This review comes from Holy Serf, a well-seasoned former Paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne. Where the RTO Course leaves off, the Advanced RTO picks up. The basic course covers tactical communications, addressing the concerns of a group in a retreat setting or small unit on a patrol. Advanced RTO builds on those skills while covering clandestine communications, taking even bargain-bin equipment and creating a hardened communications plan.

Advanced RTO Class Review

  This weekend’s class was the second in the series of NC Scout’s RTO Class. From the basic class I attended, I knew it would be a useful course of essential skills for the Patriot. The Advanced RTO Class began with encrypted communication using a Brevity Matrix and One Time Pads. We practiced several times to ensure everyone got it. He will not move on to another topic until he knows everyone has a grasp of the skills. We built a couple of directional antennas and focused on scavenging the parts to make it. He discussed using a variety of frequencies for sending and receiving. Don’t expect this class to be a hamfest or field day. This class is down and dirty, grid down, essentials of communication. The class progressed into quality field exercises to test our skills and showed the students that these skills work. There is so much good information taught in both the Basic & Advanced RTO Classes and skills that are not taught anywhere else in the civilian world. The only other place you’ll find these topics are in closely guarded areas in the government, foreign and domestic.

  The often addressed weak points in any operation is communication, whether in the civilian or military world. These courses really do build confidence in off the shelf gear. Attend the courses, you won’t regret it. As a combat veteran with deployments in Central America and the Middle East, I found it worth every penny and highly recommend this course to both unlicensed & licensed amateur radio operators, civilians & military veterans.

Holy Serf

Outside the Wire