16-line message format explained

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.

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 Line Message Text Explanation
Line 2 RFHT Station being called, which will receive the message
Line 3 DE RFG NR 114 Sent by radio station having the callsign RFG, station serial number 114
Line 5 R 151412Z MAR Routine precedence, March 15, 2:12pm UTC in Date-time group format
Line 6 FM CG FIFTH CORPS The message is from CG FIFTH CORPS
Line 7 TO CG THIRD INFDIV The message is to CG THIRD INFDIV
Line 10 WD GRNC Accounting symbol (WD); word groups have not been counted (GRNC)
Line 11 BT Section separator between heading and text
Line 12 UNCLASPLAINDRESS 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 13 BT Section separator between text and the ending
Line 15 C WA OVER TELETYPEWRITER corrects (C) word after (WA) "OVER" to "TELETYPEWRITER"
Line 16NNNN end-of-message indicator

Example message in four different formats:

Format Line Telegraph Radiogram (ACP-124)Voice Radiogram (ACP-125) Radioteletype Radiogram (ACP-126) Tape Relay Radiogram (ACP-127) ACP-127 Supl.
1 VZCZC051 UU VZCZC051 UU VZCZC051 UU
2 (or 2&3) CALLED_CALLSIGN THIS IS CALLING_CALLSIGN MESSAGE NUMBER 051 CALLED_CALLSIGN DE CALLING_CALLSIGN NR 051 RR CALLED_CALLSIGN RR CALLED_CALLSIGN
3 DE CALLING_CALLSIGN 0051 22/1856Z DE CALLING_CALLSIGN #0051 1121857
4 TRANSMISSION INSTRUCTIONS/OP. SIGS ZNR UUUUU TRANSMISSION INSTRUCTIONS/OP. SIGS ZNR UUUUU TRANSMISSION INSTRUCTIONS/OP. SIGS
5 ROUTINE TIME 221855Z APR 2015 R 221855Z APR 2015 R 221856Z APR 2015 R 221857Z APR 2015
6 FROM ORIGINATION PLAIN LANGUAGE ADDRESS FM ORIGINATION PLAIN LANGUAGE ADDRESS FM ORIGINATION PLAIN LANGUAGE ADDRESS FM ORIGINATION PLAIN LANGUAGE ADDRESS
7 TO TO ADDRESSEE RI AND PLAD TO TO ADDRESSEE RI AND PLAD TO TO ADDRESSEE RI AND PLAD TO TO ADDRESSEE RI AND PLAD
8 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 		INFO INFORMATION ADDRESSEE 1 RI AND PLAD
INFORMATION ADDRESSEE 2 RI AND PLAD
9
10 GROUP NO COUNT
11 BREAK BT BT BT
12 UNCLASSIFIED
THIS IS A TEST MESSAGE 		UNCLAS
THIS IS A TEST MESSAGE 		UNCLAS
THIS IS A TEST MESSAGE 		UNCLAS
THIS IS A TEST MESSAGE
13 BREAK BT BT BT
14
15
  1. 0051
16 OVER NNNN NNNN NNNN

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:

External links

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Radio Operator's Handbook. 23 April 2015.
  2. Web site: ACP-124. 23 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150202201013/http://jcs.dtic.mil/j6/cceb/acps/acp124/. 2015-02-02. dead.
  3. Web site: ACP-125 . 23 April 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150525060740/http://jcs.dtic.mil/j6/cceb/acps/acp125/ . 25 May 2015 .
  4. Web site: ACP-126. 23 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150411175736/http://jcs.dtic.mil/j6/cceb/acps/acp126/. 2015-04-11. dead.
  5. Web site: ACP-127. 23 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150411063352/http://jcs.dtic.mil/j6/cceb/acps/acp127/. 2015-04-11. dead.
  6. Web site: International Radiotelegraph Convention (Washington, 1927). 26 April 2015.
  7. Web site: TM 1-460 Radiotelephone Procedure, Air Corps 1941. 23 April 2015.
  8. Web site: TM 11-454 The Radio Operator. 23 April 2015.
  9. Web site: Field Radio Relay Techniques 1957. 23 April 2015.
  10. Web site: Signal Radio Relay Company. 23 April 2015.
  11. Web site: U.S. Army Strategic Communications Command (Theater). 23 April 2015.
  12. Web site: FM 11-50 Signal Battalion Armored, Infantry, and Infantry (Mechanized) Divisions. 23 April 2015.
  13. Web site: FM 11-125 Field Army Signal Communications. 23 April 2015.
  14. Web site: Signal Support Company. 23 April 2015.
  15. Web site: Signal Communications Center Operation Company. 23 April 2015.
  16. Web site: FM 24-5 (Basic Field Manual, Signal Communication). 10 January 2018.
  17. Web site: FM 24-6 (Radio Operator's Manual). 23 April 2015.
  18. Web site: FM 24-18 Radio Communication. 23 April 2015.
  19. Web site: Military Auxiliary Radio System and Amateur Radio Program (MARS). 22 July 2017. 26 January 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190126172332/https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/r25_6.pdf. dead.
  20. Web site: Information Management: Telecommunications--Record Communications and the Privacy Communications System. 23 April 2015.
  21. Web site: Navy Department Communication Instructions 1929. 23 April 2015.
  22. Web site: Authorized Abbreviations, Brevity Codes, and Acronyms. 23 April 2015.
  23. Web site: Message Center Procedures for Division and Higher Headquarters. 23 April 2015.

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