16 Getting started
About your digital radio
Your digital radio has two distinct operating modes:
In MPT mode, you can make:
■ analog trunk calls
In Conventional/P25 mode, you can make:
■ analog FM conventional calls
■ digital P25 trunk calls
■ digital P25 conventional calls
The way your radio performs basic functions, such as
sending and receiving calls, depends on the operating
mode.
You may notice differences between digital and
analog calls in terms of
■ static noise in low signal areas, and
■ radio coverage in marginal reception areas.
Lack of static noise
On digital networks there is no static noise, even in
low signal areas. This lack of static is because your
digital radio removes the ‘noise’ from the call, so that
you hear only clear voice.
Coverage
A digital transmission remains clear and then drops off
quickly at the border of a coverage area. The reason
for this is that a digital call is either received or it isn't.
With an analog transmission, the background noise in
a call gets progressively worse when you are in fringe
areas or even slightly outside normal coverage areas.