Opening the radio

Get a radio

Most games hand you radios when you spawn, picked by your team (4.2). If yours doesn't, walk up to an armoury crate and press E (4.3). You can carry two.

Open it: tap P

Tap P and the radio window opens: a tab for each radio you carry (its chip shows the ear, L or R), a picture of the radio, its readings, and a list of what you can do to it. The PRC-148 and PRC-163 open their own face instead (3.2); their tab in the window has Use the screen.

1. E opens the list, or picks in it. PageUp and PageDown move in it. Clicking does the same
2. [ and ] move to the previous or next net, and N to the other channel on a two-channel radio
3. Home goes to your other radio's tab, and End to the next page: Radio, Audio, Link, Status
4. P again, or a click outside, closes it

While the window is open the mouse is free, so you can click it in first person.

The quick wheel: hold P

Hold P and a wheel of seven slices opens round the radio in your hand: Power, Channel, Volume, Squelch, Speaker, Swap, Open. Point at one and let go of P, or click it: a click acts and the wheel stays open. A line at the top right says what it did, such as Net → SQUAD · 41.250.

Switch it on

Press K, or use Power on the wheel or in the window. The radio takes a few seconds to start, from one second on the PRC-343 to five on the PRC-117G and MPU5, and can't be used until it has.

Talk

Hold CapsLock to talk on channel 1. On a two-channel radio (PRC-163, MPU5) hold LeftAlt to talk on channel 2. Keep the key held the whole time you speak.

Plates at the side of the screen show who is talking and on which radio. While you transmit, a green TX plate counts the seconds.

Carrying two

Press U to swap which radio is in your hand. The other one keeps listening, and the talking plates name the radio each call came in on.

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