would fall apart.

Saturday morning was time to check they still understood what they were taught previously and go on to more advanced radio knowledge. All cadets were now taught how to use an enigma machine; this was now getting into new territory. The new set of words you now send using the code ex procedure, but this is no means an easy task! To get the cadets used to the procedures each cadet was given a crib sheet which had all the appropriate words to use when sending a code ex message.

Once the cadets started to get to grips with sending a code ex message they had to learn how to receive a message and also how to respond if any type or message goes wrong.  Although the subject matter was hard everyone soon grasped the concept and was able to give a code ex message on the enigma machine without hesitating.

Most of Saturday was spent practising all the procedures that had been learnt previously and also that day, with every radio conversation the cadets got more and more confident.

Evening time rolled around and it was almost time for the cadet disco. Everyone especially the girls were very excited, time was given for people to get themselves glammed up, and not surprisingly the girls took the longest to get ready!

The music was loud and the dancing was terrible but that is what discos are all about. People were seeing having a good time, dancing away to the beat of the music. Once the loud music had finished it was the inevitable sloooow dance. People rushed around in a frenzy looking for someone to dance for the slow dance.  Too soon it was time for the disco to finish. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it and thanked Corporal Rooney affectionately known as “DJ Rooney”

Sgt Karla Webber - 413 Sqn