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Emergency alerts and TMS text messages serve different purposes. An emergency marks a channel alert; TMS sends a short message to a specific callsign. For normal voice traffic, see Radio basics and Controls.

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Activate an emergency

Use emergency controls only when appropriate for your roleplay situation. Your radio must be powered, available, and affiliated to a channel you are permitted to transmit on.
  1. Confirm the selected channel is the one where you need the alert.
  2. Press the on-screen EMER button or your assigned LSR Radio: Emergency key.
  3. Release it. The first press activates the alert; holding that same activation press does not clear it.
  4. Check for the EMERGENCY indication. Use normal PTT if you also need to speak.
The emergency key is unbound by default. /panic can activate the alert without assigning a key. Activating an emergency does not automatically key your microphone. The channel alert can be visible to other radios monitoring that channel; seeing it does not mean you own it. Menus and TMS remain usable while the emergency indication is active.

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Clear an emergency you own

Clearing is a separate action from activation, not a second quick toggle.
  1. Remain on, or return to, the channel containing your active emergency.
  2. After releasing the activation press, press and hold EMER or your assigned emergency key again.
  3. Keep holding for the server’s configured clear duration, then confirm that the emergency indication clears.
Only the emergency owner can use the radio hold-to-clear action. A quick press, /panic, or continuing the original activation hold will not clear it. Do not assume a duration from a keybinding label; follow the configured hold requirement for your server.
Changing channels, closing the radio interface, or losing usable radio access can cancel an in-progress hold. Start a new hold on the correct channel when the radio is usable again. Changing channels or powering your unit off is not a substitute for clearing the channel alert. If the emergency belongs to someone else or you cannot clear your own, contact dispatch through your normal procedures.

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Open TMS messages

TMS is available through the powered radio’s Menu, then TMS Messages. You can also assign a TMS home-screen softkey through /radiosettings when you want a shortcut. The TMS home screen contains Inbox, Compose, Drafts, and Sent.
An available TMS menu is not a delivery guarantee. Messaging depends on your live radio access and a valid callsign; the intended recipient must also be available. Check the message status and any on-screen error.
Set your display name with /callsign, for example 2L20 - Alex. Enter only the callsign, such as 2L20, when addressing a new message, not the full display name or a radio ID. A callsign prefix such as ALPHA - Alex also works; a bare alphabetic name alone does not establish a TMS callsign. Duplicate callsigns can prevent routing. Confirm the other unit’s callsign if you see a duplicate or unavailable-recipient error.

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Compose and send

  1. In TMS Messages, choose Compose, then Text Message.
  2. Type the message and, if desired, enter the recipient callsign in Send To.
  3. Select Options. You may choose Mark Important or Req Reply before sending.
  4. Choose Send Message to open the separate Send To stage.
  5. Enter or confirm the callsign, then select Send.
  6. Open Sent and check the delivery state instead of assuming success from the send action.
The message counter allows up to 280 bytes; accented characters and emoji can use more than one byte each. Mark Important changes the message’s importance indication and receipt alert; it is not a channel emergency. Req Reply flags that you want a response; it does not write or send a reply automatically. PTT and channel/zone shortcuts are suppressed while you are editing a message or its recipient. Leave the editor before trying to transmit by voice.

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Read, reply, and check status

  • Open Inbox and select a message to read its thread. Unread messages are marked in the list.
  • Choose Reply in the thread to compose a response to that conversation’s peer.
  • Pending or Pending ACK means delivery has not yet been acknowledged.
  • Delivered means the recipient radio acknowledged delivery; it does not prove the player read the text.
  • Expired means delivery did not complete within its allowed window.
An unavailable recipient, missing callsign, full mailbox, or changed recipient identity can block a send. Read the error before retrying. If a send times out, check Sent and follow the displayed retry guidance before composing another copy. Do not rely on TMS alone for urgent communication when delivery is unconfirmed.

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Drafts and quick messages

In Options, choose Save Drafts to keep unfinished text, or Save as Quick Message for reusable wording. Open Drafts to resume saved text, or Compose, then Quick Message, to start from saved wording. Selecting a quick message prepares an editable message; it does not send it immediately. Use the message options to update or delete saved entries where those actions are offered. Drafts and quick messages are stored locally per character; do not treat Inbox and Sent as a permanent archive. For unavailable radio service or persistent send failures, read Troubleshooting. Return to the User guide.