16-line message format

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16-line message format, or Basic Message Format, is the standard military radiogram format (in NATO allied nations) for the manner in which a paper message form is transcribed through voice, Morse code, or TTY transmission formats. The overall structure of the message has three parts: HEADING (which can use as many as 10 of the format's 16 lines), TEXT (line 12), and ENDING. This heading is further divided into procedure, preamble, address, and prefix. Each format line contains pre-defined content. An actual message may have fewer than 16 actual lines, or far more than 16, because some lines are skipped in some delivery methods, and a long message may have a TEXT portion that is longer than 16 lines by itself.

Contents

This radiotelegraph message format (also "radio teletype message format", "teletypewriter message format", and "radiotelephone message format") and transmission procedures have been documented in numerous military standards, going back to at least World War II-era U.S. Army manuals.

Historical Development

Current Definition and Usage

The 16-line format and procedures for transmitting it vary slightly depending on the communications medium, but all variations are designed to be harmonious and the procedures describe how to convert (refile) between the formats.

Example Messages

When sent as an ACP-126 message over teletype, a 16-line format radiogram would appear similar to this:

RFHT DE RFG NR 114 R 151412Z MAR FM CG FIFTH CORPS TO CG THIRD INFDIV WD GRNC BT UNCLAS PLAINDRESS SINGLE ADDRESS MESSAGES WILL BE TRANSMITTED OVER TELETIPEWRITER CIRCUITS AS INDICATED IN THIS EXAMPLE BT C WA OVER TELETYPEWRITER NNNN

Some of the format lines in the above example have been omitted for efficiency. The translation of this abbreviate format follows:

Format LineMessage TextExplanation
Line 2RFHTStation being called, which will receive the message
Line 3DE RFG NR 114Sent by radio station having the callsign RFG, station serial number 114
Line 5R 151412Z MARRoutine precedence, March 15, 2:12pm UTC in Date-time group format
Line 6FM CG FIFTH CORPSThe message is from CG FIFTH CORPS
Line 7TO CG THIRD INFDIVThe message is to CG THIRD INFDIV
Line 10WD GRNCAccounting symbol (WD); word groups have not been counted (GRNC)
Line 11BTSection separator between heading and text
Line 12UNCLAS

PLAINDRESS SINGLE ADDRESS

MESSAGES WILL BE TRANSMITTED

OVER TELETIPEWRITER CIRCUITS

AS INDICATED IN THIS EXAMPLE

Message content is unclassified, and the message is sent with a misspelled word, "TELETIPEWRITER" for example purposes.
Line 13BTSection separator between text and the ending
Line 15C WA OVER TELETYPEWRITERcorrects (C) word after (WA) "OVER" to "TELETYPEWRITER"
Line 16NNNNend-of-message indicator

Example message in four different formats:

Format LineTelegraph Radiogram (ACP-124)Voice Radiogram (ACP-125)Radioteletype Radiogram (ACP-126)Tape Relay Radiogram

(ACP-127)

ACP-127 Supl.
1VZCZC051 UUVZCZC051 UUVZCZC051 UU
2 (or 2&3)CALLED_CALLSIGN THIS IS CALLING_CALLSIGN MESSAGE NUMBER 051CALLED_CALLSIGN DE CALLING_CALLSIGN NR 051RR CALLED_CALLSIGNRR CALLED_CALLSIGN
3DE CALLING_CALLSIGN 0051 22/1856ZDE CALLING_CALLSIGN #0051 1121857
4TRANSMISSION INSTRUCTIONS/OP. SIGSZNR UUUUU TRANSMISSION INSTRUCTIONS/OP. SIGSZNR UUUUU TRANSMISSION INSTRUCTIONS/OP. SIGS
5ROUTINE TIME 221855Z APR 2015R 221855Z APR 2015R 221856Z APR 2015R 221857Z APR 2015
6FROM ORIGINATION PLAIN LANGUAGE ADDRESSFM ORIGINATION PLAIN LANGUAGE ADDRESSFM ORIGINATION PLAIN LANGUAGE ADDRESSFM ORIGINATION PLAIN LANGUAGE ADDRESS
7TO TO ADDRESSEE RI AND PLADTO TO ADDRESSEE RI AND PLADTO TO ADDRESSEE RI AND PLADTO TO ADDRESSEE RI AND PLAD
8INFO INFORMATION ADDRESSEE 1 RI AND PLAD
INFORMATION ADDRESSEE 2 RI AND PLAD		INFO INFORMATION ADDRESSEE 1 RI AND PLAD
INFORMATION ADDRESSEE 2 RI AND PLAD		INFO INFORMATION ADDRESSEE 1 RI AND PLAD
INFORMATION ADDRESSEE 2 RI AND PLAD		INFO INFORMATION ADDRESSEE 1 RI AND PLAD
INFORMATION ADDRESSEE 2 RI AND PLAD
9
10GROUP NO COUNT
11BREAKBTBTBT
12UNCLASSIFIED
THIS IS A TEST MESSAGE		UNCLAS
THIS IS A TEST MESSAGE		UNCLAS
THIS IS A TEST MESSAGE		UNCLAS
THIS IS A TEST MESSAGE
13BREAKBTBTBT
14
15#0051
16OVERNNNNNNNNNNNN

Historical Development

The concept of the standard message format originated in the wired telegraph services. Each telegraph company likely had its own format, but soon after radio telegraph services began, some elements of the message exchange format were codified in international conventions (such as Articles 9, 22, 26, 29, 30, and Appendix 1 of the International Radiotelegraph Convention, Washington, 1927), and these were then often duplicated in domestic radio communications regulations (such as the FCC in the U.S.) and in military procedure documentation.

Military organizations independently developed their own procedures, and in addition to differing from the international procedures, they sometimes differed between different branches of the military within the same country.

For example, the publication "Communication Instructions, 1929", [6] from the U.S. Navy Department, includes:

Sources for Procedures

Technical Manuals

Field Manuals

Tables of Organization and Equipment (TOE)

Army Regulations

Forms

Training Material

And their modern decedents in the Allied Communications Procedures

Training for message handling may (or may not) be found listed in the following documents:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Radio Operator's Handbook" . Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "ACP-124". Archived from the original on 2015-02-02. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  3. ↑ "ACP-125". Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "ACP-126". Archived from the original on 2015-04-11. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  5. ↑ "ACP-127". Archived from the original on 2015-04-11. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  6. ↑ "International Radiotelegraph Convention (Washington, 1927)" . Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  7. ↑ "TM 1-460 Radiotelephone Procedure, Air Corps 1941" . Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  8. ↑ "TM 11-454 The Radio Operator" . Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  9. ↑ "Field Radio Relay Techniques 1957" . Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  10. ↑ "Signal Radio Relay Company" . Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  11. ↑ "U.S. Army Strategic Communications Command (Theater)" . Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  12. ↑ "FM 11-50 Signal Battalion Armored, Infantry, and Infantry (Mechanized) Divisions" . Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  13. ↑ "FM 11-125 Field Army Signal Communications" . Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  14. ↑ "Signal Support Company" . Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  15. ↑ "Signal Communications Center Operation Company" . Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  16. ↑ "FM 24-5 (Basic Field Manual, Signal Communication)" . Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  17. ↑ "FM 24-6 (Radio Operator's Manual)" (PDF). Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  18. ↑ "FM 24-18 Radio Communication" . Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  19. ↑ "Military Auxiliary Radio System and Amateur Radio Program (MARS)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  20. ↑ "Information Management: Telecommunications--Record Communications and the Privacy Communications System" . Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  21. ↑ "Navy Department Communication Instructions 1929" (PDF). Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  22. ↑ "Authorized Abbreviations, Brevity Codes, and Acronyms" (PDF). Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  23. ↑ "Message Center Procedures for Division and Higher Headquarters" . Retrieved 23 April 2015.
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