Selective calling

In a conventional, analog two-way radio system, a standard radio has noise squelch or carrier squelch which allows a radio to receive all transmissions. Selective calling is used to address a subset of all two-way radios on a single radio frequency channel. Where more than one user is on the same channel, (co-channel users,) selective calling can address a subset of all receivers or can direct a call to a single radio. Selective calling features fit into two major categories: individual calling and group calling. Individual calls generally have longer time-constants: it takes more air-time to call an individual radio unit than to call a large group of radios.

Selective calling is akin to the use of a lock on a door. A radio with carrier squelch is unlocked and will let any signal in. Selective calling locks out all signals except ones with the correct 'key', in this case a specific digital code. Selective calling systems can overlap; a radio may have (group call) and DTMF individual calling.

Selective calling prevents the user from hearing others on a shared channel. It does not eliminate interference from co-channel users (other users on the same radio channel). If two users try to talk at the same time, the signal will be affected by the other party using the channel.

Some selective calling systems experience falsing. In other words, the decoder activates when a valid signal is not present. Falsing may come from a maintenance problem or poor engineering.

In conventional FM two-way radio systems, the most common form of selective calling is CTCSS, which is based on a sub-audible tone. One implementation of this system is by Motorola and is called Private Line, or PL. Radios made by nearly any manufacturer will work acceptably with existing systems using CTCSS. The system allows groups of radios to remain muted while other users are talking on the channel. In business and industrial systems, as many as 50 sets of users could share the same channel without having to listen to calls for each other's staffs. In government systems, users can avoid having to hear users outside their own agency. (Government channels are usually separated by distance between user groups. Only one local user group is assigned to a channel.)

In uses where missed calls are allowable, selective calling can also hide the presence of interfering signals such as receiver-produced intermodulation. Receivers with poor specifications—such as scanners or low-cost mobile radios—cannot reject the unwanted signals on nearby channels in urban environments. The interference will still be present and will still degrade system performance but by using selective calling the user will not have to hear the noises produced by receiving the interference.

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