The handful of standard words that keep a radio exchange clean and unambiguous — when you're finished, when you want a repeat, when you'll comply.
Radio isn’t a phone call — only one person can talk at a time, and there’s no body language to fill the gaps. A small, shared vocabulary removes the guesswork about whose turn it is and whether you were understood.
| Word | Means |
|---|---|
| Over | Done with this statement — your turn. |
| Out | Done transmitting (no reply expected). |
| Roger | I understand / received. |
| Copy | I wrote that down. |
| How copy? | Did you receive that? |
| Say again | Repeat your last (never “repeat”). |
| Break | Separating thoughts, or breaking into a conversation. |
| Wilco | Will comply. |
| Stand by | Wait; I’ll be back to you. |
Never say “repeat” to ask for something again — in artillery and some services “repeat” means fire again. Always use “say again.” And “over and out” is a movie-ism: it’s one or the other, never both.
