[Hermit]

Whoah, Raygun, chill a little.

I think you are a little confused about the game mechanics, but they're not as complicated as you are contemplating. (And to answer one of your questions, yes, I am a noob!) A unit either has a radio or it doesn't. The radio is either working each turn, or it is not. The likelihood that it will work each turn is dependent upon the nationality and year of the battle. Radio contact works anywhere on the map. Voice contact works within 5 hexes. EITHER will make a unit "in contact." Being in contact allows rally attempts from the unit's leader, and if the leader is in contact with his superior, the bottom unit can rally from the leader's leader, on up the chain. Attempts start at the highest part of the chain first. As far as I know, that's the plain and dirty of the game mechanics of contact, which determines who can rally whom. I also believe that you are correct that each successful rally attempt lowers the leader's rally number slightly, for that turn. An unsuccessful attempt drops it to zero for the turn => no more rallying for him that turn.