The Genesis Group Trunking Basics Page

We wanted to give you an alphabetical collection of terms that will help you in the trunking business. Most of these are the commands that are found in a Motorola central controller (marked in bold print). We also threw in a few more to keep it interesting.

ACTivate: In the SAC section of Guardian, this puts a unit or range of units in a list of active, in use units that are allowed access to your system.

AFF: Short for affiliation. This helps group groups of radios together. In a system with TypeII IDs, you can have Talk Groups. These Talk Groups can be "affiliated" with each other with this command. Airtime: The time that a unit or group of units uses for either dispatch or interconnect during a given period, such as a month. Usually given in minutes.

AMS: (Automatic Multiple Site Switching). This will allow the unit to make a wide area (AMSS) call.

AUTH: The location in Guardian where interconnect units are given "authority" to use the CIT so they can make phone calls. This is also where the CIT will give you the 4 or 6 digit extension number for a mobile.

Auth Level: Available in Guardian under the AUTH prompt. When you are adding a unit to AUTH, you are asked a question- Auth Level?(1-5). Here are what the different levels mean. 1- No calls are allowed but a place is held in the AUTH list. 2- Calls that are free to the local area code as well as any nearby area codes (set up in MEXC) are allowed. 3- Free and "unit calls" to exchanges in the local area code or nearby area codes where you have set up billing instructions in the MEXC are allowed. 4- All exchanges in the local area code as well as all exchanges set up in the nearby area code section of MEXC are allowed. 5- Calls to anywhere are allowed. Wide open. What the unit can actually dial is very dependant on how you have set up the MTEL and MEXC sections. It is also dependant on if you say Yes or No to Enable 1+ Dialing and Enable 0+Dialing.

BILLING: This is a logon level in the central controller that allows the person logging on to all billing type commands. Blockage: When a unit cannot get access to a channel on the Trunk system. This is indicated by a busy signal in the mobile.

BSI: The Morse Code version of your FCC call sign. The Controller sends this out over the lowest frequency channel on your trunk system every half hour.

Central Controller: Same as Controller. The brain of your trunking system.

CHAN: Short for Channel. This is the section of Guardian where you can see if a channel is working, disable a channel, enable a channel and find out which channel is your Control Channel. In TypeII Guardian you can do this for a block of repeaters rather than one at a time.

CIT: Central Interconnect Terminal. This is also known as the Passport. This is the hardware that makes telephone calls possible.

CLOAD: This command Loads the picture of the CSC memory that you saved with the CSAVE command, back into your central controller.

Coax: The "Pipe" that takes the signal from the antenna to the radio, and from the radio to the antenna.

Controller: The "Brain" or computer that makes all of the channels trunk together. Guardian resides here.

Control Channel: The R.F. channel that is used to communicate to all of the mobiles. This tells the mobiles about incoming Telephone calls, what channel to go to for dispatch and interconnect calls, and other more technical things. It will always be on channel one, two, three or four. Control Station: Sometimes called the Base. This is generally the radio that sits at a customer's office where most of the "dispatching" is done.

CSAVE: Short for CSC Save. This sends a picture of the entire CSC (dispatch section) to your computer. EzSaveII can automate this for you.

CTI: Centralized Telephone Interconnect. Same as CIT. Some people call it CTI, some call it CIT!

Cursor: This is not a mad basketball fan! It is that little underline ("_") on your screen that flashes.

DAT: (Data Request). This enables the unit to make a data request.

DEA: Deactivate. In Guardian under SUBS or SAC this is where you can turn a unit off by removing him from the list of radios that are allowed to use the system. To temporarily turn a unit off you need to EDIT the unit and make ENA="N".

DIAG: Short for diagnostics. This is a section in Guardian that generates, stores and prints error messages.

DID: Direct Inward Dial. This is a 7 digit phone number like 880-4600. The Passport CIT by itself has to be used in a "overdial" mode where 4 or 6 digits are dialed after a main inbound number to the CIT is called. With the addition of a device such as a Hark SI-550, every telephone unit can have its own 7 digit DID so "overdialing" is not necessary. Appropriate circuits need to be arranged with your phone company for all of this to work. The MBX interconnect has DID built in to it.

DRG: (Dynamic Regrouping). This enables the unit to initiate dynamic regrouping commands (open gateway). Check OPT to see if your version of Guardian allows DRG. This allows mobiles in one fleet on a temporary basis, to talk to units in another fleet.

DVP: This is the Secret Service stuff. Radio units equipped to make DVP calls scramble the voice so it can only be understood by a certain radio on the other end of the conversation. These radios can scramble on dispatch or interconnect.

Duplex: The ability to talk and listen at the same time. This is the way your normal telephone at home works. See "Half Duplex" or "Simplex".

821: If this is marked "Y", this radio unit can operate on 821Mhz frequencies.

EMRGency: Some radios are capable of making emergency calls. How these calls are handled can be set in the Guardian under the EMRG section.

ENA: This stands for Enable. If you answer Y this will allow that individual to use the system when the Subscriber function is active.

EP2: (Enhanced Protocol IIi). This tells you that the individual does not perform high speed handshake. For Type II units, this flag will always be set, and cannot be modified since these units never perform high speed handshaking.

FIX: This is for Fixed Location. If you answer Y it indicates that this individual has a fixed location, maybe a console. If you answer N it means that the individual has a mobile location.

Fleet: Loosely defined, this is a company using a trunk system. Specifically a fleet is a grouping of radio codes that can, if properly coded, talk to each other. (See Subfleet)

Full Duplex: Same as Duplex. This is where you can talk and listen at the same time.

GOSMR: Government Owned SMR GRD>: Guardian. This is the prompt you see after calling into the Central Controller with a computer terminal.

GRDD>: Please ignore this! This is the old way of making a picture of he Interconnect memory.

Hark: The name commonly associated with a device that allows DID on the Passport CIT. Hark is actually the name of a company that manufactures several pieces of hardware to enhance the telephone side of Motorola Trunking Systems.

HEX: A method of counting with a base 16 system. Normal counting goes from 0 to 9. Hex goes from 0 to F. Motorola uses HEX numbers for all IDs.

INT: (Interconnect Call). If you answer Y this will let this unit make interconnect calls. The unit must be capable of making an interconnect call, and must be on the authorization list if it is active. Interconnect: A big word for making a telephone call to or from a radio unit.

Land to Mobile: This is a number AUTH gives you when you turn on a unit for interconnect. This is also called the Overdial number and Extension number.

LIMits: under the SERV command in Guardian. This allows you to play with the Shared Use Parameter table to suit you needs. Warning- Only For The Very Experienced!

LINK: In the Trunking World, this refers to microwave or phone line links that tie one central controller in one location to another. This could be a backup central or part of an AMSS system.

Local Level: Question in Guardian under AUTH. In the MTEL section you set up limits in dollars for Local levels 1-4. In theory, if you set MTEL so Level 1 has a $10.00 limit, if the unit uses more than $10.00 with of local telephone line time (reported in the STEL) then his unit will stop operating. I said, IN THEORY. Just set high dollar amounts and set all units to level 4. You'll be just fine.

LOGN: The opposite of LOGY. This tells Guardian to stop logging ALL calls and to log only those that are considered as long distance.

LOGY: Log All Calls YES. This tells the CIT to make a listing in the SLNG report for ALL calls, not just long distance. The upside is that you can give a customer a call detail report that shows local and long distance calls. The downside is that the relatively small call buffer in the CIT fills up fast with all calls being logged and must be dumped VERY often.

MANUAL: In the TypeII (newer) Guardian, this is where you can have the DIAG messages given to you on demand instead of as they happen.

MASTER: This is the highest level password into a Type II (newer) Guardian system. This allows you to do anything in the system. (see CONTROL, BILLING, and SYSTEM)

MBEX: Motorola Business Exchange This is a Motorola, Inc. trademark). This is a new version of the CIT (Passport) that Motorola is offering. It has capacity for several thousand telephone units, digital audio processing, DID, least cost routing of calls and more. This is also called an MBX in many cases.

MCSMR: Motorola Controlled SMR (they manage the SMR for a private owner).

MESMR: Motorola Entrepreneur SMR.

MFL: In Talk Groups, this indicates if the Talk Group is made up of TypeI and TypeII IDs.

MGC: (Multi Group Call). This allows the unit to make multi-group calls (fleet-wide/announcement). Mhz: Pronounced "mega hertz". Literally this means million cycles per second. The Hertz comes from the man that discovered that things can vibrate in cycles every second. We measure frequencies in Mhz like 823.0375Mhz.

MLOAD: Under the AUTH section of Guardian, this allows you to reload the information saved to your computer with MSAVE. You would do this if your system crashed.

Modem: Modulator - Demodulator. This is the little box with flashing lights that allows your computer to communicate over telephone lines with a remote location. This can also be a card that is internal to your computer with no status lights.

MOSMR: Motorola Owned SMR. Motorola: Oh, come on!

MSAVE: Under the AUTH section of Guardian, this allows you to make a picture of all of your interconnect related memory and put it on your computer. This will NOT capture the SLNG records.

OPT: Option List. This command is available in Guardian under the SUBS or SAC prompt. This will let you know what your version of Guardian is capable of doing. Not all SUBS or SAC options are available on all systems. By the way, we've also found that some systems will improperly report the OPT list. Thought you would like to know!

PAG: (Paging Request). This enables the unit to make a paging request. Passport: Also known as the Central Interconnect Terminal. This is the hardware that makes phone calls possible both in and out of a trunk system.

PDIGIT: A command in AUTH section of Guardian. This allows you to tell your CIT to ignore up to 5 digits that are dialed before the actual number. Some phone companies (the older ones) are looking for a special "circle dialing digit" before any call is processed.

PMG: In Talk Groups, this indicates if the group has Priority Monitor capability.

PRL: (Priority Level). This is available in Guardian under the SUBS or SAC prompt. If OPT says that you can change this number, you can set this level (2-8) to for each individual. This allows one mobile to have faster access over another. This generally applies to a mobile waiting in a queue.

PROTECT: In the TypeII Guardian, this marks a channel so that the central will make it the last choice for servicing a call request. The protected channel will be selected only if all other possible choices are busy. Why protect? If a particular channel is giving off or receiving interference. Keep a paging channel as free as possible. Keep a secure equipped channel as free as possible, and so on...

PTI: In Talk Groups, this indicates if the groups is capable of Push To Talk ID. This option is usually only active if there is a console attached to the trunk system.

PVC: (Private Call). This allows the unit to make a private call. The unit must be equipped with one of the private call options. This is a silent way for one mobile or control station to call another mobile. The unit selects a switch position, presses his microphone and a signal is sent on the control channel to the destination mobile. A special beeping is heard in that mobile.

Queue: Pronounced "Q". A waiting line. Inside the Motorola Trunk system there are three that are important to you. There's a dispatch queue, recent user dispatch queue and Telephone queue. When a unit is put into a queue, he will hear beep-beep-beep in his mobile. If he will just wait, he will come out of the queue in generally a FIFO (first in first out) basis.

Repeater: Literally, the device that receives and re-transmits. If your trunk system is a 5 channel system, you have 5 repeaters. If you have a 20 channel system, you have 20 repeaters. At this time, one conversation takes place on one repeater.

R.F.: Radio Frequency. For trunking systems, this is usually in the 800Mhz or 900Mhz band. The signals are carried through the air over these "R.F. carrier frequencies". Ok...It's magic!

RIB: Receiver Interface Board. This ties the repeater receivers to the Central Controller for dispatch traffic.

Roamer Fleet: Since there are many units that like to work in a wide area, they need to "roam" in and use a trunk system for a short period of time. Rather than setting up a separate fleet for every single user, the roamer fleet groups them all into one fleet so the "memory map"

Roamer: A unit that occasionally uses a system. This can be a single unit that uses a system only for interconnect or a group of units that uses a system for dispatch, or all of the above.

SAC: Subscriber Access Control. On Guardian Type II Central Controllers, this is the prompt for adding units to "positive subscriber".

SAIR: Summary of Airtime. This is available from the Central Controller under the BILL Prompt. In this report, every Authorized unit gets a one line listing showing how many minutes it talked during a particular time period (usually a month).

SEC: (Secure Communications). N (Normal) indicates that the talk group is allowed to make clear (non-coded) calls only. S (Secure) indicates that the talk group can make secure (coded) calls only. B (Both) indicates that the talk group is allowed to make both clear and secure calls.

SERV: Service Algorithm. This is where you can set the length of interconnect calls, the priority given to interconnect and dispatch. Also you can get the system Statistics report from this prompt.

Shared User: This can be complicated! This is a concept where certain radios or groups of radios can be steered to certain repeaters. You can use this to let a local municipality share your central controller, add their own repeaters and at the same time use your interconnect (all for a fee). There are many combinations. You can have up to 8 groupings like this.

SHU: (Shared User). Individual users are grouped into one of eight shared user groups (A-H). If your version of Guardian allows this, you can have up to 8 distinct separate entities using your system on a shared basis. Example- Group A would be all of your SMR customers on their individual fleets. Group B could be your local City's police department. Group C could be a local Red Cross. This is very flexible.

SITE: In TypeII Guardian (the newer one), this is specific to multi Central Controller systems. Most MESMR operators can ignore this.

Simplex: The opposite of Duplex. Two-way dispatch conversations are simplex. The operator pushes a button to talk and then releases it so he can listen.

Skip: A phenomenon that happens (for 800Mhz) early in the morning where other radio signals from over 100 miles away interfere with your trunk system. (SEE Tunneling)

SLNG: Summary of Long Distance. Available from the Central Controller under the BILL Prompt. As with the STEL, what is reported in the SLNG is very dependant upon how you setup your CIT. At a minimum it will list all long distance calls (1+ and 0+). At the maximum setting, it will list ALL calls that are made. (See LOGY)

STATS: This is a listing of your system performance in 15 minute intervals over a 24 hour period. This shows quantity of dispatch and interconnect calls, quantity of busies, etc.

STEL: Summary of Telephone. Available from the Central Controller under the BILL Prompt. This is actually only the Summary of Local Telephone usage. How many local calls a unit made as well as any charges for those. The charges that show up are very dependant on how you set up your Central Controller TEL parameters (MTEL, LTEL).

Subfleet: A portion of a fleet. As an example, a construction company might have their own fleet and then break it down into several subfleets. This way the electricians can talk while the plumbers are talking. Also, they won't hear each other. Many companies use subfleeting to allow supervisors talk to each other without the worker bees listening in.

SUBS: Subscriber Access. In TypeI (older) Guardian systems, this is where you Activate units and allow them to talk dispatch (and/or interconnect) (See SAC) SYSTEM: This is a logon into the central controller that is generally given to service personnel. With this logon, they can view anything but they cannot change anything.

System ID: The 4 or 5 digit number that Motorola assigns to a Central Controller (System). This is the main number that identifies one trunk system from another.

System Manager Terminal: The term Motorola uses for your computer at your office that you use to call your trunk site. There is also a thing called the SMT port on the controller. This is where you hook your modem or computer to talk to the controller.

SYW: (System Wide). Allows the unit to make a system wide call if it is equipped with the system wide call option. With this option, a control station or a mobile can make an announcement to every radio on your trunk system. This can be used to announce that the system will be down for repairs, etc.

TEST: In Guardian, this is forces the trunk system to check all of its vital components and report their status in the form of DIAG messages. There is another command that does a better job of testing and resetting the system. If you're curious, eMail us!

TGW: (Talk Group Wide). This allows the unit to make talk group wide calls.

TIB: Transmitter Interface Board. This ties the transmitters to the Central Controller for dispatch traffic.

TRAN: This is located in the interconnect part of Guardian. When units are added to the AUTH list in TypeII Guardian they are assigned a 6 digit overdial number. The TRAN table allows you to preserve the old 4 digit overdial.

TRIB: Transmitter Receiver Interface Board. This ties the CIT or MBX to the repeater transmitters and receivers.

Tunneling: Like skip, this is when the atmosphere "flips" over and allows radio signals to travel long distances. This generally happens in the early morning hours when the sun comes up. The upper atmosphere warms before the ground air and this causes a "tunnel" where the signals bounce up and down close to the ground. This lets them travel long distances and then interfere with other trunk systems. Maybe yours!

Unit ID (full): The combination of the System ID, Fleet ID and the actual Unit ID.

Unit ID: The last digits of the full unit ID that indicate the ID of the actual radio. For a TypeI ID, this is a 3 character hex number. For a TypeII ID, it looks like this- I7xxxxx where xxxxx is a 5 digit decimal number.

UPDATE: This is in the AUTH section of Guardian. After you add or edit units in the AUTH list, they are not actually added or edited until you type UPDATE or until you exit the AUTH section.

VER: In the Guardian system, this displays the version number of your software.

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