Summary
On dedicated Arma Reforger servers, vanilla radio communication does not appear to function normally in Combat Ops unless a radio tower is manually placed by a player using Game Master.
I am not sure whether this is intended behavior or a bug, but radios previously appeared to function without requiring a Game Master to place a radio tower.
The issue has been reproduced on two separate dedicated servers and persists after completely wiping/reinstalling the servers and testing with a completely vanilla Combat Ops setup with no mods.
Reproduction Steps
Start a dedicated Arma Reforger server.
Use a vanilla Combat Ops scenario.
Do not install or enable any mods.
Have at least two players join the same faction.
Equip/use standard vanilla radios.
Make sure both players are using the appropriate radio channel/frequency.
Attempt to communicate over radio.
Have a player enter Game Master.
Place a radio tower in the world.
Test the same radios again.
Result After Placing Radio Tower
Radio communication begins working once the radio tower has been placed.
Expected Behavior
Vanilla handheld radios in Combat Ops should function according to their normal intended range and radio-network behavior without requiring a Game Master to manually place additional radio infrastructure, unless this is now an intentional gameplay requirement.
Actual Behavior
Vanilla radio communication appears nonfunctional until a radio tower is manually placed through Game Master.
Testing Performed
I have reproduced this issue on two separate dedicated servers hosted by GTXGaming.
Testing included:
Two different GTX servers
Different server host machines/IP addresses
Full server reinstall/wipe
Default/fresh server configuration
Completely vanilla Combat Ops
No mods installed
Vanilla radios
The issue persisted after these tests.
GTXGaming also created a separate temporary server on another machine and IP specifically for testing, and the same radio behavior was present there.
This makes it unlikely that the issue is caused by my original server installation, mods, configuration files, or a single hosting machine.
Additional Information
I have also seen other users in the official Arma Discord server report what appears to be the same radio issue.
The issue seems to have appeared sometime after the Arma Reforger 1.8 update, although I cannot confirm the exact update or date when the behavior changed.
I am unsure whether requiring radio towers in Combat Ops is an intentional change or an unintended regression.
If required, I can provide:
Dedicated server configuration files
Server logs
GTXGaming support correspondence
Screenshots
Additional reproduction testing
Video showing radio communication failing before a radio tower is placed and working afterward