1. In high-frequency (HF) radio, the capability of a station to make contact, or initiate a circuit, between itself and another specified radio station, without human intervention and usually under processor control.
Note: ALE techniques include automatic signaling, selective calling, and automatic handshaking. Other automatic techniques that are related to ALE are channel scanning and selection, link quality analysis (LQA), polling, sounding[?], message store-and-forward[?], address protection, and anti-spoofing[?].
2. In HF radio, a link control system that includes automatic scanning, selective calling, sounding, and transmit channel selection using link quality analysis data.
Note: Optional ALE functions include polling and the exchange of orderwire commands and messages.
Source: from Federal Standard 1037C and from MIL-STD-188
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