Communicate Location

Learning Goal: I can communicate my location effectively to guide arriving resources.

Intro

Understanding how Khaki and incoming resources expect locations to be communicated helps ensure things move quickly and successfully.

Flashlights

This can be as basic as how you use your flashlight at night to flag down incoming help. Shining your flashlight on the Ranger Hat on your head can help you get noticed easily. If you are surrounded by many lights or the resource is far away, making large circles with your flashlight pointed at the resource makes you visually distinctive.

Landmarks

In Open Playa, landmarks are often the best way to tell resources where you are. Just confirm that they are actually immobile. Some art cars are very big, and mistakenly using them can be a problem if they decide to drive away.

Radio Format

Communicating to Khaki in our standard radio format (XYZ; I need resource at location for reason) lets Khaki act immediately instead of having to spend time figuring out exactly what you mean. This speed is especially important for things like medical emergencies.

Good radio skills also include saying each digit of the number and a full word to represent the letter, such as "one-five-zero and Bravo." Stating each number individually maximizes clarity, as numbers like "thirty" and "forty" can sound the same over radio. Saying a full word helps with letters for the same reason. Do not worry if it's the actual name of the street that year, we just need any word that clearly communicates the letter. For example, street C could easily be Charlie, Crow, or Chocolate.

Man/Mountain Side is only necessary when it could be difficult to find you from the middle of the road. For example, if the road is crowded with people, you're deep inside a camp, or during a dust storm. That said, it will not cause any problems if you still include it (and is sometimes recommended for new Rangers to do so for practice).

Inner Playa Radio Format

When in Inner Playa, use the radial and a distance estimate to tell people where you are (such as "100 yards from the 3 o'clock radial"). If closer to the Man, describe it from the Man's radial (such as "100 yards from The Man at 3 o'clock"). If you are unable to do that, use quadrants.

Outer Playa Radio Format

For Open and Deep Playa, using radials in reference to the Temple is the most helpful, as it will be the closest distinct object. This is oriented the same way the Man's radials work, such as "200 yards from Temple at Temple's 1 o'clock." If you are closer to the Fence than Temple, it may be easier to say yards from a fence point or in between two fence points.

Landmark Location

Large immobile art structures (e.g., the Troll) can be an easy reference point if distinctive and large enough that everyone knows about it. If close to one, you can use radials in reference to it, e.g., "30 yards from the Troll art piece, at the Troll's 11 o'clock."

Test Yourself