Backup UHF Comms: Should I even be able to talk to the ground crew?

[Crassus]

At ramp start, should I be able to order the ground crew to remove the EPU Safety Pin and Chocks without the radio even powered on? I see in the Ground Ops training (page 17 of 4.36.1) that I have to be on the Ground ATC frequency. I hope this requirement isn’t just “eye candy”.

[VDK]

@Crassus i think you are able to comunicate with ground crew with “hands signals”, that’s why you don’t need the radio

Perhaps this is a feature, not a bug, because hand signal to ground crew is something that pilots do.

[Crassus]

@VDK
Yeah, I thought it may be something like that. I asked because the Training specifically states the radio has to be on and set to Ground.