An overview of trunking techniques in mobile radio systems

Conservation of the RF spectrum has become increasingly important as the demand for two-way communications has continued its rapid growth. Trunking, a well-known technique for improving the efficiency of communications systems, is being applied to mobile radio to allow a greater number of radios per frequency than in conventional systems. An introduction to trunking theory is presented, including curves which apply to trunked mobile radio systems. Techniques used to implement trunked radio systems are discussed, and their merits compared. An experimental comparison of similar trunked and non-trunked systems showed more than a 30:1 improvement in the quality of service, as well as 113% more efficient use of the RF spectrum on the trunked system.