Trunked radio systems are a complex type of computer-controlled radio system. Trunked systems use a few channels (the actual frequencies), and can have virtually unlimited talkgroups. The control channel computer sends packets of data to enable one talkgroup to talk together, regardless of frequency. The primary purpose of this type of system is efficiency; many people can carry many conversations over only a few distinct frequencies. Trunking is used by many government entities to provide two-way communication for fire departments,police and other municipal services, who all share spectrum allocated to a city, county, or other entity.

Trunked radio takes advantage of the probability that in any given number of user units, not everyone will need channel access at the same time. Therefore with a given number of users, fewer discrete radio channels are required. From anotherperspective, with a given number of radio channels, a much greater number of user groups can be accommodated. In the example of the police department, this additional capacity could then be used to assign individual talk groups to specialized investigative, traffic control, or special-events groups who might otherwise not have the benefit of individual private communications. This also allows great flexibility in radio usage- the same radio model can be used for many different types of system users (ie Police, Public Works, Animal Control, etc) simply by changing the software programming in the radio itself. back to Trunked Radio Systems Page