P25 Training Guide

P25 Radio Systems
TRAINING GUIDE
www.codanradio.com
P25 RADIO SYSTEMS | TRAINING GUIDE
P25 Radio
Systems
Training Guide
Page i
TRAINING GUIDE | P25 RADIO SYSTEMS
NOTE 2013 Codan Limited.

No part of this guide may be reproduced, transcribed, translated into any
language or transmitted in any form whatsoever without the prior written
consent of Codan Limited.
CODAN, NGT, Easitalk, CIB and CALM are trademarks of

Codan Limited. Other brand, product, and company names mentioned
in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective holders.
IMBE and AMBE+2 are trademarks of Digital Voice Systems, Inc.

EDACS is a registered trademark of M/A-COM, Inc.
Aegis is a trademark of M/A-COM, Inc.
iDEN is a trademark of Motorola, Inc.
GSM is a trademark of GSM Association.
ANSI is a registered trademark of the American National Standards
Institute
The English version takes precedence over any translated versions.
DOCUMENT REVISION Documentation uses a three-level revision system. Each element of

DEFINITION the revision number signifies the scope of change as described in the
diagram below.
1-0-0
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If the current revision = 2-1-1 Then the next major revision = 3-0-0
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Document revision history is provided at the back of the document.
Codan Radio Communications

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Canada V8V 1P8
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Revision: 4-0-0
Revision Date: September 2013
Page ii
On August 7th, 2012 - Codan Limited (ASX: CDA) announced DANIELS ELECTRONICS
the acquisition of Daniels Electronics Limited, a leading designer, IS NOW CODAN RADIO
COMMUNICATIONS
manufacturer and supplier of land mobile radio communications
(LMR) solutions in North America. The acquisition of Daniels delivers
on Codans stated strategy of growing market share and diversifying
its radio communications product offering. Codan Limited designs,
manufactures and markets a diversified range of high value added
electronic products, with three key business divisions; radio
communications, metal detection and mining technology.
Codan Radio Communications is a leading international designer ABOUT CODAN RADIO

and manufacturer of premium communications equipment for High COMMUNICATIONS
Frequency (HF) and Land Mobile Radio (LMR) applications. Weve
built our reputation for reliability and customer satisfaction over 50
years in radio communications, in some of the toughest conditions
on the planet.
For over 50 years Codan has provided customers in North America

and internationally with highly reliable Base Stations and Repeaters
that are environmentally robust to operate in rugged and extreme
temperature conditions where low current consumption (solar
powered) is a key requirement.
Codan is a pioneering member of the P25 Digital standard, for radio

system interoperability between emergency response governmental
organizations, providing enhanced functionality and encryption.
Our products operate between 29 - 960 MHz and are available in
a variety of Base Station and Repeater configurations for two way
voice and mobile data applications.
Our self-servicing customers range from Forestry and National Park

services through Police and Fire departments and on to Utility and
Transportation groups. Our products have been deployed in every
imaginable situation from the Antarctic to Hawaiian mountaintops to
Alaska, enabling respondents to Forest Fires, Ground Zero rescue
and routine patrols.
Codan is an industry leader in Analog and P25 radio systems design.

We offer modular rack-mounted Base Stations and Repeaters
capable of operating in Low Band VHF,VHF AM , VHF FM, UHF FM,
700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz
Pete Lunness is a member of the Applied Science Technologists ABOUT THE AUTHOR
& Technicians of British Columbia, has a Diploma in Electronics
Engineering Technology from Camosun College and a Certificate in
Adult and Continuing Education from the University of Victoria.
Pete has been at Daniels / Codan since 1996, working in engineering,

sales and customer support, and has been instructing technical
training courses since 1998.
Many people helped write, compile, research and check the

information contained in this document including Steve Burfoot,
Peter Chan and Dale Reitsma.
Page iii
REFERENCES Many references were used in the creation of this document.

Following is a list of references for P25 information:
Aeroflex, Inc.
Aeroflex Incorporated is a multi-faceted high-technology company
that designs, develops, manufactures and markets a diverse range
of microelectronic and test and measurement products. Aeroflex is
the manufacturer of the IFR 2975 P25 Radio Test Set.
www.P25.com www.aeroflex.com
APCO International
The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials -
International, Inc. is the worlds oldest and largest not-for-profit
professional organization dedicated to the enhancement of public
safety communications
www.apcointl.org
DVSI
Digital Voice Systems, Inc., using its proprietary voice compression
technology, specializes in low-data-rate, high-quality speech
compression products for wireless communications, digital storage,
and other applications. DVSI is the manufacturer of the IMBE
and AMBE+2 vocoders.
www.dvsinc.com
PTIG
The Project 25 Technology Interest Group (PTIG) is a group
composed of public safety professionals and equipment
manufacturers with a direct stake in the further development
of, and education on, the P25 standards. PTIGs purpose is to
further the design, manufacture, evolution, and effective use of
technologies stemming from the P25 standardization process.
www.project25.org
TIA
The Telecommunications Industry Association is the leading U.S.
non-profit trade association serving the communications and
information technology industry, with proven strengths in market
development, trade shows, domestic and international advocacy,
standards development and enabling e-business.
www.tiaonline.org
Page iv
Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction To P25 .............................................. 1
What is Project 25? .................................................................................... 1
P25 Phases ................................................................................................ 2
Conventional vs. Trunked .......................................................................... 3
How does Phase 1 P25 work? ................................................................... 4
P25 Radio System Architecture ................................................................. 5
Benefits of P25 ........................................................................................... 8
Other Digital Standards ............................................................................ 12
Chapter 2: P25 Interface Standards .................................... 15

P25 Standards General System Model ................................................. 15
RF Sub-System ........................................................................................ 17
Common Air Interface .............................................................................. 17
Inter Sub-System Interface ...................................................................... 18
Telephone Interconnect Interface ............................................................. 19
Network Management Interface ............................................................... 19
Data Host or Network Interface ................................................................ 19
Data Peripheral Interface ......................................................................... 20
Fixed Station Interface ............................................................................. 20
Console Sub-System Interface ................................................................ 21
Chapter 3: P25 Technical Information .................................. 23

Analog to P25 Transition .......................................................................... 23
P25 Frequency Bands ............................................................................. 23
Hexadecimal and Binary Numbering ....................................................... 23
P25 Digital Code Definitions .................................................................... 24
P25 Voice Message Options .................................................................... 32
P25 Data Applications .............................................................................. 34
Conventional Control Messages .............................................................. 35
P25 Location Services ............................................................................. 36
P25 Encryption ......................................................................................... 40
Analog vs. P25 Digital Coverage ............................................................. 41
P25 Radio System Performance Testing ................................................. 44
P25 vs. Analog Delay Times .................................................................... 46
Page v
Chapter 4: Anatomy of the Common Air Interface ............... 49

Voice ........................................................................................................ 49
Data ......................................................................................................... 50
Frame Synchronization and Network Identifier ........................................ 50
Status Symbols ........................................................................................ 51
Header Data Unit ..................................................................................... 51
Voice Code Words ................................................................................... 52
Logical Link Data Unit 1 ........................................................................... 53
LInk Control Word .................................................................................... 54
Logical Link Data Unit 2 ........................................................................... 56
Terminator Data Unit ................................................................................ 57
Packet Data Unit ...................................................................................... 58
Data Header and Data Block Formats ..................................................... 59
Other Data Formats ................................................................................. 62
Chapter 5: Conventional Fixed Station Interface ................. 63

Introduction .............................................................................................. 63
Analog Fixed Station Interface ................................................................. 65
Digital Fixed Station Interface .................................................................. 68
Chapter 6: P25 Trunking ...................................................... 71

Introduction to P25 Trunking .................................................................... 71
Implicit / Explicit ....................................................................................... 72
Registration .............................................................................................. 73
Addressing ............................................................................................... 74
Control Channel Messages ...................................................................... 76
Inbound Signaling Packet Access via Slotted ALOHA ............................. 76
Trunking System Operation ..................................................................... 77
Traffic Channel Ownership....................................................................... 78
Encryption ................................................................................................ 79
Data Packet Structures for Single and Multi Block Messages ................. 79
Chapter 7: P25 Phase 2....................................................... 85

Introduction .............................................................................................. 85
TDMA vs FDMA Radio Access Technologies ........................................... 86
P25 Phase 2 Trunking System Operation ................................................ 88
Phase 2 TDMA Common Air Interface Layers ......................................... 91
Benefits of P25 Phase 2 .......................................................................... 96
Chapter 8: IMBE and AMBE+2 Vocoders ..................... 97

Chapter 9: P25 Glossary of Terms ....................................... 99
Page vi
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO P25
This document is written with the intention of supplying the reader with a simple, concise and informative
description of Project 25. The document assumes the reader is familiar with conventional Two-Way
Radio Communications systems. The naming and numbering conventions used in this document
are those used in the TIA documents. Some manufacturers use different naming and numbering
conventions. Project 25 is a standards initiative, to be amended, revised, and added to as the users
identify issues, and as experience is gained.
WH AT IS PROJECT 25 ?
Project 25 (P25) is a set of standards produced through the joint efforts of the Association of Public Safety
Communications Officials International (APCO), the National Association of State Telecommunications
Directors (NASTD), selected Federal Agencies and the National Communications System (NCS), and
standardized under the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). P25 is an open architecture,
user driven suite of system standards that define digital radio communications system architectures
capable of serving the needs of Public Safety and Government organizations. The P25 suite of
standards involves digital Land Mobile Radio (LMR) services for local, state/provincial and national
(federal) public safety organizations and agencies. P25 open system standards define the interfaces,
operation and capabilities of any P25 compliant radio system. A P25 radio is any radio that conforms to
the P25 standard in the way it functions or operates. P25 compliant radios can communicate in analog
mode with legacy radios and in either digital or analog mode with other P25 radios. The P25 standard
exists in the public domain, allowing any manufacturer to produce a P25 compatible radio product.
Chapter 1: Introduction To P25 Page 1

P25 LMR equipment is authorized or licensed in the U.S., Canada and Australia.
in the U.S. under the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) or Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) rules and regulations.
in Canada under Industry Canada (IC) rules and regulations.
in Australia under the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) rules and regulations.
Although developed primarily for North American public safety services, P25 technology and products
are not limited to public safety alone and have also been selected and deployed in other private system
applications, worldwide. The Project 25 users process is governed by an eleven-member steering
committee made up of nine U.S. federal, state and local government representatives and two co-
directors. Project 25 has four main objectives:
ensure competition in system life cycle procurements through Open Systems Architecture
allow effective, efficient and reliable intra-agency and inter-agency communications
provide enhanced functionality and capabilities with a focus on public safety needs
improve radio spectrum efficiency
TIA (Telecommunications Industry Association) is a national trade organization of manufacturers

and suppliers of telecommunications equipment and services. It has substantial experience in the
technical aspects of radio communications and in the formulation of standards with reference thereto.
TIA is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as a Standards Developing
Organization.
P 25 P H ASES
P25 compliant technology was deployed in two phases.
Phase 1
Phase 1 FDMA radio systems operate in 12.5 KHz analog, digital or mixed mode. Phase 1 radios
use Continuous 4 level FM (C4FM) non-linear modulation for digital transmissions. Phase 1 P25
compliant systems are backward compatible and interoperable with legacy systems, across system
boundaries, and regardless of system infrastructure. In addition, the P25 suite of standards provide an
open interface to the RF Sub-System to facilitate interlinking of different vendors systems.
Page 2 Chapter 1: Introduction To P25

Phase 2
The P25 Phase 2 Standards are based on a two-slot TDMA channel access method within 12.5 kHz
channel bandwidth and is used for P25 trunking systems. P25 Phase 2 two-slot TDMA trunking is an
addition to the P25 Standard and does not replace P25 Phase 1 FDMA. The P25 two-slot TDMA for
Phase 2 doubles the spectrum efficiency of Phase 1 (12.5 kHz).
The P25 Phase 2 TDMA CAI uses two different modulation schemes for over-the-air transmission of
the 12 kbps data stream, Harmonized Continuous Phase Modulation (H-CPM), is a common constant-
envelope non-linear modulation and is transmitted by the subscriber equipment. Harmonized Differential
Quadrature Phase Shift Keyed modulation (H-DQPSK), is a non-coherent modulation scheme and is
transmitted by the fixed site equipment.
A P25 Phase 2 FDMA solution was finalized (CQPSK), but never widely used.
The majority of this guide primarily deals with P25 Phase 1. More detailed information about P25
Phase 2 can be found in Chapter 7.
C ON VENTIONAL VS. TR U N KED

In general, radio systems can be separated into conventional and trunked systems. A conventional system
is characterized by relatively simple geographically fixed infrastructure (such as a repeater network)
that serves to repeat radio calls from one frequency to another. A trunked system is characterized by
a controller in the infrastructure which assigns calls to specific channels. P25 supports both trunked
and conventional radio systems. While this document deals primarily with conventional radio systems,
more detailed information about P25 trunking can be found in Chapter 6.

H OW D OES PHASE 1 P25 WOR K?

Phase 1 P25 radios operate in a similar manner to conventional analog FM radios. P25 radios will
operate in conventional analog mode, making them backwards compatible with existing analog radio
systems. When the P25 radio operates in digital mode, the carrier is moved to four specific frequency
offsets that represent four different two-bit combinations. This is a modified 4 level FSK used in analog
radio systems. In analog mode, the P25 radio will operate exactly the same as conventional analog
systems, with the capability for CTCSS, DCS, pre-emphasis and de-emphasis, wideband or narrowband
operation and other standard analog features.
In P25 digital mode, the P25 transmitter will convert all analog audio to packets of digital information by
using an IMBE vocoder, then de-vocode the digital information back to analog audio in the receiver.
Error correction coding is added to the digital voice information as well as other digital information.
Analog CTCSS and DCS are replaced by digital NAC codes (as well as TGID, Source and Destination
codes for selective calling). Encryption information can be added to protect the voice information, and
other digital information can also be transmitted such as a user defined low speed data word or an
emergency bit.
P25 Radio
System
Digital Analog
Mode Mode
Conventional Trunked Narrowband Wideband
Voice Data
CTCSS DCS Carrier
Message Packet
Secure Clear
Confirmed Unconfirmed TSBK
(Encrypted) (Not Encrypted)
Individual Unit to PSTN Announcement

Routine Emergency
(Unit to Unit) Call Group Call
Group Call Group Call
Call (Trunked) (Trunked)
Figure 1-1: P25 Radio System Operation
Figure 1-1 shows the different operational modes of P25 Radio Systems in digital and analog modes.
P25 systems use the Common Air Interface (CAI). This interface standard specifies the type and
content of signals transmitted by P25 compliant radios. A P25 radio using the CAI should be able to
communicate with any other P25 radio using the CAI, regardless of manufacturer.
Phase P25 1 radios are designed for 12.5 kHz channel bandwidths. Phase 1 P25 radios must also be
able to operate in analog mode on 25 kHz or 12.5 kHz channels. This backward compatibility allows
P25 users to gradually transition to digital while continuing to use analog equipment.
In Phase 2, P25 radios will use a 12.5 kHz channel bandwidth but will be divided into two time slots,
effectively giving 6.25 kHz of bandwidth per voice channel. Phase 2 radios must also be able to
operate in Phase 1 mode for backwards compatability with Phase 1 radio systems.

P25 secure transmissions may be enabled by digital encryption. The P25 standards specify the use of
the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm, Data Encryption Standard (DES-OFB) algorithm,
and other encryption algorithms. There are additional standards and specifications for over-the-air
rekeying (OTAR) features. OTAR allows subscriber encryption key management through a radio
network.
Phase 1 P25 channels that carry voice or data operate at 9600 bits per second (bps). These voice or
data channels are protected by forward error correction, which compensates for poor RF conditions
and improves useable range. Phase 1 P25 supports data transmission, either piggybacked with voice
(low speed data), or in several other modes up to the full traffic channel rate of 9600 bps.
P 25 RADIO SYSTEM AR C H ITEC TU R E
Micro- Speech Channel Baseband

phone A to D Coder Coder filters Modulator Tx Amplifier
IMBE IDs &

C4FM
Vocoder FEP
Duplexer
Repeat Path
V.C.O.
IMBE IDs &

C4FM
Vocoder EC
Speaker D to A Speech Channel Filters & Demod-- Rx

Decoder Decoder Equalizer ulator Amplifier
Figure 1-2: P25 Radio System Architecture
Figure 1-2 represents a basic digital transceiver.

The P25 Radio System Architecture can be broken down into three main areas.
A to D / D to A and Speech Coding / Decoding

An Analog to Digital conversion is performed on the audio before speech coding and a Digital to Analog
conversion is performed to create audio after the speech decoding. P25 uses a specific method
of digitized voice (speech coding) called Improved Multi-Band Excitation (IMBE). The IMBE
voice encoder-decoder (vocoder) listens to a sample of the audio input and only transmits certain
characteristics that represent the sound. The receiver uses these basic characteristics to produce a
synthetic equivalent of the input sound. IMBE is heavily optimized for human speech. Older IMBE
vocoders didnt always do well in reproducing other types of sounds, including dual-tone multifrequency
(DTMF) tones and continuous test tones. Since 2009, the enhanced IMBE vocoder works significantly
better with DTMF and continuous tones.
The IMBE vocoder samples the microphone input producing 88 bits of encoded speech every 20
milliseconds. Therefore, the vocoder produces speech characteristics at a rate of 4400 bits per second.
Channel Coding / Decoding

Channel Coding is the method in which digital RF systems utilize forward error protection / error
correction techniques to ensure that the data (voice or control) arrives and is recovered correctly.
The forward error protection / error correction are designed to improve the system performance by
overcoming channel impairments such as noise, fading and interference. Channel Coding can also
include the addition of all overhead data that is included with the voice information, including NAC,
TGID, SID, MFID, KID, ALGID and many others.
P25 error protection / correction channel codes include; interleaving and linear block codes such as
Hamming codes, Golay codes, Reed-Solomon codes, Primitive BCH, and shortened cyclic codes.
Modulating / Demodulating and Filtering

In Phase 1, a 12.5 KHz channel is used to transmit C4FM modulated digital information. C4FM
modulation is a type of differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) where each symbol is shifted
in phase by 45 degrees from the previous symbol. Although the phase (frequency) is modulated for
C4FM, the amplitude of the carrier is constant, generating a constant envelope frequency modulated
waveform.

The modulation sends 4800 symbols/sec with each symbol conveying 2 bits of information. The
mapping between symbols and bits is shown below:
Information Bits Symbol C4FM Deviation (Phase 1)
01 +3 +1.8kHz
00 +1 +0.6kHz
10 -1 -0.6kHz
11 -3 -1.8kHz
The C4FM modulator is comprised of a Nyquist Raised Cosine Filter, a shaping filter, and an FM
modulator.
C4FM Modulator
Digital Nyquist Raised Shaping FM C4FM

Input Cosine Filter Filter Modulator Output
Figure 1-3: C4FM Modulator

C4FM DEMODULATOR
CONSTANT ENVELOPE
SPECTRUM
12.5 kHz
Channel
TIME
Receiver
C4FM Front Digital IF DSP
End
Figure 1-4: C4FM Demodulator
The C4FM demodulator receives a signal from the P25 C4FM modulator or analog FM modulator. The
frequency modulation detector in the first stage of the demodulator allows a single, Phase 1 demodulator
to receive C4FM or analog FM. The benefit of this is that when migrating to a P25 Phase 1 system, the
receiver is capable of detecting and receiving both analog and P25 digital signals.
B E N E FI TS OF P25
P25 has many various benefits in performance, efficiency, capabilities and quality. Key P25 technology
benefits include:
Interoperability
Radio equipment that is compatible with P25 standards will allow users from different agencies or
areas to communicate directly with each other. This will allow agencies on the federal state/provincial
or local level (or any other agency) to communicate more effectively with each other when required
(emergencies, law enforcement, etc.)
The APCO Project 25 Interface Committee (APIC) has formed the Compliance Assessment Process
and Procedures Task Group (CAPPTG) to ensure that P25 equipment and systems comply with P25
standards for interoperability, conformance, and performance regardless of the manufacturer and in
accordance with the User Needs Statement of Requirements.

Multiple Vendors
The P25 open standard will allow competing products from multiple vendors to be interoperable. This
will allow customers of the P25 product to benefit from multiple manufacturing sources (decreased
costs, open bidding, non-proprietary systems).
Backwards Compatibility
A basic requirement for Phase 1 P25 digital radio equipment is backward compatibility with standard
analog FM radios. This supports an orderly migration into mixed analog and digital systems, enabling
users to gradually trade out radios and infrastructure equipment. By selecting products and systems
that comply with P25 standards, agencies are assured that their investment in the latest technology has
a clear migration path for the future.
Analog or Digital
Analog or Digital Analog Mode
Analog Mode Mode
Mode
Analog Portable P25 Portable P25 Mobile P25 Repeater Analog Base
Figure 1-5: P25 Backwards Compatibility
P25 radios operate in analog mode to older analog only radios, and either analog or digital mode to
other P25 radios.
Phase 2 P25 radio systems are backwards compatible with Phase 1 P25 equipment.
Encryption Capability
The P25 standard includes a requirement for protecting digital communications (voice and data) with
encryption capability. The encryption used in P25 is optional, allowing the user to select either clear
(un-encrypted) or secure (encrypted) digital communication methods. The encryption keys also have
the option of being re-keyed by digital data over a radio network. This is referred to as Over The Air Re-
keying (OTAR). This capability allows the radio systems manager to remotely change encryption keys.

Spectrum Efficiency
P25 maximizes spectrum efficiency by narrowing bandwidths.
FM C4FM H-CPM and

H-DQPSK
Analog Systems P25 Phase 1 P25 Phase 2 (TDMA)
25 KHz 12.5 KHz 12.5 KHz (2 time slots)
6.25 KHz (effective bandwidth)
Figure 1-6: P25 Spectrum Efficiency
The RF spectrum is a finite resource used by every country in the world. Spectrum efficiency frees up
more channels for radio system use.

Improved Audio Quality

With 2800 bits per second of the total 9600 bits per second channel capacity allocated to error correction,
Phase 1 P25 digital signals have improved voice quality over standard analog signals, especially at low
or noisy RF carrier levels. The IMBE voice coder converts voice information into digital data and then
the data is protected using error correction codes. The error correction is able to correct for small errors
in the received signal. Since the audio is digitally encoded, the background noise typically present in
analog systems is also removed.
2800 bits/s error

correction
Voice
2400 bits/s
signaling
4400 bits/s voice
20 ms of speech =
88 bits of
information to be
transmitted over
the radio link
Total 9600 bits/s

Signaling
1 25 kHz Channel 2 x 12.5 kHz Channels

Figure 1-7: Analog to P25 Channel Comparison
Enhanced Functionality
Phase 1 P25 radio systems use 2400 bits per second for signaling and control functions. The signaling
capabilities include selective calling (Source and Destination ID), talk groups (TGID), network (repeater)
access codes (NAC) and emergency flags all as standard P25 digital features.
Other P25 signaling includes; Manufacturers identification codes (MFID) which uniquely identifies
different manufacturers to customize radio capabilities, Low Speed Data for user applications, encryption
keys and algorithms for secure transmission and many other standard signaling formats.

OTH E R DIGITAL STANDAR D S

Although P25 is the focus of this document, it is important to understand that there are many different
digital radio standards in use around the world. P25 has primarily been adopted for use in North
America, while another leading digital standard, TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) has primarily been
adopted for use in Europe.
While P25 and TETRA appear to be the two leading digital Land Mobile Radio standards in the
world today, there are other digital, spectrally-efficient radio systems that have been submitted to the
International Telecommunication Unions Radiocommunication Sectors (ITU-R) Study Group 8 and its
Working Party 8A.
ITU-R is charged with determining the technical characteristics and operational procedures for a growing
range of wireless services. The Radiocommunication Sector also plays a vital role in the management
of the radio-frequency spectrum. Study Group 8 and its Working Party 8A is responsible for studies
related to the land mobile service, excluding cellular, and to the amateur and amateur-satellite services.
Digital radio systems can operate using different channel access methods such as FDMA (Frequency
Division Multiple Access), TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access), or other methods (FHMA - Frequency
Hopping Multiple Access).
Project 25, Tetrapol, and EDACS (Enhanced Digital Access Communications System) Aegis are
three different FDMA systems. TETRA, DIMRS (Digital Integrated Mobile Radio System), and IDRA
(Integrated Digital Radio) are three different TDMA systems.
Tetrapol
France submitted Tetrapol to ITU-R Working Party 8A. It uses a constant-envelope modulation technique
that fits within a 10 kHz channel mask. Systems are in use in a number of countries in Europe and
around the world. EADS is the principal manufacturer of this equipment.
EDACS Aegis
L.M. Ericsson AB (with support from the Swedish Administration) submitted EDACS Aegis to ITU-R
Working Party 8A. It uses a constant-envelope modulation technique and has four different selectable
levels of deviation and filtering that can result in the signal fitting within 25 kHz and 12.5 kHz channel
masks. Systems are in use in a number of countries around the world. M/A-COM, Inc. is the principal
manufacturer of this equipment.

TETRA
A number of European countries submitted TETRA to ITU-R Working Party 8A on behalf of ETSI (the
European Telecommunication Standards Institute). TETRAs primary mode uses /4DQPSK modulation
that requires a linear or linearized amplifier and fits four-slot TDMA within a 25 kHz channel mask.
DIMRS
Canada submitted DIMRS to ITU-R Working Party 8A. It is a six-slot TDMA system using 16QAM
modulation that fits within a 25 kHz channel mask. It is designed primarily for public systems and is
in use in a number of countries around the world. Motorola Inc. is the principal manufacturer of this
equipment, under the name IDEN.
IDRA
Japan submitted IDRA to ITU-R Working Party 8A. It also is a six-slot TDMA system using 16QAM (16
point Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) that fit within a 25 kHz channel mask. A major difference from
DIMRS is the use of a different vocoder.
FHMA
Israel submitted FHMA to ITU-R Working Party 8A. The system primarily makes use of frequency
hopping and sectorized base station antennas to gain spectrum efficiency. The signals are error
protected and when a radio is at a sector boundary, due to different frequency hop patterns between
sectors, interference to and from nearby radios in the other sector is minimized.
Although the other digital standards seem to work well for their original intentions, APCO felt that these
standards would not meet all of the requirements for a public safety agency within North America. P25
standards were designed primarily for the public safety user, with range and performance given very
high priority. Also, unique flexibility has been designed into the standards to enhance interoperability,
privacy, gradual phase-in of new technologies, and the reliable transmission of voice and data.

This Page Intentionally Left Blank

CHAPTER 2: P25 INTERFACE STANDARDS
P 25 STANDARDS GEN ER AL SYSTEM M OD EL

This section will introduce the reader to the P25 General System Model and the P25 interface standards
that are integral to the P25 radio systems.
There are currently more than forty technical documents in the set of P25 standards. The
Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) developed these standards through well defined user
input. The P25 users continue to enlarge a Statement of Requirements while the industry develops the
standards for those requirements and the Project 25 Steering Committee verifies their adherence to
the users needs. The P25 documents have also been approved by the American National Standards
Institute (ANSI) as ANSI standards. This is the ultimate recognition in the United States of the utility
and support of a technology as a standard.
The individual documents describe component interfaces needed to build systems. Depending upon
the type of system the user needs, individual documents are available that detail how standardized
elements can make up a standardized system. These systems can be trunked or conventional, they
can be voice only, data only or voice and data, and they can be clear or encrypted.
The P25 standards are contained in the TIA-102 suite of documents. Copies of the standards
documents may be purchased through Global Engineering Documents by commercial entities. Public
agency users can get a copy of all of the documents on a CD-ROM from the National Communications
System (NCS). NCS is the standards arm of the U.S. Department of Defense. Copies may also be
obtained from the Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Standards and Technology
Group. NIJ is a primary advocate and supporter of the Project 25 process.
Chapter 2: P25 Interface Standards Page 15

P25 defines six interfaces to an RF Sub-System (RFSS), one peripheral interface, and one over-the
air interface. These are shown in Figure 2-1 the P25 General System Model. Within the RFSS, all
equipment is unique to a single manufacturer. An example of a closed interface within the RFSS is
the interface between a trunking controller and its base station. Each of the open interfaces shown in
Figure 2-1 is defined in a TIA document.
The Inter Sub-System Interface (ISSI), Network Management Interface, Fixed Station Interface, and
Console Interface are being developed. It is TIAs intention to standardize these equipment sub-system
interfaces whenever practical. The ISSI, console, and fixed station interfaces are based on the use of
Internet Protocol (IP).
The general system model of a P25 compliant digital radio system defines the system elements plus
intra-system and inter-system interfaces and naming conventions of these elements and interfaces.
P25 GENERAL
Um SUBSCRIBER SYSTEM MODEL
REPEATER
RADIO
Um CONVENTIONAL
Um CONSOLE
SUB-SYSTEM
DATA SUBSCRIBER CONVENTIONAL Ef

A
PERIPHERAL RADIO FIXED STATION
Um Ec
CSSI = Console Sub-System Interface
Ef
FSI =
Fixed Station
CAI = Et
Interface PSTN
Um Common Air
Interface
CONVENTIONAL RF En NETWORK
DATA A SUBSCRIBER OR TRUNKED SUB-SYSTEM
PERIPHERAL RADIO MANAGEMENT
Um FIXED STATION (RFSS)
Ed
DATA HOST
Um OR NETWORK
G
DATA SUBSCRIBER TRUNKED
A Um
PERIPHERAL RADIO FIXED STATION G
ISSI =
Um2 Inter
TRUNKED Sub-System
CONSOLE Interface
Um = Phase 1 FDMA CAI OTHER
SUB-SYSTEM RF
Um2 = Phase 2 TDMA CAI
SUB-SYSTEMS
Figure 2-1: P25 General System Model
Page 16 Chapter 2: P25 Interface Standards

The P25 Interface Standards as shown on the General System Model are as follows:
RF Sub-System (RFSS) Core Infrastructure

Common Air Interface (Um) Radio to radio protocol
Inter Sub-System Interface (ISSIg) RFSS to all other system interconnections (In progress)
Telephone Interconnect Interface (Et) PSTN to RFSS definition
Network Management Interface (En) Network to RFSS definition (In progress)
Data Host or Network Interface (Ed) Computer aided dispatch to RFSS definition
Data Peripheral Interface (A) Radio to Data Peripheral definition
Fixed Station Interface (Ef) Base station to RFSS / Console Sub-System definition (in progress)
Console Sub-System Interface (Ec) Console to RFSS definition (In progress)
R F S UB-SYST EM
The P25 interfaces bound the RF Sub-System (RFSS) infrastructure. The RF Sub-System can be
made from any collection of site equipment (single station/site or multiple station/site), whose only
requirement is that the equipment supports the Common Air Interface, and contains all necessary
control logic to support the open intersystem interfaces and call processing. The RF Sub-Systems are
the building blocks for wide-area system construction and will connect with any other configuration of
equipment or RF Sub-Systems.
C OM MON AIR INT ERFA C E

The Common Air Interface (Um) or CAI defines a standard (or reference point) at which communications
between P25 radios can take place. The CAI is the core element of the P25 standard that assures
the ability of one companys P25 digital radio to communicate with another companys P25 digital
radio. Communications between P25 radios are done at a gross bit rate of 9.6 kbps and with FDMA
channel access. Several processes take place to convert information for transmission. The Common
Air Interface uses an IMBE voice coder (vocoder) to convert (compress) speech to a digital format
for communication. This voice information is then protected with error correction coding to provide
protection over the channel. The voice information and error correction is then transmitted with
additional encryption information, unit identification, and low speed data to fully utilize the 9.6 kbps of
channel capacity in the Common Air Interface.
A breakdown of the information contained in the Common Air Interface can be found in Chapter 4:
Anatomy of the Common Air Interface. Chapter 8 contains some detailed information on the operation
and theory of the IMBE Vocoder.

I N TE R SUB-SYSTEM INTER FAC E

The Inter Sub-System Interface (G) is under development.
The Inter Sub-System Interface (G) or ISSI permits multiple RF Sub-Systems to be interconnected
together into wide-area networks. The ISSI defines a multi-channel digital interface supporting standard
protocols to enable interoperability utilizing mobility management and wide-area service support
functionality. The interface is designed to give system designers the flexibility to combine any number
of RF Sub-Systems of any size. The Inter Sub-System Interface also provides a common meeting
place for RF Sub-Systems of different technologies (TDMA, FDMA, micro-cell) and different RF bands.
This interface is optional, and need only be supported when intercommunication amongst and across
RFSSs of Land Mobile Radio systems is desired.
Although a P25 subscriber radio may only operate freely among systems with the standard P25 common
air interface, the P25 ISSI has the potential to connect between different radio or telecommunications
networks as long as they also support the ISSI interface.
The ISSI messaging defines the basic structures to be shared among all equipped RFSSs. The
ISSI can be supported on any possible networking configuration, from a simple star configuration to
a full mesh, to an intelligent network. This can consist of private links and network support, or may be
public links and network support configured as a private network. Any intervening network supporting
the information of an ISSI link needs to preserve the ISSI messaging packet, but may intermediately
represent the ISSI packet in whatever convenient form (e.g. ATM cell) is available.
The ISSI will support:

mobility and data management,
wide area service control,
service transport,
end to end protection of signaling information,
trunking.
other network interconnection.

TE LE PHONE INTERCO N N EC T IN TER FAC E

P25 requires an open interface to telephone networks. The Telephone Interconnect Interface (Et)
supports both analog and ISDN telephone interfaces, providing for selective use of proven standard
telephone interfaces currently in use.
The Telephone Interconnect Interface defines a 2-wire loop start and a 2-wire ground start connection
between the RF Sub-System and the PSTN or a PABX. In addition, other optional interfaces may be
provided. The Telephone Interface deals only with voice service because it has been assumed that
circuit connected data services would access a telephone network via a modem and connect to a data
port on the radio system.
N E TWORK MANAGEMEN T IN TER FAC E

The Network Management Interface (En) is under development.
The Network Management Interface defines a network management interface to all RF Sub-
Systems. According to a single selected network management scheme within any RF Sub-System,
all five classical elements of network management must be supported. It is expected that a network
management scheme will be selected that will bring with it the ability to manage RF Sub-Systems
with available network management system equipment. In addition, an existing network management
system, including computer and telecommunications equipment, may well be able to encompass P25
radio systems.
D ATA HOST OR NETWO R K IN TER FAC E

The Data Host or Network Interface (Ed) defines four different types of data connectivity. These include
a native open interface for connecting host computers, as well as the requirement to support three
different types of existing computer network interfacing (TCP/IP, SNA and X.25).

D ATA P ERIPHERAL INT ER FAC E

The Data Peripheral Interface (A) defines protocols by which mobile and portable subscriber units will
support a port through which laptops, terminals, or subscriber unit peripherals may be connected. It is
required that the supported open interface protocols are passed transparently into X.25, SNA, or TCP/
IP computer networks at another open interface on the fixed equipment side. Transparency is listed as
a requirement, and it is expected that application layer standards emerge for the connection of various
peripheral devices.
FI X E D STAT ION INTERFA C E

The Fixed Station Interface provides for communication between a Fixed Station (FS) and either an RF
Sub-System (RFSS) or a Console Sub-System.
The Fixed Station Interface defines a set of mandatory messages, supporting analog voice, digital
voice (clear or encrypted), and data (under development). These messages will be of a standard
format passed over the interface. Manufacturers can enhance this functionality using manufacturer
specific messages.
The Conventional Fixed Station Interface (CFSI), which is a specialization of the Fixed Station Interface,
has been defined. A breakdown of the information contained in the CFSI can be found in Chapter 5:
Conventional Fixed Station Interface.
The CFSI defines both an Analog Fixed Station Interface (AFSI) and a Digital Fixed Station Interface
(DFSI). Either one of these interfaces can be used to connect to a fixed station operating in analog,
digital or mixed mode.
The AFSI configuration is 2 or 4-wire audio with E&M or Tone Remote Control.
The DFSI configuration is an IP based interface. The physical interface is an Ethernet 100 Base-T
with an RJ45 connector. The DFSI utilizes UDP for control information and RTP on UDP for voice
information. Digital voice information is IMBE and analog voice information is PCM audio.

C ON SOLE SUB-SYST EM IN TER FAC E

The Console Sub-System Interface (Ec) is under development.
The Console Sub-System Interface (CSSI) defines a multi-channel digital interface. This interface
is capable of supporting standard protocols to enable interoperable support functionality. The CSSI
defines basic messaging structures to interface a console sub-system to an RFSS.
The CSSI can be supported using a variety of networking technologies and topologies, from a simple
star configuration to an intelligent backbone network. The networks may be private, or public networks
configured as private networks.
The physical interface is an Ethernet 100 Base-T with an RJ45 connector. The CSSI will support
Ethernet 10 Base-T and 1000 Base-T as an optional physical interface. The CSSI will optionally support
auto-sensing. Other interfaces may be installed as a manufacturers option.
As a note, a console sub-system can connect directly to a fixed station and support one or more Fixed
Station Interfaces. Manufacturers may also optionally support a subset of the Data Host or Network
Interface in the Console.
The Console Sub-System Interface is a sub-set of the fixed station interface. Any device connected at
these points will arbitrate to determine the type of connection.


CHAPTER 3: P25 TECHNICAL INFORMATION
A N A L OG TO P25 TRANSITION
P25 equipment can be used in any configuration that is typically found in existing analog systems.
Base Stations, remote bases, repeaters, voting, and simulcast systems are all configurations of P25
conventional systems. Transmitter RF power output levels and receiver sensitivity levels of P25
equipment are very similar to those of conventional analog equipment. P25 equipment can therefore
be used in a one-for-one replacement scenario of analog equipment. This section will discuss some
of the issues surrounding the transition from an analog radio system to a P25 digital radio system as
well as supply general knowledge about P25 radio systems.
P 25 FREQUENCY BAND S
The frequency bands in which P25 radio systems are available are VHF (136 174 MHz) and UHF
(403 512 MHz, 806 870 MHz). In addition, P25, Phase 1 technology has been adopted by the FCC
as the digital interoperability standard for the 700 MHz (746 806 MHz) digital public safety band.
H E X ADECIMAL AND BIN ARY N U M BER IN G

The TIA-102 suite of documents defines numerical information in either hexadecimal format or binary
format. The hexadecimal numbers are preceded by a $ symbol and the binary numbers are preceded
by a % symbol.
Chapter 3: P25 Technical Information Page 23

P 25 D I GITAL CODE DEF IN ITION S

A P25 digital radio system uses many different codes, identifications, indicators and other digital
information in the Common Air Interface. Some of the codes are user accessible or programmable,
while others are meant for internal use inside of the CAI, or for specific applications.
Frame synchronization
A special sequence of 48 bits marking the location of the first bit of the message provides frame
synchronization. Frame synchronization occurs at the beginning of every message (voice and data),
and is inserted every 180 ms throughout the voice message. This allows receivers to pick up voice
messages after the message has begun (late entry of receivers). Late entry can occur when a subscriber
unit selects a channel (or talk group) while there is already an active signal present. The subscriber unit
was not active when the transmission started, but is added when it detects the repeated frame sync
function. The frame synchronization is not accessible or programmable by the user.
(See Chapter 4; Figure 4-3)
Network ID (NID)
Every P25 data unit packet contains the 64 bit NID field. The NID is composed of a 4 bit Data Unit ID
and a 12 bit NAC code. The NID is protected with a primitive BCH Code and a single parity bit is added
to fill out the NID code word to 64 bits.
Data Unit ID
The NID contains the 4 bit Data Unit ID field. The Data Unit ID is used to determine the type of packet
information (eg. Header Data Unit, Logical Link Data Unit 1, etc.). The Data Unit ID is not accessible
or programmable by the user.
Page 24 Chapter 3: P25 Technical Information

Network Access Code (NAC)

The NID contains the 12 bit NAC field. NAC codes are user programmable and are typically used to
control network access but may also be used to steer repeater functions. NAC codes are used the
same way as an analog CTCSS tone (or DCS code). NAC codes minimize co-channel interference
and allow repeater addressing by keeping the receiver squelched unless a signal with a matching NAC
arrives.
The NAC codes 12-bit field ranges from hexadecimal $000 to $FFF and contains 4096 addresses
(significantly more than the standard CTCSS and DCS tones).
The following NAC codes have specific functions:
$293 specified as the default NAC value.
$F7E a receiver set for NAC $F7E will unsquelch on any incoming NAC.
$F7F a repeater receiver set for NAC $F7F will allow all incoming signals to be repeated with the
NAC intact.

CTCSS to NAC Conversion

Early TIA documents specified a formula for converting analog CTCSS tones and DCS codes to specific
NAC codes. Those documents have since been removed and the selection of NAC codes has been
left to the user. Some government agencies have defined a conversion table for their own use for
translating CTCSS to NAC codes (eg. State of California and others).
Shown below is the early TIA conversion table from CTCSS to NAC codes. These codes were
determined by taking the CTCSS frequency and multiplying it by ten, then converting the integer result
to a hexadecimal number.
CTCSS to NAC code conversion chart
CTCSS NAC CTCSS NAC
67.0 Hz $29E 136.5 Hz $555
69.3 Hz $2B5 141.3 Hz $585
71.9 Hz $2CF 146.2 Hz $5B6
74.4 Hz $2E8 151.4 Hz $5EA
77.0 Hz $302 156.7 Hz $61F
79.7 Hz $31D 162.2 Hz $656
82.5 Hz $339 167.9 Hz $68F
85.4 Hz $356 173.8 Hz $6CA
88.5 Hz $375 179.9 Hz $707
91.5 Hz $393 186.2 Hz $746
94.8 Hz $3B4 192.8 Hz $788
97.4 Hz $3CE 203.5 Hz $7F3
100.0 Hz $3E8 206.5 Hz $811
103.5 Hz $40B 210.7 Hz $83B
107.2 Hz $430 218.1 Hz $885
110.9 Hz $455 225.7 Hz $8D1
114.8 Hz $47C 229.1 Hz $8F3
118.8 Hz $4A4 233.6 Hz $920
123.0 Hz $4CE 241.8 Hz $972
127.3 Hz $4F9 250.3 Hz $9C7
131.8 Hz $526

Status Symbols
Throughout the Data Units, 2 bit status symbols are interleaved so that there is one status symbol for
every 70 bits of information. The status symbols allow repeaters to indicate the status of the inbound
channels to subscribers. The repeaters assert the status symbols on both voice and data messages,
indicating inbound activity for both voice and data calls.
The subscribers set the value of the status symbol to signify an Unknown status in their messages
since they are unable to indicate the status of any inbound channel.
There are 4 possible values for the status symbol; 01 (for busy), 11 (for idle), 00 (unknown, used by
talk-around) and 10 (unknown, used for inbound or outbound). Repeaters use status symbols 01 and
11, and subscribers use status symbols 00 and 10.
There is one value for Busy (01), one for Idle (11), and two values to indicate Unknown status. When
the subscriber sends a message on a direct channel, it will use the Unknown value for direct mode
operation (00). When the subscriber sends a message inbound to a repeater, it will use the Unknown
value for repeater operation (10).
Status Symbols are used on a P25 trunking system for subscriber access to the inbound control channel
using the Slotted ALOHA technique. The Status Symbols are transmitted on the outbound control
channel, and the subscriber uses them to identify the slot boundaries for the inbound control channel.
The reference oscillator stability for repeaters and base stations is often better than for subscriber
radios. Subscribers may compare the frequency of their local reference oscillator with the carrier
frequency from a repeater or base station transmitter, in order to adjust and improve their local reference
oscillator. This adjustment is called Automatic Frequency Control (AFC). AFC operation is anticipated
by the FCC regulations for the 746-806 MHz band. Subscribers may detect a repeater or base station
transmission by checking the values of the status symbols on slot boundaries. A repeater or base station
will transmit Busy or Idle indications on slot boundaries. When a subscriber detects these values, it can
average enough data symbols from a transmission to obtain an estimate of the carrier frequency used
by the repeater or base station. It can then compare this to the receiver local oscillator to determine
any frequency corrections to improve local reference stability. After the repeater or base station stops
transmitting, the subscriber units will be in an unlock state. AFC locking resumes when a repeater or
base station restarts its transmissions.
Status Symbols are not widely used at this time, however there are many possible uses for them in the
future (such as data / voice priority).

Manufacturers ID (MFID)
The Header Code Word and Link Control Word (LDU1) contain the 8 bit MFID field. When the
manufacturer uses non-standard (data only) features, the MFID is asserted. When all of the other
information fields conform to the Common Air Interface definitions, the MFID has a standard value of
$00 or $01. A P25 radio must, as a minimum, transmit or receive messages using the the standard
values for the MFID field. As a minimum, a P25 receiver will ignore messages which do not contain
the standard values for the MFID field. Every manufacturer is assigned an MFID that can be used
for proprietary signaling. Non-standard data from one manufacturer may not pass through another
manufacturers repeater system.
The MFIDs that have been assigned are:
$10 Relm / BK Radio

$20 Cycomm
$28 Efratom Time and Frequency Products, Inc
$30 Com-Net Ericsson
$38 Datron
$40 Icom
$48 Garmin
$50 GTE
$55 IFR Systems
$60 GEC-Marconi
$68 Kenwood Communications
$70 Glenayre Electronics
$74 Japan Radio Co.
$78 Kokusai
$7C Maxon
$80 Midland
$86 Daniels Electronics Ltd. (Codan Radio Communications)
$90 Motorola
$A0 Thales
$A4 M/A-COM
$B0 Raytheon
$C0 SEA
$C8 Securicor
$D0 ADI
$D8 Tait Electronics
$E0 Teletec
$F0 Transcrypt International
(See Chapter 4; Figure 4-4, Figure 4-6 and Figure 4-11)

Algorithm ID (ALGID)
The Header Code Word and Encryption Synchronization (LDU2) contain the 8 bit ALGID field. The
ALGID identifies the encryption algorithm used in the P25 system. The ALGID is entered through a Key
Management Facility or Key Loader when entering encryption keys.
The ALGIDs that have been defined for Type 1 algorithms are:
$00 ACCORDION 1.3
$01 BATON (Auto Even)
$02 FIREFLY Type 1
$03 MAYFLY Type 1
$04 SAVILLE
$41 BATON (Auto Odd)
$80 Unencrypted message (no encryption algorithm)
$81 DES-OFB encryption algorithm
$82 2-key triple DES encryption algorithm
$83 3-key triple DES encryption algorithm
$84 AES encryption algorithm
(See Chapter 4; Figure 4-4 and Figure 4-9)
Key ID (KID)
The Header Code Word and Encryption Synchronization (LDU2) contain the 16 bit KID field. The KID
identifies the specific encryption key for use when multiple encryption keys have been loaded into the
encryption modules. The KID is also used for single encryption key systems. The typical default KID
for clear or secure systems is $0000. The KID is entered through a Key Management Facility or Key
Loader when entering encryption keys.

Message Indicator (MI)

The Header Code Word and Encryption Synchronization (LDU2) contain the 72 bit MI field. The MI is
the initialization vector (synchronization for key stream generator) for a Type 1, Type 2, Type 3 or Type
4 encryption algorithm. Clear messages are denoted $000000000 while secure (encrypted) messages
are variable. The Message Indicator is not accessible or programmable by the user.
Talk-group ID (TGID)
The Header Code Word and Link Control Word (LDU1) contain the 16 bit TGID field. The TGID identifies
the talk-group for the message. The purpose of a talk group is to allow logical groupings of radio users
into distinct organizations. The TGID could also be used to minimize co-channel interference and allow
subscriber addressing.
TheTGID ranges from hexadecimal $0000 to $FFFF and contains 65,536 addresses.
The following TGIDs have specific functions:

$0001 specified as the default TGID value and should be used in systems where no other talk
groups are defined.
$0000 no-one or a talk group with no users. Used when implementing an individual call.
$FFFF reserved as a talk group which includes everyone.
Low Speed Data

Each Logical Link Data Unit in a voice message contains the 16 bit Low Speed Data field. The Low
Speed Data is intended for custom user applications not defined by the CAI (possibly GPS location
data, infrastructure status information, etc.) and has a total capacity of 88.89 bps. The Low Speed Data
is encoded with a shortened cyclic code to create 64 bits per superframe.

Unit ID
The Unit ID is a 24 bit user programmable field that is used for both group and individual calling. The
Unit ID is used as both a Source ID (from the sending unit) and a Destination ID (in the receiving unit
in an individual call).
The Unit ID is different from the Electronic Serial Number (ESN) embedded in the radio. The ESN is
only programmable by the manufacturer of the radio.
The Unit ID ranges from hexadecimal $000000 to $FFFFFF and contains 16,777,216 addresses.
The Unit IDs should be programmed into the radios using a national, corporate or agency wide unit
identification scheme.
The following Unit IDs have specific functions:
$000000 no-one. This value is never assigned to a radio unit
$000001 to $98967F for general use.
$989680 to $FFFFFE for talk group use or other special purposes.
$FFFFFF designates everyone. Used when implementing a group call with a TGID.
Source ID
The Link Control Word (LDU1) contains the 24 bit Source ID field. The Source ID is the Unit ID of the
SENDING unit. The Source ID is typically sent in all voice messages and is used for both group and
private calling.
Destination ID
The Link Control Word (LDU1) contains the 24 bit Destination ID field. The Destination ID is used for
private voice messages only (called private or individual calling). The Destination ID is the Unit ID of
the intended recipient of the individual call.

Emergency indicator
The Link Control word (LDU1) contains the 1 bit Emergency indicator field. The Emergency indicator
is embedded in group voice messages to indicate an emergency condition.
The emergency indicator bit is designed to be selectable by a switch or programming in the subscriber
units. The emergency indicator bit can be set as follows:
%0 routine, non-emergency condition
%1 emergency condition
Link Control Format

The Link Control Format is an 8 bit field contained in the Link Control Word (LDU1). The Link Control
Format is used to specify content of the Link Control Word. The Link Control Format is not accessible
to the user.
Packet Data Unit Digital Codes

There are other digital codes used in the Packet Data Unit such as the Service Access Point Identifier
(SAP Identifier), Full Message Flag (FMF), etc. These digital codes are defined in more detail in
Chapter 4: Anatomy of the Common Air Interface.
P 25 V O ICE MESSAGE OP TION S

P25 Radio Systems process voice messages in a variety of modes. P25 radio systems operate in
both P25 digital mode and conventional analog mode. Voice messages can be sent over a 12.5 KHz
bandwidth analog channel using standard analog call procedures with analog signaling (CTCSS, DCS,
etc.). Some manufacturers also have equipment that will allow operation in 25 KHz analog bandwidth.
P25 voice messages can also be sent in P25 digital mode. P25 voice messages can be sent in either
encrypted (secure) or unencrypted (clear) mode. The secure / clear operation is typically an option that
is required to be installed in the subscriber units.

There are 3 methods to send a voice message, with several options and variations of each case. Each
of these 3 methods of sending a voice message can operate in clear or secure mode.
The three main types of voice message calls are:
Routine Group Call This is the most common type of call and is intended for a group of users within the
radio system. This type of call is typically initiated by asserting the PTT switch.
Emergency Group Call This type of call is similar to a Routine Group Call, but is used during an emergency
condition. An emergency condition is defined by the radio system users This type of
call is typically initiated by asserting the Emergency switch.
Individual Call This type of call is addressed to a specific individual. The caller enters the subscribers
Unit ID, that they wish to call, and this is used as the Destination ID by the radio making
the call. This type of call is made after the Destination ID is entered into the radio.
The P25 transmitter has sufficient controls to support the three main types of voice messages. These
controls are as follows:
PTT Switch - The Push-To-Talk switch is pressed when the user wishes to transmit and released when
the transmission is over.
Channel Selector - The Channel Selector allows the user of the radio to select a radios mode of
operation. The Channel Selector controls the following parameters of the radio:
1. Frequency
2. NAC
3. TGID
4. Other (eg. selecting the encryption key)
Emergency Switch - The Emergency switch will allow the user to assert the emergency condition.
Once asserted, the emergency condition remains active until cleared by some other means (eg. turning
the radio off).
Numeric Keypad / Display - The Numeric Keypad / Display will allow the user to set numeric parameters
(eg. the Destination ID in an individual call).

Routine Group Call Procedure

NAC and TGID are set by the user (Channel Selector).
MFID is set to standard value for CAI transmission.
MI, ALGID, and KID are set by secure or clear mode parameters.
Emergency bit is set to indicate non-emergency call.
Source ID is the Unit ID of the radio.
Emergency Group Call Procedure

NAC and TGID are set by the user (Channel Selector).
Emergency bit is set to indicate an emergency call.
Source ID is the Unit ID of the radio.
Individual Call Procedure

The Unit ID of the user to be called is entered into the radio and this is the Destination ID.
TGID is set to the null talk group of $0000
NAC is set by the user (Channel Selector).
P 25 D ATA APPL ICATIONS

P25 supports the transfer of data over the air (by the Common Air Interface) in the form of data packets.
Some Data applications include Over The Air Rekeying (OTAR) of encrypted radios, Trunking System
Control Channel messages, and user data applications such as GPS, Alarm Monitoring and System
Status.

C ON VENTIONAL CONT R OL M ESSAGES

The TIA-102 documents define a number of control messages for trunking systems that can be applied
to conventional systems. These control messages use Packet Data Units to transfer information, and
may be optionally implemented by a manufacturer.
The messages are as follows:
Emergency Alarm
Emergency Alarm is activated by a user to inform the dispatcher an emergency situation is encountered.
The Emergency Alarm is typically used in a life threatening situation.
Call Alert
Call Alert sends a data packet to the destination subscriber identifying the source of the Call Alert and
requesting the destination to contact the source. Call Alert is typically used if the destination subscriber
did not respond to a voice message from the source.
Radio Check
Radio Check is used to determine if a specific subscriber is currently available on the radio system.
A response to the Radio Check is required, or the system will assume the subscriber is not available.
Radio Inhibit (Radio Uninhibit)

Radio Inhibit is used to deny all calls between the inhibited subscriber and the RFSS. Radio Uninhibit
cancels the inhibit status of the subscriber.
Status Update and Status Request

Status Update is used by a subscriber to indicate its current status (user and unit status) to a designated
target address. Status Request is used by a subscriber to request the current status of a specified
subscriber.
Message
A Message may be sent by a subscriber or the RFSS to send a short message to another subscriber.
Telephone Interconnect Dialing

Telephone Interconnect Dialing will allow a subscriber to initiate a Unit to PSTN call, and will allow a
telephone network to initiate PSTN to Group and PSTN to Unit calls.
Radio Unit Monitor

Radio Unit Monitor is used to cause a subscriber radio to key up when requested to do so by a dispatcher.
Radio Unit Monitor allows a dispatcher to listen to activity at the location of the subscriber.

P 25 LOCATION SERVICES
P25 Location Services, such as GPS, provide a method of supplying a Location Service Host System
(mapping software for example) with the location of subscriber units within a P25 Radio System
coverage area. The Location Services can include information such as latitude, longitude, altitude,
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), GPS quality, and many other location information messages. The
P25 standards break the location services into two tiers of service, Tier 1 and Tier 2.
Tier 1
Tier 1 is a simple subscriber to subscriber interface for Conventional direct (talkaround) or repeated
radio signals, without providing IP addressing, fixed host routing, or more advanced configuration
of triggering and reporting. Tier 1 is used for real-time field incident applications where the Location
Service Host System (LSHS) is built-in to the subscriber. It does not provide location information to a
Fixed Data Host through an RF Sub-System. Tier 1 uses a dedicated Service Access Point (SAP) on
the Common Air Interface (CAI) to transmit location information formatted as described in NMEA 0183.
National Marine Electronics Association, NMEA 0183 is a combined electrical and data specification
for communication between electronic devices (primarily marine) such as echo sounder, sonars, GPS
receivers and many other types of instrument. NMEA 0183 is a commonly used location protocol.
Tier 2
Tier 2 is a request/response protocol that allows an LSHS to make a request for location information
from a subscriber unit or Mobile Data Peripheral (MDP), and to receive a response from the subscriber
immediately, periodically or under various triggering conditions. The information can be transmitted
between subscribers in Conventional direct (takaround) or repeated mode, or between a subscriber
and a Fixed Data Host (FDH) in Conventional or Trunked Fixed Data mode. Tier 2 is used where there
is the necessary infrastructure to allow routing and transport in a customer data network using IPv4.
The Tier 2 approach utilizes Location Request/Response Protocol (LRRP) across the P25 Packet Data
Service to transport UDP/IP addressed location information packets from the LSHS to the subscriber,
and to transport location information from the subscriber to the LSHS. LRRP is an XML-based protocol,
and uses Efficient XML Interchange (EXI) compression for efficient transmission over the Common Air
Interface.

Location Services System Architecture

Figure 3-1 shows Tier 1 and Tier 2 architectural entities of Location Services, and the possible routing
signals throughout a Location Services system.
GPS, LORAN, etc.
Location Information Location Service

System (LIS) Host System (LSHS)
Tier 1 Subscriber
Unit (SU)
Tier 2 Um Um
Tier 1
Fixed
Tier 2
Station
A A
Mobile Data Subscriber Subscriber Mobile Data Peripheral
Peripheral (MDP) Unit (SU) Unit (SU) Hosting LSHS
RF
SUB-SYSTEM CUSTOMER
(RFSS) NETWORK
Ed
RF
SUB-SYSTEM
(RFSS) Ed Fixed Data Host (FDH)
Hosting Location Service
Host System (LSHS)
Figure 3-1: Location Services System Architecture
Location Information System

The Location Information System (LIS) resides outside of the standard P25 Radio System Network.
The LIS could be a GPS, a LORAN system, or some other location system. That provides location
information to the subscriber. Depending on the subscriber manufacturers design, the LIS may be a
part of the actual subscriber (GPS microphone or integrated GPS chipset for example).
The LIS to subscriber or MDP interface is not standardized as the LIS industry is separate from the
Land Mobile Radio Industry, as well as the LIS could be part of the subscriber itself.

Location Service Host System

The Location Service Host System (LSHS) resides outside of the standard P25 Radio System Network.
The LSHS may use the location information to provide subscriber location mapping functionality
(showing users on a map program). The LSHS can also issues commands to the subscribers to obtain
location information, or to configure the subscribers triggering conditions, if a bi-directional request/
response protocol is used. The specific LSHS capabilities are outside the scope of the P25 Location
Service specifications.
The LSHS might be hosted by (reside in) the Fixed Data Host (FDH), or the Mobile Data Peripheral
(MDP). Depending on the subscriber manufacturers design, the LSHS may be a part of the actual
subscriber (integrated map display for example).
Fixed Data Host

The Fixed Data Host (FDH) is the endpoint of a P25 radio system network that contains or communicates
with the Location Service Host System (LSHS). The FDH interfaces to the RF Sub-System using the
Data Host Interface (Ed) of the P25 Standards, and has an IP address. The FDH receives location
information from the subscriber (on a UDP port), uncompresses and sends it to the LSHS. When
a bi-directional request/response protocol is used, the FDH will receive commands from the LSHS,
compress them and send them to the subscriber.
Mobile Data Peripheral

The Mobile Data Peripheral (MDP) interfaces to the subscriber using the Data Peripheral Interface (A)
of the P25 Standards, and has an IP address. The MDP may contain or communicate with the LSHS,
and might contain (part of) or communicate with the LIS. The MDP receives location information from
the LIS and sends it to the subscriber, encapsulated in UDP/IP over the A interface. The MDP also
receives location information from the subscriber, uncompresses and sends it to the LSHS. When
a bi-directional request/response protocol is used, the FDH will receive commands from the LSHS,
compress them and send them to the subscriber.

Triggering conditions
A number of triggering conditions may cause the subscriber to transmit the location information. Most
of the triggers are actions performed by the subscriber user. The P25 Location Services supports
configuration and use of these triggers, but the subscriber manufacturer determines which triggers may
be implemented. All of the manufacturers supported triggering options should be enabled or disabled
by the administrator of the P25 system
The following are supported triggering conditions when the subscriber will transmit location information:
PTT at the end of each PTT. This is only available on Conventional systems; Trunking systems do
not support it.
Periodic on a programmable time interval (not less than 3 second intervals)
Emergency when the emergency mode is entered, and whenever an emergency message is
transmitted.
Power On/Off when the radio is powered on or off.
Host Request in response to a request from the data host (Tier 2 only)
User Request when the user of the subscriber requests that it be transmitted. (a button push for
example).
Distance Change when the distance between the current and the last reported location exceeds a
specified value.
The P25 Location Service specification does not support triggering conditions for speed change,
direction change or a proximity trigger. This does not mean that a manufacturer cannot implement
these triggers in their subscriber.
The triggering conditions can be configured by commands sent by the LSHS to the subscriber, via the
bi-directional request/response protocol used in Tier 2. Tier 1 does not support the response/request
protocol.

P 25 E N CRYPTION
P25 Encryption applies to both trunking and conventional systems, as well as voice messages and
data packets. The IMBE vocoder produces a digital bit stream for voice messages that is relatively
easy to encrypt. Major advantages of the P25 encryption design are that encryption does not affect
speech intelligibility nor does it affect the systems usable range. Both of these advantages are major
improvements over encryption previously used in analog systems.
Encryption requires that both the transmitting and the receiving devices have an encryption key, and
this key must be the same in each unit. This may be done using a Key Loader. Most P25 subscriber
equipment is optionally available with the capability of storing and using multiple keys. That is, a unit
could use one key for one group of users and use a separate key for another group of users. System
management of keys may be done in a Key Management Facility, or KMF.
In the U.S. there are four general types of encryption algorithms. Type 1 is for U.S classified material
(national security), Type 2 is for general U.S federal interagency security, Type 3 is interoperable
interagency security between U.S. Federal, State and Local agencies, and Type 4 is for proprietary
solutions (exportable as determined by each vendor and the U.S. State Department). The CAI supports
use of any of the four types of encryption algorithms. P25 documents currently standardize two different
Type 3 encryption processes. One encryption process is the U.S. Data Encryption Standard, or DES
algorithm, which uses 64 bit Output Feed Back and is denoted as DES-OFB. Another encryption
process is the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) which is a 256 bit algorithm.
P25 also includes a standardized Over The Air Rekeying (OTAR) function. OTAR is a way to greatly
increase the utility of encryption systems by allowing transfer of encryption keys via radio. This remote
rekey ability, controlled from a Key Management Facility, or KMF, means that radios no longer have to
be physically touched in order to install a new or replacement key into a radio. OTAR signaling is sent
as Packet Data Units over the Common Air Interface.
Optionally, multiple encryption keys can be stored in P25 radio equipment. In order to identify the keys,
they are stored with an associated label called a Key Identifier or KID. The type of algorithm to be used
with the key is identified by an Algorithm ID or ALGID.
To be able to decrypt messages, the receiver decryption module software must be in the same
state as the transmitter encryption module software. The CAI provides space for up to 72 bits of this
synchronization information in the Message Indicator (MI) vector at the beginning of the message (in
the header), and periodically during the message in the LDU2 portion of the voice superframe.
AES and DES-OFB encryption solutions were tested and verified by an accredited National Institute of
Science and Technology (NIST) laboratory as compliant with the security requirements of the Federal
Information Processing Standard (FIPS).

A N A L OG VS. P25 DIGITAL C OVER AGE

There is much discussion about the RF coverage area of an analog radio signal versus a digital radio
signal. In theory, a P25 digital radio signal will allow for a slightly greater coverage area when placed
in the same location as an analog radio. There are some factors, however, that may interfere with the
digital signal to a greater degree than the interference to an analog signal.
P25 Phase 1 uses C4FM modulation. Because C4FM is a constant amplitude modulation, it allows use
of nonlinear power amplifiers. Use of nonlinear amplifiers results in digital equipment that produces
RF power levels that are equal to the power levels of current analog equipment. Systems can be
implemented with little or no loss of coverage. An analog transmitter can be replaced with a P25 Phase
1, digital transmitter that produces the same transmitter output level of the analog transmitter. This
is currently not necessarily true for higher power analog systems that are replaced by some TDMA
systems when bandwidth of the resultant signal is a critical issue.
In order to occupy a limited bandwidth, some TDMA systems use modulations that require linear power
amplifiers and system transmitter power in these systems can be a significant issue. GSM, for
example, uses a 200 kHz wide channel for 8 voice slots, and uses the fixed amplitude GMSK modulation.
TETRA on the other hand, uses 4 slots in a 25 kHz wide channel, and TETRA uses DQPSK that
contains amplitude and phase components to the modulation. By using a linear amplifier, the variable
amplitude modulation implementations produce a relatively lower output power. Their higher data rate
also tends to limit the coverage area because of the bit rate and the resultant bit timing. This can result
in a much larger infrastructure to support TDMA systems as opposed to the Phase 1 FDMA systems.
FDMA also promotes use of a very reliable direct mode of operation because of the power levels of
subscriber equipment and the lack of a requirement for any supporting infrastructure. This direct, or
talk around, mode insures reliable unit-to-unit operation without the need for any infrastructure. Again,
because of the use of non-linear power amplifiers, portable and mobile radio transmitter power of P25
digital equipment is comparable to the power level available in current FM analog equipment.

Since the RF power output levels of current FM analog and P25 digital equipment are equal, it would
seem that digital coverage and analog coverage are equal. This is not true, as much more of the
covered area is usable when sending a P25 digital signal. The signal-to-noise ratio in the subscriber
unit is a critical element of analog systems. P25 signals attempt to correct for noise-induced errors,
with the built in error correction, so that fringe areas that were not clearly audible in analog systems
have a good chance of being loud and clear with P25 digital.
Digital = BER
Analog = SINAD
45 dB Digital
0%
40 dB
Analog
35 dB
30 dB
Audio Quality
25 dB
20 dB
15 dB
5% 12 dB
10 dB
5 dB
15%
0 dB
-20 -30 -40 -50 -60 -70 -80 -90 -100 -110 -120 -130
Radio Signal Attenuation (dBm)

Figure 3-2: Analog vs. Digital Audio Quality

Although it appears that the digital radio signal performs with greater coverage area than an analog
radio signal, other factors must also be taken into consideration, such as multipath reflections. Multipath
reflections of the RF carrier occurs when two or more signals of the same origin arrive at the receive
antenna delayed in time because they traveled different path lengths or because of reflections and
scattering in the propagation environment. This deterioration of the signal must be considered when
planning coverage areas.
Reflections
Direct Path
Reflections
Analog Mode
Figure 3-3: The Effects of Multipath
RF multipath is a frequency dependant problem with higher frequencies being more vulnerable. When
a subscriber radio is in motion, multipath interference results in the amplitude modulation effect familiar
to mobile FM listeners as picket fencing. In the worst case, when the subscriber radio is stopped in
a signal null, the signal is severely degraded and a single, strong specular reflection may completely
cancel the transmitted signal. Where analog reception can become noisy, digital signals could be lost
altogether. Increasing power is not a viable remedy because both the direct and reflected signal will
increase proportionally, preserving the interference nulls.
Coverage studies
Many different agencies and organizations such as the federal government, state departments, fire
departments and other public safety organizations have conducted studies on analog and digital
propagation of RF communication systems and publish their studies online or in magazines. These
studies are typically specific to the type of communications systems the organization uses and the
environment they are deployed in. While these studies are extremely useful, they usually compare
different communication systems (eg. digital trunking vs. simplex analog) in different RF propagation
environments.

P 25 R A DIO SYSTEM PER FOR M AN C E TESTIN G

Testing a P25 radio system is very similar to testing an analog system for the majority of tests to be
performed. In many cases, the radio system can be tuned in analog mode, and then the accuracy of
the digital mode can be tested to ensure compliance.
The following are some radio system tests that can be performed on P25 radio systems in analog or
digital mode:
Analog Receiver Reference Sensitivity

Analog Receiver Reference Sensitivity is a measure of the amount of minimum RF signal level that is
required to produce an intelligible audio signal when an FM signal is demodulated. Analog Reference
Sensitivity measurements can be made with any P25 receiver in analog mode.
The measurement device used in analog systems is typically the SINAD meter which shows a ratio in
dB of:
Signal + Noise + Distortion

Noise + Distortion.
Digital Receiver Sensitivity (BER)

Digital Receiver Sensitivity is a measure of the amount of RF signal level that is required to produce an
intelligible audio signal when a C4FM signal is demodulated. Digital Sensitivity measurements can be
made with any P25 receiver in digital mode.
Sensitivity in a digital radio system is expressed in terms of Bit Error Rate (BER). BER is the percentage
of received bits in error to the total number of bits transmitted. The Digital Sensitivity test must be
conducted with a known test signal such as the Standard 1011 pattern. The radio is typically placed into
a special test mode for this test and radio specific software and a computer may be required to evaluate
a decoded 1011 patterns Bit Error Rate.
Audio Levels and Distortion

Audio Level and Audio Distortion readings can be performed in both analog mode and digital mode.
The measurements are made using the same procedure as for conventional analog equipment. In
digital mode, the audio level readings are performed before vocoding in the transmitter, and the audio
level and distortion readings are performed after de-vocoding in the receiver.

Audio Frequency Measurements

FM audio frequency measurement is done with a standard frequency counter. C4FM audio frequency
measurements cannot be accurately measured.
RF Power Measurements (FM and C4FM)

RF Power measurements for Digital C4FM and Analog FM can be made with a standard peak detecting
power meter. C4FM digital transmissions are the same as FM transmission in that they are of constant
amplitude.
Analog FM Modulation Accuracy

A deviation meter is used to measure Analog FM Modulation Accuracy. The deviation meter monitors
peak carrier movement above and below the carrier center frequency and displays the average offset.
Various IF Bandwidth filters are required to ensure accurate measurements.
Digital Modulation Accuracy (Modulation Fidelity)

Modulation fidelity is the degree of accuracy between the actual modulation and the ideal theoretical
modulation.
Modulation fidelity is determined by taking deviation measurements synchronously with the decoded
symbol clock and averages the measurements over a group of symbols to calculate a percentage
of error. The measured deviation is only important at symbol time. This test requires specific test
patterns to be generated from the transmitter.
Common Air Interface Protocol Testing

CAI Protocol testing requires the ability to decode and encode the 9600 baud data to and from voice and
data information. The decoding and encoding capability allows for verification of the radio programming,
testing emergency conditions, talk groups, and repeater accessing codes off the air.

P 25 V S . ANAL OG DELAY TIM ES

Delay times between legacy analog equipment and P25 digital equipment may vary.
In order to understand the different delay times, the following definitions for an analog system are as
follows (from TIA-603-C):
Receiver Attack Time

Receiver attack time is the time required to produce audio power output after application of a modulated
input signal.
Carrier Attack Time

Transmitter carrier attack time is the time required to produce 50% of steady-state carrier output power
after changing the state of the transmitter from standby to transmit.
If an analog system uses CCTSS decode and / or encode the following definitions are applicable (from
TIA-603-C):
Receiver Audio Attack Time (CTCSS)

The receiver audio attack time is the elapsed time between the application of a receiver input signal
12 dB above the reference sensitivity modulated with the standard test modulation and standard
subaudible modulation, and the time that the audio voltage at the receiver output is greater than 90%
of its rated output.
Encoder Response Time (CTCSS)

The encoder response time is the elapsed time from the moment the push-to-talk control circuit is
activated at the transmitter until the CTCSS tone at the output of the transmitter has reached 90% of
maximum voltage.
According to TIA-603-C an analog system could have a maximum Receiver Attack Time of 150 ms (250
ms if CTCSS is used) and a maximum Transmitter Attack Time of 100 ms (150 ms if CTCSS is used). In
most analog systems the attack times are significantly lower than these values (especially if the system
does not have CTCSS).

The following definitions for a P25 system are as follows (from TIA-102.CAAA-A):
Receiver Late Entry Unsquelch Delay

The late entry unsquelch delay is the time it takes for a receiver to detect the frame synchronization
and network ID on a digital message and generate an audio output. The test is performed for late entry,
which means that the synchronizing preamble (Header Data Unit) is absent from the message, and the
receiver must detect frame synchronization during the middle of the message. This test applies to a
transceiver in the conventional mode of operation.
Transmitter Power and Encoder Attack Time

Transmitter power and encoder attack time is the time required for a transmitter to prepare and transmit
information on the radio channel after changing state from standby to transmit. This test applies to a
transceiver in the conventional mode of operation.
According to TIA-102.CAAB-B, a P25 system could have a maximum Receiver Unsquelch Delay of up
to 460 ms (if both talk groups and encryption is used) and a maximum Transmitter Power and Encoder
Attack Time of 100 ms (50 ms Power Attack Time; 100 ms Encoder Attack Time). Receiver Unsquelch
Delay can be reduced to a maximum of 370 ms if only the talk group OR encryption is used (not both).
If neither talk groups nor encryption is used the maximum Receiver Unsquelch Delay is 125 ms. In
most P25 systems the attack times are relatively close to these maximum values.
P25 Radio Systems also specify a Throughput Delay as follows (from TIA-102.CAAA-B):
Receiver Throughput Delay

Receiver throughput delay is the time it takes for a receiver to produce an audio output following the
introduction of a tone test pattern.
Transmitter Throughput Delay

The transmitter throughput delay is the time it takes for audio changes in the microphone to be encoded
and transmitted over the air.
Throughput delays are separate from attack times. Throughput delays assume that the equipment is
already powered and operational. TIA-603-C does not specify an audio throughput delay for analog
systems, as the throughput delay is typically negligible. P25 radio systems require much more
processing time (Digital Signal Processing, Vocoding, etc.) and typically have much greater throughput
delays than conventional analog.

An example of P25 maximum throughput delays is shown below:
SU subscriber unit audio (in/out) RF (in/out)
SU SU
SU
<
< 250 ms
250 ms
< 125 ms
SU Repeater SU
Repeater
< 350 ms
RX TX
SU RFSS* SU
< 100 ms
<
< 500 ms
500 ms
* Conventional or Trunked Voice Service
Figure 3-4: Conventional Voice Service Throughput Delays
P25 Radio Systems will have either a slight or great increase in the delays experienced by the user over
legacy analog systems, depending on the system infrastructure (more infrastructure to pass the signal
through equals more delay). System users may require re-training to accommodate for the greater
delays.

CHAPTER 4: ANATOMY OF THE COMMON AIR INTERFACE
V OI CE
The P25 standard requires the use of the IMBE Vocoder to encode speech (tone and audio level) into
a digital bit stream. The IMBE digital bit stream is broken into voice frames where each voice frame
is 88 bits in length (representing 20 ms of speech). The voice frames are protected with error correction
codes which add 56 parity check bits resulting in an overall voice frame size of 144 bits. The voice
frames are grouped into Logical Link Data Units (LDU1 and LDU2) that contain 9 voice frames each.
Each Logical Link Data Unit is 180 ms in length and can be consecutively grouped into Superframes
of 360 ms. The superframes are repeated continuously throughout the voice message after a Header
Data Unit has been sent. Additional information (encryption, Link Control information and Low Speed
Data) is interleaved throughout the voice message.
The voice message structure for a P25 CAI voice transmission is shown in Figure 4-1. The voice
message begins with a Header Data Unit (to properly initialize any encryption and link control functions
for the message), and then continues with Logical Link Data Units or LDUs. The LDUs alternate until
the end of the voice message. The end of the message is marked with a Terminator Data Unit. The
Terminator Data Unit can follow any of the other voice data units.
Superframe 360 ms 3456 bits
82.5 ms 792 bits 180 ms 1728 bits 180 ms 1728 bits 15 or 45 ms
HDU LDU1 LDU2 TDU

Header Data Unit Logical Link Data Unit 1 Logical Link Data Unit 2 Terminator Data Unit
Figure 4-1: P25 Voice Message Structure
Chapter 4: Anatomy of the Common Air Interface Page 49

D ATA
Data messages are transmitted over the P25 CAI using a packet technique. The data information is
broken into fragments, packets and blocks are then error coded and sent as a single packet called a
Packet Data Unit. The Packet Data Unit can be of varying lengths and includes a header block that
contains the length of the data message.
Packet length is variable

PDU
Packet Data Unit
Figure 4-2: P25 Data Message Structure
FR A M E SYNCHRONIZATION AN D N ETWOR K ID EN TIFIER

Each data unit (Header Data Unit, Logical Link Data Unit 1, Logical Link Data Unit 2, Packet Data Unit
and Terminator Data Unit) begins with a Frame Synchronization (FS) and Network Identifier (NID).
Header Data Unit, Logical Link Data Unit 1 or 2, Packet Data Unit or Terminator Data Unit
Total Number of Bits

Status Symbol Each 2 bits for Every 70 Bits
Total Number of Bits Minus Status Symbol Bits
Remainder of Header Data Unit, Logical Data Unit 1 or 2, Packet Data Unit or Terminator Data Unit
$5575F5FF77FF (63,16,23) primitive BCH Code Plus one Parity bit

FS 48 bits NID 63 bits+1Parity bit
12 bits 4 bits
A11 A10 A9 A8 A7 A6 A5 A4 A3 A2 A1 A0 S3 S2 S1 S0
NAC Data Unit ID
Data Unit ID P Data Unit Usage

%0000 0 Header Data Unit
%0011 0 Terminator without subsequent Link Control
%0101 1 Logical Link Data Unit 1
%0111 0 Trunking Signaling Block
%1010 1 Logical Link Data Unit 2
%1100 0 Packet Data Unit
%1111 0 Terminator with subsequent Link Control
The P bit is the last (64-th) parity bit in the code word.
Figure 4-3: Frame Synchronization and Network Identifier
Page 50 Chapter 4: Anatomy of the Common Air Interface

S TATUS SYMBOL S
Throughout all of the data units (Header Data Unit, Logical Link Data Unit 1, Logical Link Data Unit 2,
Packet Data Unit and Terminator Data Unit) the 2 bit status symbols are interleaved so that there is one
status symbol for every 70 bits of information.
Status Symbol Meaning Usage

01 Inbound Channel is Busy Repeater
00 Unknown, use for talk-around Subscriber
10 Unknown, use for inbound or outbound Repeater or Subscriber
11 Inbound Channel is Idle Repeater
H E A DER DATA UNIT

A diagram of the header data unit is given in Figure 4-4. The Header Data Unit is composed of the FS
(48 bits), NID (64 bits), and the header code word (648 bits). Ten null bits are added to the end of
the header code word resulting in 770 bits. Eleven status symbols are also interleaved throughout the
Header Data Unit yielding 792 bits total. The Header Data Unit takes 82.5 ms to transmit at 9.6 kbps
(the standard bit rate of the P25 CAI).
Header Data Unit
792 bits
Status Symbol Each 2 bits for Every 70 Bits 11 X 2 = 22 Bits
770 bits
FS 48 bits
NID 63 bits+1Parity bit
Header Code Word 648 bits
Null
10 bits
648 bits
Each encode with (18,6,8) shortened Golay
36X6=216 [(36,20,17) RS code adds 16 hex bits
form into 20 hex bits
120 bits
Initialization vector for
MI 72 bits
encryption algorithm
TGID 16 bits
KID 16 bits
ALGID 8 bits
MFID 8 bits
Figure 4-4: Header Data Unit
The Header Code Word field includes a Message Indicator (MI), and Algorithm ID (ALGID) for the
encryption algorithm, and the Key ID (KID) for the encryption key as well as the Manufacturers ID
(MFID) and Talk-group ID (TGID). These information fields total 120 bits.
The information fields are separated into 20 symbols of 6 bits each (these are called hex bits). The
symbols or hex bits are encoded with a (36,20,17) Reed-Solomon code to yield 36 hex bits. The 36 hex
bits are then encoded with a (18,6,8) shortened Golay code to yield 648 bits total.

V OI C E CODE WORDS
The IMBE vocoder converts speech into a digital bit stream where the bit stream is broken into
voice frames of 88 bits in length for every 20 ms of speech. This corresponds to a continuous average
vocoder bit rate of 4.4 kbps. Voice frames consist of 8 information vectors, labelled u_0, u_1, ... u_7.
Voice frames are encoded into a 144 bit voice code word as follows:
The voice frame bits are rated according to their effect on audio quality and are then protected using
Golay and Hamming codes. The 48 most important bits (u_0 through u_3) are error protected with four
(23,12,7) Golay code words. The next 33 most significant bits (u_4 through u_6) are error protected
with three (15,11,3) Hamming code words. The last 7 least significant bits (u_7) are not error protected.
Construction of the IMBEdigital bit stream into voice code words is given in Figure 4-5.
LDU1 and LDU2
1728 bits
1680 bits
Low Speed
FS 48 bits Data 32 bits
VC1 VC2 VC3 VC4 VC5 VC6 VC7 VC8 LSD VC9
NID 64 bits
88 bits Voice Data +
56 bits Parity bits
Interleave
Exclusive OR
114 bit PN sequence

Encoded with (23,12,7) Encoded with (15,11,3)
Standard Golay Code Standard Hamming Code
U_0 U_1 U_2 U_3 U_4 U_5 U_6 U_7

12 bits 12 bits 12 bits 12 bits 11 bits 11 bits 11 bits 7 bits
Voice Data 20 ms 88 bits
Figure 4-5: Voice Code Word
After the voice data has been error protected using the Golay and Hamming codes, a 114 bit pseudo
random sequence (PN sequence) is generated from the 12 bits of u_0. The error protected voice data
in u_1 through u_6 is then bit-wise exclusive-ored with the PN sequence. This information is then
interleaved throughout the voice frame to resist fades.

LO GI CAL LINK DATA UN IT 1

A diagram of Logical Link Data Unit 1 (LDU1) is given in Figure 4-6. LDU1 is the first half of a superframe.
LDU1 is composed of the FS (48 bits), NID (64 bits), nine voice code words, numbered VC1 through
VC9 (1296 bits), Link Control Word (240 bits) and Low Speed Data (32 bits). Twenty-Four Status
Symbols are also interleaved throughout LDU1 yielding 1728 bits total. LDU1 takes 180 ms to transmit
at 9.6 kbps (the standard bit rate of the P25 CAI).
LDU1 with Embedded Link Control (LC 72 bits + 168 bits parity = 240 bits)
1728 bits
Status Symbol 2 bits Each for Every 70 bits (24 X 2 = 48 bits) Each Block 70 bits
1680 bits
VC1 ~ VC9 each 144 bits Low Speed
FS 48 bits Each 40 bits Data 32 bits
(88 Digital Voice IMBE + 56 bits Parity)
NID 64 bits
LC 1~4 LC 5~8 LC 9~12 LC13~16 LC 17~20
LC 21~24 Shortened Cyclic Code (16,8,5)

240 bits
16 bits Data
240 bits
Hamming Code (10,6,3)
144 bits
RS (24,12,13)
2 octets (16 bits) 7 octets (56 bits)

Emergency bit S
Two examples of
Link Control Info
LCF Service
$00 MFID Reserved TGID 16 bits Source ID 24 bits
Options
LCF Service
MFID Destination ID 24 bits Source ID 24 bits
$03 Options
Link Control Format (LCF) to specify the word's information
content (this shows two examples only)
Figure 4-6: Logical Link Data Unit 1
The Link Control Word is constructed by serializing the information into 12 hex bits and then encoding
them with a (24,12,13) RS code to yield 24 hex bits. The 24 hex bits are then encoded with a (10,6,3)
shortened Hamming code to yield 240 bits total. The 240 bits of Link Control (LC) information is then
inserted in between the voice code words (VC2 to VC8) in blocks of 40 bits (LC 1-4 is a block of 40
bits, etc.).

LI N K C ONTROL W ORD
The Link Control Word is a portion of the voice message that resides in the Logical Link Data Unit 1
(LDU1) and the expanded Terminator Data Unit. There is a basic Link Control format that implicitly
assumes the Standard Manufacturers ID is used, and one that is used when the Manufacturers ID is
specified explicitly.
The Link Control Word field may include a Talk-group ID (TGID or Group Address), a Source ID
(Source Address), a Destination ID (Target Address), Service Options, including an Emergency
indicator, a Manufacturers ID (MFID) and any other necessary call ID information. The Link Control
Word uses a variable format (both implicitly and explicitly) since there is too much information for a fixed
field format. The type of format is identified by the Link Control Format (LCF). The LCF specifies
the the content of the Link Control Words information and contains the P, SF and LCO sub-fields. Two
format examples are diagrammed in Figure 4-7. All of the information fields (including the LCF) total
72 bits.
Group Voice Channel User Unit to Unit Voice Channel User

Bit 7 Bit 6 Bit 5 Bit 4 Bit 3 Bit 2 Bit 1 Bit 0 Bit 7 Bit 6 Bit 5 Bit 4 Bit 3 Bit 2 Bit 1 Bit 0
Octet 0 P SF LCO Octet 0 P SF LCO
Octet 1 MFID Octet 1 MFID
Octet 2 Service Options Octet 2 Service Options
Octet 3 Reserved S Octet 3
Target
Octet 4 Group Octet 4
Address
Octet 5 Address Octet 5
Octet 6 Octet 6
Source Source
Octet 7 Octet 7
Address Address
Octet 8 Octet 8
Figure 4-7: Link Control Words
P - Protected flag
%0 Link Control is not encrypted
%1 Octets 2 through 8 are encrypted
SF - Implicit / Explicit MFID Format

%0 Explicit MFID Format.
%1 Implicit MFID Formats, the standard Manufacturers ID ($00) is implied.
LCO - Link Control Opcode

This indicates the Link Control Format opcode.
The Link Control Opcode has values of $00 through $3F and is set appropriately for the different
commands or information determined by the manufacturer since this is a non-standard format.

S - Explicit Source ID Required

%0 Explicit Source ID is not required.
%1 Explicit Source ID is required. The next LC will contain the Source ID including
Network ID and System ID. Used for trunked systems only.
Service Options
This field contains individual bits that indicate the type(s) of service being requested or provided. The
Service Options are diagrammed in Figure 4-8:
Service options
Bit 7 Bit 6 Bit 5 Bit 4 Bit 3 Bit 2 Bit 1 Bit 0
E P D M R Priority Level
Figure 4-8: Service Options
E - Emergency
%0 Normal or non-emergency status
%1 Emergency status requiring special processing
P - Protected
%0 Resources (other than the control channel) should be non-encrypted
%1 Resources (other than the control channel) should be encrypted
D - Duplex
%0 Half duplex, the subscriber is capable of transmitting but not simultaneously receiving on the assigned channel
%1 Full duplex, the subscriber is capable of transmitting and receiving simultaneously on the assigned channel
M - Mode
%0 Resources shall support circuit operation (data)
%1 Resources shall support packet operation (data)
R - Reserved
This bit is reserved and set to %0 by the sender and ignored by the receiver.
Priority Level
This indicates the relative importance attributed to the service that is being requested.
%000 Reserved %100 Default

%001 Lowest %101 System Defined
%010 System Defined %110 System Defined
%011 System Defined %111 Highest

LO GI C AL LINK DATA UNI T 2

A diagram of Logical Link Data Unit 2 (LDU2) is given in Figure 4-9. LDU2 is the second half of a
superframe. LDU2 is composed of the FS (48 bits), NID (64 bits), nine voice code words, numbered
VC10 through VC18 (1296 bits), Encryption Sync Word (240 bits) and Low Speed Data (32 bits).
Twenty-Four Status Symbols are also interleaved throughout LDU1 yielding 1728 bits total. LDU2
takes 180 ms to transmit at 9.6 kbps (the standard bit rate of the P25 CAI).
LDU2 with Embedded Encryption Sync (ES 96 bits + 144 bits parity = 240 bits)
1728 bits
Status Symbol 2 bits Each for Every 70 bits (24 X 2 = 48 bits) Each Block 70 bits
1680 bits
VC10 ~ VC18 each 144 bits Low Speed
FS 48 bits Each 40 bits Data 32 bits
(88 Digital Voice IMBE + 56 bits Parity)
NID 64 bits
ES 1~4 ES 5~8 ES 9~12 ES13~16 ES 17~20
ES 21~24 Shortened Cyclic Code (16,8,5)

240 bits
16 bits Data
240 bits
Hamming Code (10,6,3)
144 bits
RS Code (24,16,9)
72 bits 8 bits 16 bits
Message Indicator (MI)

ALGID Key ID
Initialization vector for encryption algorithm
Algorithm ID
Figure 4-9: Logical Link Data Unit 2
The Encryption Sync Word field includes the Message Indicator (MI), Algorithm ID (ALGID) for the
encryption algorithm, and the Key ID (KID) for the encryption key. This information may be used to
support a multi-key encryption system, but is also used for single key and clear messages.
The Encryption Sync Word is constructed by serializing the information into 16 hex bits and then
encoding them with a (24,16,9) RS code to yield 24 hex bits. The 24 hex bits are then encoded with
a (10,6,3) shortened Hamming code to yield 240 bits total. The 240 bits of Encryption Sync (ES)
information is then inserted in between the voice code words (VC11 to VC17) in blocks of 40 bits (ES
1-4 is a block of 40 bits, etc.).
Low Speed Data is a serial stream of information. This information is provided for custom applications
that are not defined in the CAI. Low Speed Data is comprised of 32 bits of data, 16 bits of which are
inserted between VC8 and VC9 in LDU1 and 16 bits are inserted between VC17 and VC18 in LDU2.
Each group of 16 bits is encoded with a (16,8,5) shortened cyclic code, creating 32 bits total in each
LDU. Low Speed Data has a total capacity of 88.89 bps.

TE R MINATOR DATA UNIT

Voice messages may use one of two different Terminator Data Units. The simple Terminator Data
Unit is composed of the FS (48 bits), NID (64 bits), and Null bits (28 bits). A diagram of the simple
Terminator Data Unit is given in Figure 4-10.
TDU without Link Control Info (144 bits / 15 ms)
144 bits
Status Symbol Each 2 bits
for Every 70 bits (2 X 2 = 4 bits)
140 bits
Null
FS 48 bits NID 64 bits
28 bits
Figure 4-10: Terminator Data Unit without Link Control Info
The Terminator Data Unit can also be sent with the Link Control Word embedded in it. A diagram of the
expanded Terminator Data Unit is given in Figure 4-11. The Link Control Word is the same as the Link
Control Word used in LDU1, except that it is error protected with a Golay code instead of the Hamming
code.
TDU with Link Control Info (432 bits / 45 ms)
432 bits
Status Symbol Each 2 bits for Every 70 Bits (6 X 2 = 12 bits)
420 bits
Null
FS 48 bits NID 64 bits LC Code Word 288 bits
20 bits
288 bits
Extended. Golay Code (24,12,8)
144 bits
RS Code (24,12,13)
2 octets (16 bits) 7 octets (56 bits)

Emergency bit (Flag)
Two examples of
Link Control Info
LCF Octet
MFID Reserved 15 bits TGID 16 bits Source ID 24 bits
$00
LCF Octet Reserved 8

MFID Destination ID 24 bits Source ID 24 bits
$03 bits
Link Control Format (LCF) to specify the word's information
content (this shows two examples only)
Figure 4-11: Terminator Data Unit with Link Control Info
When the voice message is finished, the transmitter continues the transmission, by encoding silence for
the voice, until the Logical Link Data Unit is completed. Once the Logical Link Data Unit is completed,
the transmitter then sends the Terminator Data Unit to signify the end of the message. The terminating
data unit may follow either LDU1 or LDU2.

PA C K E T DATA UNIT
A diagram of the Packet Data Unit is given in Figure 4-12. There are two different types of delivery
for data packets. Confirmed delivery is used when the recipient of the packet is required to send an
acknowledgment of receipt. Unconfirmed delivery does not require an acknowledgment of receipt.
Confirmed or unconfirmed delivery is defined in the header block.
PDU (arbitrary length)
Status Symbols as required

2 bits after every 70 bits
expand with status symbols
Trellis coded Header Block Trellis coded Optional Block Trellis coded Optional Block
FS 48 bits NID 64 bits 196 bits
196 bits 196 bits
Rate 1/2 Trellis Rate 1/2 Trellis Encoder

Encoder (196,96) if Unconfirmed
Rate 3/4 Trellis Encoder
if Confirmed
Header Block Block 1 Block 2 Block n

12 Octet M Octets M Octets M Octets
M = 12 octets for unconfirmed

M = 16 octets for confirmed
Fragment Fragment Fragment
Break into Fragments
Data Message, arbitrary length
Figure 4-12: Data Packet Unit
Data is sent in variable length packets and the length of the data packet is defined in the header block.
When a data packet ends, nulls are added until the next status symbol.
The data message is split into fragments, and then formed into packets, and the packets are then split
into a sequence of information blocks that are error protected by a Trellis code. These blocks are then
transmitted as a single data packet.
The data packets include a CRC in both the Header block and the last Data Block. The CRC verifies
the accuracy of the error correction in the receiver. If the packet is corrupted in confirmed data mode
during reception, then an automatic retransmission request is generated to repeat parts of the packet.
The receiver then reassembles the packets into a continuous message.
A data packet may have any number of fragments. The fragments must not be longer than the storage
capability of the subscriber radio. The minimum storage capacity for a fragment in the subscriber is
512 octets.

D ATA HEADER AND DATA BL OC K FOR M ATS

Figure 4-13 shows the Header and Data Blocks for unconfirmed and confirmed data.
Unconfirmed Data Header Confirmed Data Header

Octet 0 0 A/N I/O 1 0 1 0 1 Octet 0 0 A/N I/O 1 0 1 1 0
Octet 1 1 1 SAP Identifier Octet 1 1 1 SAP Identifier
Octet 3 Octet 3
Octet 4 Logical Link ID Octet 4 Logical Link ID
Octet 5 Octet 5
Octet 6 1 Blocks to follow Octet 6 FMF Blocks to follow
Octet 7 0 0 0 Pad Octet Count Octet 7 0 0 0 Pad Octet Count
Octet 8 Reserved Octet 8 Syn N(S) FSNF
Octet 9 0 0 Data Header Offset Octet 9 0 0 Data Header Offset
Octet 10 Octet 10
Header CRC Header CRC
Octet 11 Octet 11
Unconfirmed Data Block Confirmed Data Block
Octet 0 Octet 0 Data Block Serial Number
Octet 1 Octet 1 CRC-9
Octet 2 Octet 2
Octet 3 Octet 3
Octet 4
User Data Octet 4
Octet 5 Octet 5
User Data
Octet 6 Octet 6
Octet 7 Octet 7
Octet 8 Octet 8
Octet 9 User Data Octet 9 User Data
Octet 10 or Packet CRC (Last Data Block Only) Octet 10 or Packet CRC (Last Data Block Only)
Octet 11 Octet 11
Rate 1/2 Trellis Encoder Rate 3/4 Trellis Encoder
Figure 4-13: Unconfirmed and Confirmed Header and Data Blocks
A/N
%0 Unconfirmed Data Packet
%1 Confirmed Data Packet
I/O
%0 Inbound Message
%1 Outbound Message

Format (Bit0 to Bit4 of Octet0)

%00011 Response Packet
%10101 Unconfirmed Data Packet
%10110 Confirmed Data Packet
%10111 Alternate Multi Block Trunking Header
SAP Identifier
$00 Unencrypted User Data
$01 Encrypted User Data
$02 Circuit Data
$03 Circuit Data Control
$04 Packet Data
$05 Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)
$06 SNDCP Packet Data Control
$1F Extended Address -- for symmetric addressing
$20 Registration and Authorization
$21 Channel Re-assignment
$22 System Configuration
$23 MR Loop-Back
$24 MR Statistics
$25 MR Out-of-Service
$26 MR Paging
$27 MR Configuration
$28 Unencrypted Key Management message
$29 Encrypted Key Management message
$3D Non-Protected Trunking Control
$3F Protected Trunking Control

The MFID standard value of $00 is used unless the data packet contains a nonstandard (manufacturer
specific) control channel message. $01 is reserved.
Logical Link ID
The Logical Link ID is the location that the data packet is being sent to, or received from (Source or
Destination ID of the subscriber).
Full Message Flag (FMF)

%0 All subsequent retries
%1 First try for complete packet (Unconfirmed Data Packet always uses 1)
Blocks to Follow
Blocks to Follow indicates the number of blocks in the Data Packet, not including the header.
Pad Octet Count

The Pad Octet Count is the number of pad octets that have been added to the User data to form a
complete block.
Syn
Syn is a flag used to re-synchronize the sequence numbers of the packet when asserted, for specially
defined registration messages. Syn is used for Confirmed Data Packets only.
N(S)
N(S) is the sequence number of the packet used to identify each request packet so that the receiver
may correctly order the received message segments and eliminate duplicate copies. N(S) is used for
Confirmed Data Packets only.
FSNF
The Fragment Sequence Number Field is used to consecutively number message fragments that make
up a longer data message. FSNF is used for Confirmed Data Packets only.
Data Header Offset

The Data Header Offset is used to divide the Data Block into a data header and data information. A
Data Header Offset is only used in some applications.

Header CRC
The Header CRC is the CRC parity check for the Header Block
Data Block Serial Number

The Data Block Serial Number is an incremental serial number for each Data Block.
CRC-9
CRC-9 is the 9 bit CRC parity check for the Data Block.
Packet CRC
The packet CRC is the 4-octet CRC parity check coded over all of the User Data blocks (including the
User Data in the last block).
OTH E R DATA F ORMAT S
Response Packet Format

The Response Packet is used to acknowledge (or not acknowledge) delivery for Confirmed Data
Packets. The response packet contains fields called Class, Type and Status to specify the meaning of
the response.
Enhanced Addressing Format

Enhanced Addressing is used to send data directly between subscribers. A Source and Destination
address are both required on every packet. The SAP Identifier is used to signify that a second address
is inserted in the packet before the user data.
Trunking Signaling Block (TSBK)

The Trunking Signaling Block (TSBK) is a special abbreviated data packet used for trunking control
channel messages. More detailed information on the TSBK can be found in Chapter 6: P25 Trunking.

CHAPTER 5: CONVENTIONAL FIXED STATION INTERFACE
I N TR ODUCT ION
The Conventional Fixed Station Interface (CFSI) is the interface between a conventional fixed station
(base station), and either the RF Subsystem (RFSS) or a Console Subsystem. The RFSS and/or
Console Subsystem are referred to as the host. The fixed station is connected to a host via either an
Analog Fixed Station Interface (AFSI) or a Digital Fixed Station Interface (DFSI). A host can support
multiple analog and digital fixed station interfaces. The Console Subsystem is comprised of any type
of console from the telephone-type to software based computer consoles.
Currently, the CFSI is used for voice messages only. The data transfer capability is under
development.
Chapter 5: Conventional Fixed Station Interface Page 63

Figure 5-1 shows a P25 radio system with Conventional Fixed Station Interface. The fixed stations can
be analog only, digital only or mixed mode stations. Regardless of the RF mode of operation, the fixed
stations can use either the DFSI or AFSI. A digital only or mixed mode fixed station will have some
limitations in transporting digital information (NAC, TGID, Emergency, etc.) back to the host over an
AFSI.
Fixed Stations can be

Host Analog, Digital or Mixed Mode
SUBSCRIBER
RADIO
Digital (DFSI) FIXED STATION
RF
SUB-SYSTEM Analog (FM) or
RFSS Digital (C4FM)
Analog (AFSI)
FIXED STATION
Ec
Console Ef Um
Sub-System Fixed Station Interface Common Air Interface REPEATER
Interface (FSI) (CAI)
(CSSI)
Digital (DFSI) FIXED STATION
Analog (FM) or
CONSOLE
Digital (C4FM)
SUB-SYSTEM
Analog (AFSI)
FIXED STATION
SUBSCRIBER
RADIO
Figure 5-1: Conventional Fixed Station Interface Overview
The AFSI and DFSI both support:
1) An intercom capability between the fixed station and the host without RF transmission.
2) Two different repeat modes. The fixed station can repeat the incoming signal directly from the
receiver to the transmitter, or if the audio connection from the fixed station to the host is full
duplex, the host may repeat the incoming audio back to the fixed station for transmission. If
the fixed station repeats the signal, any transmission from the host would override the repeat
transmission (except in an AFSI 2 wire simplex tone remote interface).
Page 64 Chapter 5: Conventional Fixed Station Interface

A N A L OG FIXED STAT ION IN TER FAC E

The analog fixed station interface is defined as a single fixed station connected via a 2 or 4 wire analog
audio interface (full-duplex, half-duplex or simplex) to a single host (console or RFSS). Control signals
are transferred by one of two options:
1.) E&M control signaling between the fixed station and the host for COR and PTT signaling.
2) Tone Remote Control signaling from the host to the fixed station allowing a variety of control
functions including transmitter keying, transmitter channel control, receiver squelch control,
receiver monitor control, clear/secure controls, analog/digital mode controls, etc.
Figure 5-2 shows the conventional Analog Fixed Station Interface (AFSI).
Host Repeats
(Full Duplex interface only) Fixed Station
Repeats
Console
2 or 4 Wire Audio with
E&M or Tone Remote Control
Analog, Digital or Subscriber

Mixed Mode
Fixed Station
Figure 5-2: Analog Fixed Station Interface

E&M Specifications
Fixed Station audio input range: -30 dBm to +10 dBm (maximum modulation in analog or P25 digital
mode).
Fixed Station audio output range: -30 dBm to the maximum limit permitted by leased circuit compliance
(maximum modulation in analog mode).
The E-pair expects the host end to provide a dry contact closure for fixed station transmission. The M-
pair provides a dry contact closure for fixed station reception. The E & M pairs work over a range of 5
to 150 mA current with 50 ohm maximum contact resistance while the contacts are closed, and 10 to
60 Vdc with 5 megohm minimum resistance while the contacts are open. The E-pair limits its current
to this range.
Tone Remote Control Specifications

Figure 5-3 shows the Tone Remote Control sequence the host will send to control the Fixed Station.
The sequence begins with 120 ms of High Level Guard Tone (HLGT) at -30 to +10 dBm, followed by 40
ms of Function Tone, -10 dB relative to the HLGT, followed by the Low Level Guard Tone (LLGT) -30
dB relative to the HLGT. The LLGT is summed with the audio (average level of -6 to -18 dB relative to
the HLGT) for the duration of the transmission. All of these in-band tones are filtered out before being
transmitted. The Guard Tone will be 2100 Hz, 2325 Hz or the default tone 2175 Hz.
-30 to +10 dBm
-10 dB from HLGT -6 to -18 dB from HLGT
HIGH LEVEL AUDIO

FUNCTION
GUARD TONE
TONE
(HLGT) LOW LEVEL GUARD TONE (LLGT)
-30 dB from HLGT
120 ms 40 ms Length of Transmit
Figure 5-3: Tone Remote Control Sequence

Function Tones used for additional control of the fixed station are shown in Table 5-1:
Tone Function Secondary Function
2050 Hz Monitor Receiver
1950 Hz Transmit Channel 1
1850 Hz Transmit Channel 2
1350 Hz Transmit Channel 3 Select Digital mode
1250 Hz Transmit Channel 4 Select Analog mode
1150 Hz Transmit Channel 5 Select Secure mode
1050 Hz Transmit Channel 6 Select Clear mode
1750 Hz Transmit Channel 7 Second receiver off
1650 Hz Transmit Channel 8 Second receiver on
1550 Hz Repeater mode off
1450 Hz Repeater mode on
Table 5-1: Tone Remote Control Function Tones
Although secondary functions can be used to select Analog / Digital and Secure / Clear modes, these
modes can be pre-programmed in the fixed station on a per channel basis.

D I G I TA L F IXED STAT ION IN TER FAC E

The digital fixed station interface uses Internet protocols to connect between a fixed station and a host.
The DFSI has a Control Service and a Voice Conveyance Service. The Control Service is a point-to-
point connection between the host and a fixed station. The Voice Conveyance service can be a point
to multi-point connection (host to fixed stations).
Figure 5-4 shows the conventional Digital Fixed Station Interface (DFSI).
Host Repeats
(Full Duplex interface only) Fixed Station
Repeats
Console
Control Service
Voice Conveyance Service
Analog, Digital or Subscriber

Mixed Mode
Fixed Station
Figure 5-4: Digital Fixed Station Interface

Internet Protocol
The Internet Architecture Layers are used to construct the Digital Fixed Station Interface (DFSI) protocol
suite as shown in Figure 5-5.
Internet Architecture Layers DFSI Protocol Suite
Voice
Control
Application Conveyance
Protocol
Protocol
RTP RTCP
Transport
UDP
Network IPv4
Link Ethernet 100 Base-T with

an RJ-45 connector
Physical or other industry standard
Figure 5-5: DFSI Internet Protocol Suite
Physical and Data Link Layers

The DFSI uses Ethernet 100 Base-T with a RJ45 connector as the physical and data link layers. In
addition to the Ethernet 100 Base-T, manufacturers may offer other industry standard physical and data
link layer protocols that support the internet protocol.
Network Layer
The DFSI uses the Internet Protocol (IP), a connectionless packet protocol. The Internet Protocol uses
unicast IP addresses to send information to a particular destination, and multicast IP addresses to send
information to a number of hosts. Host and fixed station equipment support unicast IP addresses, and
hosts are also able to send to IP multicast addresses. The DFSI currently uses IPv4, while IPv6 is for
possible future use.
Transport Layer
The DFSI uses the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) for its multicast capability and its ability to suit real
time applications. The Control Service transports information over UDP, and the Voice Conveyance
Service transports information over Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) on UDP for more reliable
transport. Real-time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP) may be used as well, but is not required.

Control Service
The Control Service provides control capabilities similar to the control capabilities of the analog fixed
station interface. The Control Service also establishes and maintains the connection between the host
and fixed station.
There are ten control messages defined for the DFSI as shown in Table 5-2.
Message Name Description
FSC_CONNECT Sent by the host only to establish a connection with the fixed station.
FSC_HEARTBEAT Sent periodically by both the fixed station and the host to establish
and maintain heartbeat connectivity.
FSC_ACK Sent by both the host and the fixed station to acknowledge (or not
acknowledge) the receipt of a control message.
FSC_SBC Sent by both the host and the fixed station to convey Single Block
Control messages such as Emergency Alarm and Telephone
Interconnect Dialing.
FSC_MAN_EXT Sent by the host and the fixed station to convey manufacturer
specific value added control messages.
FSC_SEL_CHAN Sent by the host to select the fixed station receive and transmit
channels.
FSC_SEL_RPT Sent by the host to select repeat or non-repeat mode of the fixed
station.
FSC_SEL_SQUELCH Sent by the host to select the squelch mode (monitor) of the fixed
station.
FSC_REPORT_SEL Sent by the host to cause the fixed station to report selected modes
(repeat, squelch, channel select) back to the host.
FSC_DISCONNECT Sent by the host to disconnect from the fixed station.
Table 5-2: Control Service Messages
Voice Conveyance Service

The Voice Conveyance Service passes RTP payloads between the host and the fixed station. The
Voice Conveyance Service will transport information to and from both an analog and a digital fixed
station. The RTP payload for a digital transmission carries the entire Common Air Interface voice
frames including voice encoded with IMBE (and potentially encrypted), Link Control Word, Encryption
Synch Word, and Low Speed Data. The RTP payload for an analog transmission carries law PCM
audio, that includes all voice information and possibly in-band signaling.
The Voice Conveyance Service transports full-duplex clear (non-encrypted) or secure (encrypted)
audio, PTT and COR signaling (by way of start of stream information), voter identification and CAI
information such as Unit ID (or Console ID), TGID, NAC, and Emergency bit between the fixed station
and its host.

CHAPTER 6: P25 TRUNKING
I N TR ODUCT ION TO P25 TR U N KIN G

In a conventional radio system, the operation of the system is controlled by the radio users, whereas in
a trunked system the management of system operation, including call routing and channel allocation,
is automatic. A trunking system is basically a group of communications channels automatically sharing
among a large group of users. The users request access to the communication channels (also called
traffic channels), and a trunking controller (also referred to as FNE Fixed Network Equipment) grants
access to the traffic channels. In a conventional system (non-trunked), the users control their own
access to the traffic channels by direct selection of frequencies or channels.
P25 trunking standards specify a control channel, and one or more traffic channels. The control channel
can be a dedicated control channel, or optionally, a composite control channel. A dedicated control
channel will operate as a control channel only, where a composite control channel can operate as a
control channel or as a traffic channel when all other traffic channels are busy. A secondary control
channel can also be specified, to be used when the primary control channel is unavailable.
The P25 trunking standards and P25 digital conventional standards use identical modulation (C4FM),
bit rate (9600 bps), voice messages (CAI), and control messages (data packets) for various features,
including voice, data, status, message, or other features. The Common Air Interface for both trunking
and conventional P25 digital systems is similar. The only difference is that the trunked version requires
a command/response process to a trunking controller (on a control channel) using packet access
techniques which coordinates the users access.
Chapter 6: P25 Trunking Page 71

P25 Radio
Trunking Conventional
System
Trunking Traffic
Controller Channel
Control Traffic
Channel Channels Data Voice
Packet Message
Data Voice
Packet Message Confirmed Unconfirmed
Link Control
Confirmed Unconfirmed Word used for
Link Control
Word used for signalling
signalling
Used for signalling and

broadcast of system information
Packet types are of Trunking

Signaling Block (TSBK) or
Multiple Block Trunking (MBT)
Inbound channel access

based on Slotted ALOHA
Figure 6-1: P25 Trunking and Conventional System Overview
I M P LI C IT / EXPL ICIT
A P25 trunked system can be configured in either the implicit mode or the explicit mode of operation.
In the implicit mode of operation, all radios are pre-programmed with the channel and frequency
information. The radio then looks internally to the pre-programmed channels when switching between
control and traffic channels. The explicit mode sends the channel and transmit or receive frequency
over the air to the radio. The implicit mode of operation typically uses single block messages, where
the explicit mode typically uses multi block messages.
Page 72 Chapter 6: P25 Trunking

R E GISTRATION
The subscriber unit (mobile or portable radio unit) registers with the network whenever the subscriber
is turned on or moves into a new zone. Registration ensures that only authorized users access the
network, and that the network can track where the subscriber is located.
There are two types of registration in a P25 trunked network, a full registration and a location registration.
A full registration will check the validity of the subscriber and will occur when the subscriber is first
switched on, enters a new registration area, the user selects a new network or when the RFSS requests
registration. A location registration occurs when the subscriber has moved to another site within the
coverage area.
Figure 6-2 below shows an example of a P25 trunked system infrastructure configuration. The
registration area is defined as a System and the Location Registration Area may be defined as one or
more sites within the RFSS.
TRUNKING NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE CONFIGURATION
WIDE AREA
COMMUNICATION NETWORK
WACN ID 1
SYSTEM ID 1 SYSTEM ID 2
INTER SUBSYSTEM INTERFACE (ISSI)
RF RF RF
SUB-SYSTEM SUB-SYSTEM SUB-SYSTEM
RFSS ID 1 RFSS ID 2 RFSS ID 3
LOCAL REGISTRATION AREA

(LRA)*
SITE ID 1 SITE ID 2 SITE ID 3 SITE ID 4
LOCAL REGISTRATION AREA (LRA)*
*LOCAL REGISTRATION AREAS ARE

DEFINED BY ADMINISTRATOR
REGISTRATION AREA (RA)
Figure 6-2: P25 Trunking System Infrastructure

A D D R E SSING
Each component of the trunking system infrastructure is uniquely addressable by the following
identifiers:
Wide Area Communication Network ID (WACNID) 20 bits
$00000 reserved
$00001 to $FFFFE WACN IDs
$FFFFF reserved
System ID 12 bits
$000 reserved
$001 to $FFE System IDs
$FFF reserved
RFSS ID 8 bits
$00 reserved
$01 to $FE RFSS IDs
$FF reserved
Site ID 8 bits
$00 reserved
$01 to $FE Site IDs
$FF reserved

Each subscriber unit in a trunking system is uniquely addressable by the following identifiers:
Working Unit ID 24 bits
$000000 no-one. This value is never assigned to a radio unit
$000001 to $FFFFFC for general use
$FFFFFD system default
$FFFFFE registration default. WUID to be used during

registration when no viable unit ID is available
(eg. ESN registration request).
$FFFFFF designates everyone
Working Group ID 16 bits
$0000 no-one
$0001 to $FFFE assignable working group
$FFFF working group that includes everyone.

Used for an All Call
During Registration, the trunking controller assigns each Subscriber a Working Unit ID (WUID) and
Working Group ID (WGID). The WUID and WGID are temporary IDs assigned to the subscriber while
in that Registration Area. The trunking controller maintains a database to track the assignment of WUID
and WGID to the subscribers Unit ID and Talk-group ID (TGID), also referred to as the Subscriber
Group ID (SGID).

C ON TR OL CHANNEL MES SAGES

The control channel packet structure is based on the data packet structure of the Common Air Interface.
The trunking control channel consists of both an inbound and an outbound path. A control channel
packet sent from the subscriber unit to the trunking controller is called an Inbound Signaling Packet
(ISP) and a control channel packet sent from the trunking controller to the subscriber unit is called
an Outbound Signaling Packet (OSP). These messages are typically formatted as a single block
message called a Trunking Signaling Block (TSBK). The TSBK uses the same Trellis coding as an
unconfirmed data packet. A Multiple Block Trunking (MBT) packet structure is only used when there is
more information than normally sent by TSBK and uses the unconfirmed data packet structure.
I N B O U ND SIGNAL ING PAC KET AC C ESS VIA SL OTTED

A LO H A
Subscribers access the inbound control channels to send ISPs using a technique called Slotted ALOHA.
Slot boundaries are set by the status symbols in the outbound control channels OSPs. The first status
symbol of every OSP is 11 allowing the subscriber to synchronize ISP transmissions accordingly. The
status symbols occur every 7.5 ms, which is called a microslot. An ISP lasts for 32.92 ms, so the
slot needs to exceed this in order to allow for the ISP. The slot boundaries need to be a multiple of a
microslot making the minimum required slot 37.5 ms (5 microslots). The trunking system may utilize slot
times greater than the minimum to accommodate slower subscribers. OSP and ISP Status Symbols
are shown in Table 6-1.
OSP Status Symbols
Symbol Status of Inbound Channel Description
%00 Unknown Not Used
%01 Busy Inbound control channel is not available
%10 Unknown Used between slot boundaries
%11 Idle Used to indicate the start of Inbound slot
ISP Status Symbols
Symbol Status of Inbound Channel Description
%00 Unknown Not Used
%01 Busy Not Used
%10 Unknown Used for all ISPs
%11 Idle Not Used
Table 6-1: OSP and ISP Status Symbols

TR U NKING SYSTEM OPER ATION

In order to understand how a P25 trunking system operates, it is important to understand the basic
sequence of events that occur in a P25 trunking system. Figure 6-3 shows the basics of a P25 trunking
system operation.
(4) Idle
Subscriber Idles (5) Traffic Channel Request
(monitoring control channel) Subscriber requests a traffic channel
until a traffic channel via an ISP (Slotted ALOHA)
is requested (PTT)
(6) Traffic Channel Grant

(3) Registration Grant All Subscribers in Talk Group
Control channel validates subscriber are granted a traffic channel
and transmits OSP to Subscriber Subscriber Unit
with registration and group Subscriber Unit
affiliation information
OSP Talk Group
ISP
OSP OSP (7) Voice or Data Communications
All Subscribers in Talk Group
use assigned Traffic Channel
for communication
Control Traffic Traffic
Subscriber Unit Channel Channel Channel
ISP OSP OSP

Slotted Broadcast
ALOHA continuously
every 37.5 ms
Talk Group
Subscriber Unit
(2) Registration Request Talk Group

Subscriber transmits ISP to Subscriber Unit (8) Call Termination
control channel on the basis of All Subscribers in Talk Group
Slotted ALOHA (1) Control Channel Hunt return to Idle (4) and
Subscriber searches for the OSP Traffic Channel is free
of the control channel
Figure 6-3: P25 Trunking System Operation

(1) Control Channel Hunt the subscriber unit will hunt for the control channel by scanning its list
of pre-programmed channels for the OSPs that are continually broadcast from the trunking
controller.
(2) Registration Request the subscriber will register with the trunking controller (RFSS). The
trunking controller can restrict access to only valid subscriber units and can record where that
subscriber is located within the network. Full registration or Location Registration can occur here.
(3) Registration Grant / Talk Group Affiliation the trunking controller will grant access to the
subscriber and will assign a Working Unit ID (WUID) and Working Group ID (WGID) to the
subscriber.
(4) Idle the subscriber will monitor the control channel until the subscriber requests a traffic channel
or is assigned a traffic channel based on another subscriber in the talk group requesting a traffic
channel for that group.
(5) Traffic Channel Request the subscriber requests a traffic channel for voice or data
communications.
(6) Traffic Channel Grant the trunking controller grants a traffic channel to the subscriber and
notifies the recipients of the voice or data message with a traffic channel grant (typically a talk
group).
(7) Voice or Data Communications All subscribers in the Talk Group access the traffic channel and
communicate voice or data message.
(8) Call Termination All subscribers in the talk group return to Idle (4) and monitor the control
channel.
TR A FFI C CHANNEL OW N ER SH IP
The traffic channel can be assigned to a talk group in two different ways.
Transmission Trunking assigns the traffic channel for the duration of that transmission. Once the
transmission is over, the call is terminated. A new traffic channel is assigned for the next transmission.
A conversation with multiple transmissions will require a new traffic channel for each transmission.
Message Trunking assigns the traffic channel to a talk group for the entire conversation. The conversation
is deemed to be finished when the delay between transmissions exceeds a preset time. The trunking
controller may terminate a conversation if the traffic channel is required for a higher priority use.

E N C RYPTION
The traffic channels of a trunked system can be encrypted in the same manner as a conventional system
encrypted system, using the Algorithm ID, Key ID and Message Indicator for encryption variables.
The control channel of a trunked system may also be optionally encrypted. In a TSBK message, the
Opcode and Arguments may be encrypted and the Protected trunking block flag (P) is set to indicate
encryption. In an MBT message, the Logical Link ID, (and in the alternate header format, the Opcode
and Octets 8 and 9) as well as all Data (except the CRC) may be encrypted, and the SAP Identifier is
set to indicate encryption.
The Algorithm ID, Key ID and initial Message Indicator (which is incremented each microslot) may be
set by sending control channel information in the form of a Protection Parameter Update using standard
trunking control channel formatted information.
D ATA PACKET STRUCTU R ES FOR SIN GL E AN D M U LTI

B LO CK MESSAGES
The control channel message is composed of one or more information blocks protected by a rate
1/2 trellis code, and the sequence of blocks is transferred over the common air interface as a single
data packet. The last part of the data packet is a CRC to be used to verify the accuracy of the error
correction at the received end
The structure for conventional data packets is the same structure used for ISP and OSP control channel
packets. The Frame Synchronization (FS) and Network Identifier (NID) are sent before the information
block(s) for the packet. There is one Status Symbol (SS) consisting of two(2) bits inserted after every
70 bits in a packet.
The 4-bit Data Unit ID portion of the 16-bit Network Identifier(NID) indicates the format of the control
channel packet as either:
$7 Indicating the single block format (TSBK)
$C indicating the multiple block format (PDU)
A special abbreviated data packet, the Trunking Signaling Block (TSBK) is used for control channel
messages that are time sensitive (requests and grants for traffic channels) and is the typical data
packet used. The ISP is limited to one TSBK where the number of TSBKs in the OSP is variable
(single, double or triple block) and determined by the trunking controller to maximize the control channel
resource. Figure 6-4 shows the Trunking Signaling Block structure and Figure 6-5 shows the contents
of the TSBK.
Control channel messages that are not time sensitive, and that contain more information than a TSBK
can handle, such as registration, can be sent as a Multiple Block Trunking (MBT) message. MBT uses
the unconfirmed data packet format with the packet split into blocks of 12 octets. The first block is a
header block, with up to 3 data blocks following. Figure 6-6 shows the Multiple Block Trunking structure
(unconfirmed data packet) and Figure 6-7 shows the contents of the two MBT formats.

360 bits 37.5 ms (5 micro-slots)
TSBK (Single Block Trunking Message)

First Status Symbol
of OSP (last Status Symbol
of previous OSP) is 11
(used for Slotted ALOHA) Status Symbols (Unknown10) as required
70 bits 70 bits 70 bits 70 bits 70 bits 70 bits
Null
FS 48 bits NID 64 bits TSBK 196 bits
42 bits
Rate 1/2 Trellis

Encoder (196,96)
ISP or OSP Data
Figure 6-4: Trunking Signaling Block Structure
Trunking Signal Block (TSBK)
Bit 7 Bit 6 Bit 5 Bit 4 Bit 3 Bit 2 Bit 1 Bit 0

Octet 0 LB P Opcode
Octet 1 MFID
Octet 2
Octet 3
Octet 4
Octet 5
Arguments
Octet 6
Octet 7
Octet 8
Octet 9
Octet 10
CRC
Octet 11
Optionally
Protected
Figure 6-5: Trunking Signaling Block (TSBK)

The Trunking Signaling block contains 10 octets of address and control information,
followed by 2 octets of CRC.
Following is the general description of the fields of this TSBK:
Last Block flag (LB)

%0 more TSBKs to follow in this packet
%1 this is the last TSBK in the packet
Protected trunking block flag (P)

%0 non-protected packet mode
%1 protected packet mode
Opcode
The Opcode defines the specific type of message the TSBK contains in the Arguments field (eg. Group
call, unit to unit call, status message, registration, etc.).
The MFID standard value of $00 is used unless the TSBK contains a nonstandard (manufacturer
specific) control channel message. $01 is reserved.
Arguments
The Arguments contains the information of the TSBK. The specific type of information is defined by
the Opcode.
CRC
The CRC is the CRC parity check for the TSBK.

PDU (Multi Block Trunking Message)
Status Symbols as required

Trellis coded Header Block Trellis coded Optional Block Trellis coded Optional Block
FS 48 bits NID 64 196 bits
196 bits 196 bits
Rate 1/2 Trellis

Encoder (196,96) Rate 1/2 Trellis Encoder
(196, 96)
Header Block Block 1 Block 2 Block 3

12 Octet 12 Octets 12 Octets 12 Octets
Break into a header block

and up to 3 data blocks
ISP or OSP Data
Figure 6-6: Multiple Block Trunking Structure (Unconfirmed PDU)

Multi-Block Trunking Packet
Unconfirmed Data Header Alternate Multi Block Trunking Header

Octet 0 0 A/N I/O 1 0 1 0 1 Octet 0 0 A/N I/O 1 0 1 1 1
Octet 1 1 1 SAP Identifier Octet 1 1 1 SAP Identifier
Octet 3 Octet 3
Octet 4 Logical Link ID Octet 4 Logical Link ID
Octet 5 Octet 5
Octet 6 1 Blocks to follow Octet 6 1 Blocks to follow
Octet 7 0 0 0 Pad Octet Count Octet 7 0 0 Opcode
Octet 8 Reserved Octet 8 Defined by Trunking Messages
Octet 9 0 0 Data Header Offset Octet 9 Defined by Trunking Messages
Octet 10 Octet 10
Header CRC Header CRC
Octet 11 Octet 11
Optionally
Data Block Protected Last Data Block
Octet 0 Octet 0
Octet 1 Octet 1
Octet 2 Octet 2
Octet 3 Octet 3
Octet 4 Octet 4
Trunking Control Message
Octet 5 Octet 5
Octet 6
Trunking Control Message Octet 6
Octet 7 Octet 7
Octet 8 Octet 8
Octet 9 Octet 9
Packet CRC (Last Data Block Only)
Octet 10 Octet 10
Octet 11 Octet 11
Figure 6-7: Multiple Block Trunking (MBT)


CHAPTER 7: P25 PHASE 2
I N TR ODUCT ION
This chapter describes the Um2 over the air interface, the P25 Phase 2 two-slot Time Division Multiple
Access (TDMA) Common Air Interface. The P25 Phase 2 Standards are based on a two-slot TDMA
channel access method within 12.5 kHz channel bandwidth and is used for P25 trunking systems.
The Project 25 Statement of Requirements (SoR) defines a key goal to achieve spectrum efficiency in
Phase 2 equivalent to one voice channel per 6.25 KHz. The P25 two-slot TDMA Standard for Phase
2 doubles the spectrum efficiency of Phase 1 (12.5 kHz) operation to achieve this goal. The two-slot
TDMA Standard also maintains interoperability and compatibility with the Phase 1 Standard, including
support for the Inter-RF Sub-System Interface (ISSI), backwards compatibility with Phase 1 subscribers,
and encryption capability.
The P25 two-slot TDMA Standard is based on P25 trunking systems and does not support P25
conventional systems.
A P25 Phase 2 Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) solution was finalized using Compatible
Differential Offset Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (CQPSK) modulation but is not in use. Phase 2
FDMA required transmitter linearization on subscriber units and infrastructure equipment to pass the
amplitude component of the CQPSK signal.
The P25 Phase 2 two-slot TDMA trunking Common Air Interface (CAI) is an addition to the P25 Standard
and does not replace the P25 Phase 1 FDMA CAI. The Inter Sub-System Interface (ISSI) has been
updated to include Phase 2 two-slot TDMA trunking messages. The Console Sub-System Interface
(CSSI) and Fixed Station Interface (FSI) are defined for conventional systems only. Phase 1 and
Phase 2 trunking systems connect to a Console Sub-System using the ISSI interface.
Chapter 7: P25 Phase 2 Page 85

TD M A VS FDMA RADIO A C C ESS TEC H N OL OGIES

Radio access technology is used by radio systems to share the radio spectrum. The terminology
multiple access implies the sharing of the resource amongst users, and the division describes how
the sharing is done.
Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA)

Frequency Division Multiple Access is a process of allowing mobile radios to share radio frequency
allocation by dividing up that allocation into separate radio channels where each radio device can
communicate on a single radio channel during communication. FDMA is the technology used for P25
Phase 1 radio systems. When a device is communicating on an FDMA system using a frequency carrier
signal, its carrier channel is completely occupied by the transmission of the device. Figure 7-1 shows
how a frequency band can be divided into two communication channels using FDMA.
Channel 1
Frequency 1
Channel 1
(12.5 KHz)
Frequency 2 Channel 2
(12.5 KHz)
Channel 2
time
Figure 7-1: Frequency Division Multiple Access
Page 86 Chapter 7: P25 Phase 2

Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)

Time Division Multiple Access is a process of sharing a single radio channel by dividing the channel
into time slots that are shared between simultaneous users of the radio channel. When a mobile radio
communicates with a TDMA system, it is assigned a specific time position on the radio channel. TDMA
systems allow several users to use different time positions (time slots) on a single radio channel,
increasing their ability to serve multiple users with a limited number of radio channels. Figure 7-2 shows
how a single carrier channel is time-sliced into two communication channels. Transceiver number 1 is
communicating on time slot number 1 and transceiver number 2 is communicating on time slot number
2. This is considered a two-slot TDMA system within 12.5 KHz.
Channel 1
Frequency 1
Channel 1 Channel 2 Channel 1 Channel 2
(12.5 KHz)
Channel 2
time
Figure 7-2: Time Division Multiple Access

P 25 P H ASE 2 T RUNKING SYSTEM OPER ATION

A P25 Phase 1 Trunking system operates as shown in Figure 7-3.
Trunking Resource Controller (TRC)
12.5 KHz 12.5 KHz 12.5 KHz 12.5 KHz

FDMA FDMA FDMA FDMA
Phase 1 Phase 1 Phase 1 Phase 1
Control Traffic (Voice or Traffic (Voice or Traffic (Voice or

Channel Data) Channel Data) Channel Data) Channel
C
C4FM
C4FM
4F
C4FM
M
C4FM
C
4F
M
Talk Group
Subscriber Unit Subscriber Unit
Registration Voice or Data Call
Registers on Phase 1 FDMA Assigned any Phase 1 FDMA
Control Channel Traffic Channel for all Voice
or Data Communications
Figure 7-3: P25 Phase 1 Trunking System
The control channel and all voice and data traffic channels operate in a 12.5 KHz FDMA mode. The
subscribers request a traffic channel by communicating with the Trunking Resource Controller (TRC)
on the control channel.

A P25 Phase 2 trunking system operates as shown in Figure 7-4.
12.5 KHz 12.5 KHz 12.5 KHz 12.5 KHz

TDMA TDMA TDMA TDMA
FDMA FDMA
Phase Phase Phase Phase
Phase 1 2 2 2 2 Phase 1
Control Traffic (Voice) Traffic (Voice) Traffic (Data)

Channel Channel Channel Channel
C
H- D
M
SK
4F
H-C
F
C
C4FM
H-CPM
C4FM
M
FM
C4
4F
QP
H-DQP
PM
M
C4
SK
Subscriber Unit Subscriber Unit Talk Group Subscriber Unit Talk Group
Registration Voice Call Data Transmissions
Registers on Phase 1 FDMA Assigned any Phase 2 TDMA Assigned any Phase 1 FDMA
Control Channel Traffic Channel (with time slot) Traffic Channel for all
(with TDMA extensions / for all Voice Communications Data Communications
advanced signalling)
Figure 7-4: P25 Phase 2 Trunking System
The P25 Phase 2 trunking system uses an FDMA Phase 1 Control Channel (with TDMA extensions
/ advanced signaling) for all registration, channel access and other system control. Two-slot TDMA
channels are used for voice traffic channels, and FDMA channels are used for data traffic channels.
The Phase 2 subscribers request a voice traffic channel by communicating with the TRC on the control
channel using advanced signaling (over Phase 1) to identify the TDMA time slots.
A P25 Phase 2 two-slot TDMA fixed site trunking system and subscribers will support the Phase 1
CAI. This facilitates interoperability among multiple manufacturers equipment, migration planning from
Phase 1 FDMA to Phase 2 two-slot TDMA, and inter-system roaming, according to network operator
requirements.

The use of an FDMA Phase 1 Control Channel provides backwards compatibility to Phase 1 systems,
as it can control and manage both Phase 1 FDMA and Phase 2 TDMA subscribers (using the TRC) as
shown in Figure 7-5. A Phase 2 trunking system must have Phase1 traffic channels available for this
backwards compatibility and for any data capability.
12.5 KHz 12.5 KHz 12.5 KHz 12.5 KHz 12.5 KHz
TDMA TDMA TDMA TDMA
FDMA FDMA FDMA
Phase Phase Phase Phase
Phase 1 2 2 2 2 Phase 1 Phase 1
Control Traffic (Voice) Traffic (Voice) Traffic (Voice or Traffic (Voice or

Channel Channel Channel Data) Channel Data) Channel
H-D
C
H-C
4F
M
CP
M
C4FM
QP
K
PM
4F
PS
C4FM
H-
M
SK
DQ
H-
Phase 2 Phase 2 Phase 2 Phase 1

Subscriber Unit Talk Group Subscriber Unit Talk Group
Phase 2 to Phase 2 Voice Call Phase 2 to Phase 1 Voice or Data Call
Assigned any Phase 2 TDMA (or vice versa)
Traffic Channel (with time slot) Assigned any Phase 1 FDMA
for all Voice Communications Traffic Channel for all
Voice or Data Communications
Figure 7-5: P25 Phase 1 and 2 Trunking System
Subscriber TDMA capabilities are registered with the TRC during the registration process on the control
channel. When Phase 2 subscribers make a voice call to other Phase 2 subscribers (in the talk group),
the TRC will identify the TDMA capability of the subscribers and assign a TDMA traffic channel (and
time slot). When a Phase 2 subscriber makes a data call, or a voice call to a Phase 1 subscriber, the
TRC will assign an FDMA traffic channel. Phase 1 subscribers will ignore any messages relevant only
to TDMA subscribers. Phase 1 FDMA is used by all Phase 1 and Phase 2 subscribers for Talk-Around,
direct subscriber to subscriber communications.
Phase 2 trunking systems do not synchronize the FDMA control channel to the TDMA traffic channels.
Phase 2 TDMA subscribers, when monitoring the Phase 1 FDMA control channel, use the Phase
1 control channel (with TDMA extensions) to synchronize and align with the inbound TDMA traffic
channel. The Phase 2 standard allows for low latency switching between the FDMA control channel
and TDMA traffic channels.

P H A SE 2 T DMA COMM ON AIR IN TER FAC E L AYER S

The P25 Phase 2 two-slot TDMA CAI is divided into two layers, the Media Access Control Layer (MAC),
and the Physical Layer (PHY). The MAC and PHY are shown in Figure 7-6.
Subscriber Subscriber
Vocoder Vocoder
Optional Optional
Encryption RF Sub-System Encryption
Trunking Trunking Trunking

Control Control Control
FDMA TDMA TDMA FDMA TDMA

(Voice and MAC MAC (Voice and MAC
Layer FDMA Layer Layer
Data Traffic Data Traffic
(Control
Channel or TDMA TDMA Channel or TDMA
Channel)
Control PHY PHY Control PHY
Channel) Layer Layer Channel) Layer
P25 Phase 2 (Um2) P25 Phase 2 (Um2)
P25 Phase 1 (Um) P25 Phase 1 (Um)
P25 Phase 1 (Um)
Figure 7-6: P25 Two-Slot TDMA Protocol Model
A P25 Phase 2 (Um2) system also supports a Phase 1 (Um) FDMA CAI for the control channel and direct
unit to unit calling (bypassing the RF Sub-System).
Common functions that operate in both Phase 1 and Phase 2 include voice, encryption and trunking
control. The voice information is vocoded using the half-rate vocoder for TDMA and the full rate
vocoder for FDMA. If optional encryption is enabled, the encryption is applied to the vocoded voice
information to provide encrypted voice service through either the FDMA CAI or the two-slot TDMA CAI.
The trunking control functions are transmitted through the Phase 1 FDMA control channel or as MAC
Protocol Data Units (PDUs) in the Phase 2 two-slot TDMA CAI.
The MAC layer defines the:

synchronization and timing
management of time slots and channel sequencing
encryption support
trunking control
access procedures
The PHY layer defines the:

modulation
TDMA transmission formats
pulsed transmission ramp-up and ramp-down
TDMA burst structure

Media Access Control Layer
Vocoder
P25 Phase 1 equipment originally used the IMBE full-rate vocoder, but was replaced in all P25
equipment (Phase 1 and 2) in 2009 by the AMBE+2 dual-rate vocoder, which consists of the Phase
1 enhanced full-rate vocoder (7.2 kb/s) for Phase 1 FDMA, and the enhanced half-rate vocoder (3.6
kb/s) for Phase 2 two-slot TDMA operation. The full-rate enhanced vocoder in the AMBE+2 allows
for backwards compatibility with all other P25 Phase 1 radio systems (including IMBE vocoders) and
direct or talk-around communications between Phase 2 subscribers. TDMA systems typically require
a high degree of synchronization from fixed site equipment that makes direct subscriber to subscriber
communications more difficult.
An AMBE+2 vocoder does not reproduce the input speech signal on a sample by sample basis, but
constructs a synthetic speech signal which contains the same perceptual information as the original
speech signal. The AMBE+2 vocoder divides a digital speech input signal into overlapping speech
segments (or frames) spaced 20 ms apart and uses a robust speech model and sophisticated parameter
estimation algorithms to achieve a low data rate while maintaining most of the quality, intelligibility and
speaker recognizability found in the original speech signal.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have found that there is no significant
statistical difference between the quality of the full and half rate AMBE+2 enhanced vocoders.
Bit Rate
A Phase 2 two-slot TDMA system uses an overall bit rate of 12.0 Kbps, equaling 6.0 Kbps per time slot.
The half-rate vocoder uses a net bit rate of 2450 bps for voice information plus 1150 bps for Forward
Error Correction (FEC) information, resulting in a total channel bit rate of 3600 bps per time slot. Each
time slot also uses 2400 bits per second for signaling and control functions.
P25 FDMA Common Air Interface 9.6 kbs

Full Rate Vocoder 7.2 kbs Signaling 2.4 kbs
Digital Voice 4.4 kbs FEC 2.8 kbs Imbedded Signaling 2.4 kbs
P25 TDMA Common Air Interface 12.0 kbs

Time Slot 1 6.0 kbs Time Slot 2 6.0 kbs
1/2 Rate Vocoder 3.6 kbs Signaling 2.4 kbs 1/2 Rate Vocoder 3.6 kbs Signaling 2.4 kbs
Digital Voice FEC Imbedded Digital Voice FEC Imbedded
2.45 kbs 1.15 kbs Signaling 2.4 kbs 2.45 kbs 1.15 kbs Signaling 2.4 kbs
Table 7-1: Phase 1 and Phase 2 Bit Rates

Time Slots
The radio physical channel for P25 two-slot TDMA consists of a 12.5 kHz frequency pair divided into
30 msec time slots. The physical traffic channel supports two logical voice channels. A P25 Phase 2
superframe consists of twelve sequential 30 ms time slots for a total duration of 360 ms, the same time
interval for 48 Phase 1 micro-slots (a Phase 1 superframe). A P25 Phase 2 ultraframe consists of 4
consecutive superframes. Figure 7-7 shows the superframe structure for two-slot TDMA.
Inter-slot Signaling Channel (ISCH)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Outbound
Inbound
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Voice Transport Fast Associated Slow Associated

OR
Channel Control Channel Control Channel
(VTCH) (FACCH) (SACCH)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Outbound
Inbound
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
30 ms
360 bits
Superframe 360 ms 4320 bits
Figure 7-7: Superframe Structure for Two-Slot TDMA
The first 10 slots in a superframe, numbered 0 to 9, can be used for voice or signaling information. If they
are used for signaling (call setup / teardown, and hangtime) they are called a Fast Associated Control
Channel (FACCH). If they are used to transport voice frames, they are called a Voice Transport Channel
(VTCH). The VTCH is used to exchange voice and encryption synchronization signaling (ESS). The
last 2 slots in a superframe, numbered 10 and 11, can only be used for signaling information. They are
called the Slow Associated Control Channel (SACCH) and they are in an inverted position.
The Inter-slot Signaling Channel (ISCH) is the logical channel that is located between 2 consecutive
outbound slots. It is sized to occupy the space reserved in the inbound path for ramping up and down,
pilot sequences (at the beginning and at the end of the burst) and guard time. This logical ISCH is
composed of 40 consecutive bits (comprised of the 20 bits at the end of an outbound slot and the 20
bits at the beginning of the next outbound slot).
The ISCH is used to provide:
a symbol / timeslot synchronization mechanism for receiving subscribers
a means of identifying channel numbering
the current position within the superframe and/or ultraframe
access control for usage of the inbound SACCH

Bi-directional Signaling
Phase 2 systems use bi-directional signaling with a dedicated signaling slot in each superframe called
the Slow Associated Control Channel (SACCH). This SACCH occurs in an inverted position, meaning
the outbound signaling slot will appear in the inbound signaling slot and vice versa. This ensures a
transmitting subscriber has time to momentarily switch from transmit to receive, and to look at its
signaling slot from the fixed site trunking system without disrupting the subscribers transmitted voice
information.
Bi-directional signaling allows for a transmitting subscriber to be notified about other active calls, be
alerted if the subscriber passes out of system coverage while transmitting, be alerted that the subscriber
has been interrupted by another unit, and possibly shut down for emergency situations. Bi-directional
signaling can also include transmitter power control information. A transmitting subscriber can receive
power control updates from the fixed site trunking system to mitigate interference or low signal quality.
Timing Synchronization
All outbound TDMA channels at each site are synchronized in time. Each of the superframes on all the
outbound paths of TDMA channels are time aligned so that the synchronization of one TDMA channel
will synchronize to all other TDMA channels at that site.
It is not mandatory to synchronize TDMA channels with the FDMA control channel; however, a subscriber
can transmit or receive sooner on a TDMA channel when it is already synchronized to the FDMA control
channel. This allows the subscriber to skip the process of having to acquire this synchronization after
moving to the assigned TDMA channel. The TDMA channels can be synchronized to the FDMA control
channel by regularly transmitting a Synchronization Broadcast message on the control channel.
Physical Layer
Modulation
The P25 Phase 2 TDMA CAI uses two different modulation schemes for over-the-air transmission of
the 12 kbps data stream, one inbound to the fixed site trunking system (from the subscribers), and a
different one outbound from the fixed site trunking system (to the subscribers).
The inbound modulation used is Harmonized Continuous Phase Modulation (H-CPM), a common
constant-envelope non-linear modulation. This allows the subscribers to use the same non-linear
amplifiers currently employed in P25 Phase 1 FDMA. Non-linear amplifiers help preserve the battery
longevity of the subscribers. The level of sidebands of the transmitted signal is reduced by having a
continuous phase modulation scheme.
The outbound modulation used is Harmonized Differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keyed modulation
(H-DQPSK), a non-coherent modulation scheme that splits the information stream into two channels,
delays one channel by 90 in phase (quadrature) and then recombines the two phase shift keyed
channels using differential coding (encoding the difference of the current data word applied to the
transmitter with its delayed output). Combining two channels in quadrature lowers the transmitted baud
rate, improving the transmitted spectral characteristics. H-DQPSK modulation requires linear amplifiers
in the fixed site trunking system.

TDMA Transmission Format

The TDMA transmission format for inbound H-CPM and outbound H-DQPSK emission is the same
except for the first and last 20 bits (12 bits of rampguard and 8 bits of pilot) of a burst:
- Outbound: an ISCH logical channel is emitted at the beginning and end of a burst. The ISCH occurs
at the equivalent location in the outbound burst as the rampguard and pilot portions for the inbound
direction as shown in Figure 7-8.
- Inbound: rampguard and pilot periods as shown in Figure 7-8.
ISCH
20 bits
1.67 ms ISCH
Outbound
30 ms
1 ms 28 ms 1 ms
Inbound
ramp ramp
pilot pilot
up down
8
12
bits
bits
Figure 7-8: TDMA Transmission Format
The outbound emission is continuous (never bursty) and a replacement burst is transmitted in the other
TDMA slot when only one TDMA slot is used.
For inbound bursts, a total of 2 ms of time is reserved as Guard time to allow for power ramping and
propagation delay protection. The modulation burst is centred in the 30 ms time slot, with 1 ms of the
Guard time at the beginning of the burst and 1 ms at the end of the burst as shown in Figure 7-8.
Of the 2 ms of Guard time, a minimum of 0.8 ms shall be allocated for propagation delay protection
while the remaining time up to 1.2 ms shall be allocated for power ramp up and ramp down. Note that
overlapping of the ramps is allowed as long as the portion of the waveform containing useful information
located in the center portion of Figure 7-8 (including data, synchronization and pilot sequences) remains
unaffected.

B E N E FI TS OF P25 PHASE 2
Spectrum Efficiency
Two-slot TDMA systems double the number of voice paths (compared to FDMA) in 12.5 kHz bandwidth
radio channels and meets the new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) spectral efficiency
requirements.
Backwards Compatibility
A basic requirement for Phase 2 radio equipment is backward compatibility with Phase 1 radio systems.
Phase 2 two-slot TDMA uses Phase 1 FDMA for the control channel, data capability and all talk-around
/ direct mode communications. Phase 2 uses most of the other interface standards (eg. ISSI, CSSI)
and maintains the IMBE / AMBE+2 vocoder family. Phase 2 maintains all of the Phase 1 encryption
and signaling capability.
Enhanced Functionality
Phase 2 radio systems use bi-directional signaling allowing for emergency alerting and informed
preemption of talkers. Bi-directional signaling is also used for subscriber RF power control for
interference mitigation from fixed site trunking equipment.
Subscriber Power Savings for Battery Life

Slotted / burst transmission of subscribers improves the battery life of the subscribers. Two-slot TDMA
subscribers transmit approximately 50% of the time compared to FDMA.

CHAPTER 8: IMBE AND AMBE+2 VOCODERS
P25 radios use the Improved Multi-Band Excitation (IMBE) vocoder, developed by Digital Voice
Systems, Inc. (DVSI), to convert analog speech into a digital bit stream suitable for transmission
over the P25 Common Air Interface (CAI). At the transmitter, the vocoder consists of an encoder that
converts the analog voice signal from a microphone into a digital bit stream, while at the receiver, the
vocoder consists of the decoder that converts the digital bit stream back into analog voice suitable for
playback through a speaker.
In P25, analog voice is converted into a digital bit stream with a net bit rate of 4.4 kbps for voice
information and a gross bit rate of 7.2 kbps after error control coding (note: after vocoding, 2.4 kbps of
signaling information is added to make 9.6 kbps total). The vocoder uses a frame size of 20 ms.
P25 selected the IMBE vocoder in 1992 after a competition with several other proposed vocoders.
All the vocoders were evaluated through an extensive set of Mean Opinion Score (MOS) tests that
compared voice quality for different male and female voices in a range of conditions. These conditions
included simulations of vehicles traveling at various rates of speed. In addition speech was tested with
various background noises, such as sirens, gunshots, and traffic, that are likely to be encountered by a
public safety radio system. The result of this evaluation was that the IMBE vocoder was judged best
by a panel of listeners under almost every test condition. As a result the IMBE vocoder was selected
as the standard vocoder for the P25 system.
The IMBE vocoder is a model-based speech coder, or vocoder, that does not try to reproduce the
input speech signal on a sample-by-sample basis. Instead, the IMBE vocoder constructs a synthetic
speech signal that contains the same perceptual information as the original speech signal. The
IMBE vocoder is based on the Multi-Band Excitation (MBE) speech model that was developed at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from research on high quality, robust speech modeling.
The IMBE vocoder models each segment of speech as a frequency dependent combination of voiced
(more periodic) and unvoiced (more noise-like) speech. This ability to mix voiced and unvoiced energy
is a major advantage over traditional speech models that require each segment of speech to be entirely
voiced or unvoiced. This flexibility gives the IMBE vocoder higher voice quality and more robustness
to background noise.
Chapter 8: IMBE and AMBE+2 Vocoders Page 97

The IMBE encoder uses sophisticated algorithms to estimate a set of model parameters for each
segment of the incoming speech signal. These parameters consist of: (1) a fundamental frequency,
to represent the pitch of the speaker; (2) a set of Voiced/Unvoiced (V/UV) decisions, to represent the
mixture of voiced and unvoiced energy; and (3) and a set of spectral magnitudes, to represent the
frequency response of the vocal tract. The encoder computes a Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) for
each segment of speech and then analyzes the frequency content to extract the model parameters for
that segment. These model parameters are then quantized into 88 bits, and the resulting voice bits are
then output as part of the 4.4 kbps of voice information produced by the IMBE encoder. An additional
2.8 kbps of error correction information is then added to the voice information to produce the 7.2 kbps
bit stream that is transmitted over the CAI.
The IMBE decoder reproduces analog speech from the 7.2 kbps digital bit stream that is received
over the CAI. The decoder first uses the error correction information included in the received bit stream
to attempt to correct any bit errors that may have been introduced by the radio channel. The decoder
then reconstructs the model parameters for each segment and uses these parameters to synthesize
both a voiced signal and an unvoiced signal. The voiced signal represents the period portions of the
speech and is synthesized using a bank of harmonic oscillators. The unvoiced signal represents the
noise-like portions of the speech and is produced by filtering white noise. The decoder then combines
these two signals and passes the result through a digital-to-analog converter to produce the analog
speech output.
DVSI has also introduced new Enhanced Vocoders for P25 based on DVSIs latest AMBE+2 Vocoder
technology. The Enhanced AMBE+2 Full Rate Vocoder is fully interoperable with the current P25
7.2 kbps (IMBE) standard. The AMBE+2 can also operate at half rates of 3.6 kbps for Phase 2.
The AMBE+2 provides improved voice quality, better noise immunity, tone capability, and other new
features. The Enhanced Vocoders significantly improve the voice performance of the P25 system, while
facilitating the migration and interoperability between new and existing P25 equipment. DVSIs vocoder
technology is used extensively in digital radio systems and in mobile satellite telephony worldwide.
Page 98 Chapter 8: IMBE and AMBE+2 Vocoders

CHAPTER 9: P25 GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Access Method ASCII

The ability and means necessary Abbreviation for American Standard
to store data, retrieve data, or Code for Information Interchange
communicate with a system. FDMA, - A seven-BIT code that defines 128
TDMA and CDMA are examples. characters, including control characters,
letters, numbers, and symbols.
ALGID
Abbreviation for the eight BITs which Audio throughput delay
identify the encryption algorithm in Waiting time delay from audio input
systems with multiple encryption at sending unit until audio output at
algorithms. receiving unit.
Algorithm Backward Compatibility

A finite set of well defined rules for the Ability of new units to operate within an
solution of a problem, in a finite number old system infrastructure or to directly
of steps. intercommunicate with an old unit.
AMBE+2 Bandwidth
Abbreviation for Advanced Multi Band The difference between the limiting
Excitation. An enhanced Vocoder that frequencies of a continuous frequency
is backwards compatible with IMBE. band. Typically measured in Kilohertz.
May be considered the amount
APCO in kilohertz required for a single
Abbreviation for Association of Public- communications channel.
Safety Communication Officials
BCH
APCO Project 16A Abbreviation for Bose-Chaudhuri-
A suite of operational requirements Hocquenghem, a binary coding
developed by APCO for Public Safety scheme.
trunked radio systems. It is titled 900
MHz Trunked Communications System BER
Functional Requirements Development, Abbreviation for BIT Error Rate
Dated March 1979.
ARQ
Automatic Retry Request to retry
corrupted data packets
Chapter 9: P25 Glossary of Terms Page 99

BER Threshold Capture Effect

The level at which the BIT error rate An effect associated with the reception
exceeds the error correction capability of frequency modulated signals in which
and communication fails in a digital if two signals are received on or near the
system. same frequency, only the stronger of the
two will appear in the output.
BIT
Acronym for binary digit. Carrier Noise Level
The noise level resulting from undesired
BIT Rate variations of a carrier in the absence of
In a BIT stream, the number of BIT any intended modulation.
occurring per unit time, usually
expressed as BITs per second or BPS. Carrier Squelch
A radio receive mode of operation that
BIT Stuffing causes the receiver to unmute in the
A method used for synchronizing BIT presence of a received signal.
streams that do not necessarily have the
same or rationally related BIT rates, by CDMA
adding non-information (stuffing) BITs. Abbreviation for Code Division Multiple
Access. A coding scheme in which
BPS digital information is encoded in an
Abbreviation for BITs Per Second, a expanded bandwidth format. An access
data rate measure. method that allocates each user a
coded set of channels on which to send
BR outgoing information frames.
Base Radio, a reference designating a
base station radio. CELP
Abbreviation for a Code Excited Linear
C4FM Predictive voice coding technique
The acronym for a 4-ary FM transmitter (analog to digital voice conversion).
which uses QPSK modulation to work
with a CFDD compatible receiver. CFB
Abbreviation for a Cipher Feedback an
CAI encryption synchronization method
Abbreviation for Common Air Interface.
CFDD
Call Congestion The acronym for a receiver which
The ratio of calls lost due to a lack of detects QPSK-C compatible modulation.
system resources to the total number of CFDD stands for Compatible Frequency
calls over a long interval of time. Discriminator Detection.
Call Delay Channel
The delay experienced when a call A single unidirectional or bidirectional
arriving at an automatic switching device path for transmitting or receiving, or
finds no idle channel of facility available both, of electrical or electromagnetic
to process the call immediately. signals.
Call Set-up Time Channel Rate
The overall length of time required to The data rate at which information
establish a circuit switched call between is transmitted through the channel,
users or terminals. typically stated in BITs per second
(BPS).
Page 100 Chapter 9: P25 Glossary of Terms

Channel Spacing CSMA/CD

Typically measured in kilohertz from the Abbreviation for Carrier Sense, Multiple
center of one channel to the center of Access with Collision Detection. It is a
the next-adjacent-channel. May, or may multi-access technique in which stations
not, be identical to bandwidth. listen before transmitting. A transmitting
station detecting a collision aborts its
C/I transmission.
Abbreviation for Carrier to Interference
signal ratio. CTCSS
Abbreviation for Continuous Tone-
CM Controlled Squelch System.
Abbreviation for a Circuit Merit A
delivered voice quality test and rating CVSD
strategy Abbreviation for Continuously Variable
Slope Delta modulation technique. A
CODEC type of delta modulation in which the
A COder-DECoder device (analog to size of the steps of the approximated
digital voice conversion). signal is progressively increased or
decreased as required to make the
Common Air Interface (CAI) approximated signal closely match the
A radio to radio signal path defined in input analog signal.
terms of Access Method, Modulation
Scheme, Vocoding Method, Channel DAM
Data Rate and Channel Data Format. Abbreviation for a Diagnostic
Acceptance Measure. An audio
Common channel signaling (CCS) acceptability test.
A signaling method using one of the
channels on a multichannel network DCE
for the control, accounting and Abbreviation for Data Circuit
management of traffic on all of the terminating Equipment through which
channels of the network. the DTE is connected to a network.
Console DCPSK
A sub-system comprised of one or more Abbreviation for the Differential
elements from a single manufacturer Coherent Phase Shift Keying
that is the device(s) which allows a modulation technique. A method of
person(s) to effectively and efficiently encoding information in terms of phase
use and control the capabilities and the changes, rather than absolute phases,
functions of the radio system(s) to which and detected by comparing phases of
it is attached. adjacent BITs.
Covert DCT
Adjective used to describe undercover Abbreviation for Discrete Cosine
operations by government agents. Transform a technique used in
Covert communications are generally vocoding.
encrypted.
Deadlock
CQPSK A situation in which traffic ceases to flow
The acronym for a QPSK IQ transmitter and throughput drops to Zero.
which uses QPSK-C modulation to work
with a CFDD compatible receiver. De-Key
Turn the transmitter off (release the
CRC Push-to-Talk switch).
Cyclic Redundancy Checksum for data
error detection.

Delay Time DTE

The sum of waiting time and service Abbreviation for Data Transmission
time in a queue. Equipment (user systems).
DES-OFB DTMF
Abbreviation for Data Encryption Abbreviation for Dual-Tone Multi-
Standard - Output Feedback Frequency - a signaling scheme used
by the telephone system in which two
Differential Modulation voice band tones are generated for each
A type of modulation in which the choice keypad key press.
of the significant condition for any signal
element is dependent on the choice for Dual Mode Equipment
the previous signal element. Equipment which will transmit and
receive information using either the
DNA APCO Project 25 standard digital signals
Abbreviation for DECs Digital Network or current analog standard signals
Architecture. without modification or interfacing
devices.
DPA
Abbreviation for Demand Protocol DVP
Architecture Abbreviation for Digital Voice
Protection - one of several encryption
DPSK algorithms used to provide secure voice
Abbreviation for Differential Phase Shift radio transmissions.
Keying modulation technique. A method
of encoding information for digital ECC
transmission. In DPSK, each signal Abbreviation for Error Correction Code
element is encoded as a change in the See Error Correction.
phase of the carrier with respect to its
previous phase angle. Ed Interface
The label given to the Host and Data
DQPSK Interface in the General System Model.
Abbreviation for Differential Quadrature
Phase Shift Keying modulation En Interface
technique. The label given to the Network
Management Interface in the General
DRT System Model.
Abbreviation for a Diagnostic Rhyme
Test An audio intelligibility test Encryption
A coding of plain text (or clear voice)
DS0 into unintelligible forms for secure
Abbreviation for a 64 kBPS telephone transmission.
service
Error Correction
DS1 Digital coding technique for detecting
Abbreviation for a 1.544 MBPS and correcting information transmission
telephone service. errors.
DSP ES
Abbreviation for Digital Signal Encryption Synchronization information
Processor a specialized microcomputer. embedded in a voice data frame

Et Interface Format
The label given to the Telephone In data transmission, the arrangement
Interconnect Interface in the General of contiguous BITs or Frame sequences
System Model. which make a group, word, message or
language.
EVM
Error Vector Magnitude Frame
In data transmission, the sequence
ETSI of contiguous BITs bracketed by and
Abbreviation for European including beginning and ending flag
Telecommunications Standards sequences. Unit of data of the data link
Institute. layer.
FCC FS
Abbreviation for Federal Frame Synchronization to mark the first
Communications Commission information BIT
FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access) FSI
Access method that divides a Abbreviation for Fixed Station
communication channel into two or more Interface.
individual channels.
FSK
FEC Frequency Shift Keying A form of
Abbreviation for Forward Error frequency modulation in which the
Correction modulating signal shifts the output
frequency between predetermined
FIFO values.
A service discipline of queuing systems,
based on the First In, First Out rule. FSNF
Abbreviation for Fragment Sequence
FIPS Number Field in the Common Air
Abbreviation for Federal Information Interface.
Processing Standard.
FTP
Firmware Abbreviation for File Transfer Protocol.
Software that is permanently stored in a
hardware device which allows reading Full-Duplex
and executing the software, but not An operating method in which
writing or modifying the software. transmission is permitted,
simultaneously, in both directions of a
Flow Control telecommunications channel.
In data communications systems, a
device function that controls the rate at G Interface
which data may be transmitted from one The label given to the Inter Sub-System
terminal so that it is equal to the rate Interface in the General System Model.
at which it can be received by another
terminal. Galois Field (GF)
A data field used to calculate parity
FNE checks for a Reed-Solomon code.
Abbreviation for Fixed Network
Equipment. Gateway
An interface that provides the necessary
protocol translation between disparate
networks.

GMSK Hub Polling

Abbreviation for Gaussian Minimum One of the polling techniques.
Shift Keying A form of frequency Permission to transmit is passed
modulation in which the modulating sequentially from one designated user
signal shifts the output frequency to another.
between predetermined values. A form
of MSK which uses Gaussian low pass I/O
filtering of the binary data to reduce Abbreviation for Input and/or Output.
sideband energy.
IEEE
Golay Abbreviation for Institute of Electrical
Name of a standard error correction and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
code
ILS
GPS Abbreviation for an Input buffer Limiting
Abbreviation for Global Positioning Scheme. A flow control scheme that
System blocks overload locally generated
arrivals by limiting their number at a
Graceful Close buffer.
Method used to terminate a connection
at the transport layer with no loss of IMBE
data. Abbreviation for Improved Multi Band
Excitation.
GSM
Abbreviation for Group Specialized Inband Signaling
Mobile radio service Signaling that uses frequencies or
time slots within the bandwidth of the
Half-Duplex information channel.
That mode of operation in which
communications occurs between two Incarnation Number
terminals in either direction, but only A unique name or number sent within
one direction at a time. May occur on a a data unit to avoid duplicate data unit
half-duplex or duplex circuit but not on a acceptance.
simplex circuit.
IP
HDLC Abbreviation for Internetwork Protocol
Abbreviation for Highlevel Data Link in the ISO activities, as well as Internet
Control. The international standard for Protocol in ARPA protocol activities.
data link control developed by ISO.
IPR
Hex BIT Abbreviation for Intellectual Property
6 BITs grouped together to represent a Rights. Patents, Copyrights or similar
Reed-Solomon code symbol rights which are proprietary to an
individual, group or company.
Hierarchical Numbering
Multiple level numbering. An example is IQ Origin Offset
the telephone number made up of levels Is a measurement that shows how
such as Country Code, Area Code, well balanced the IQ modulators in the
Exchange Number and Line Number. transmitter are and if there is excessive
leakage around them.
Hierarchical Routing
Multiple level routing. Used both in
packet switching and circuit switching.

IRAC Local Area Network (LAN)

Abbreviation for the Federal A network covering small geographic
Government Interdepartmental Radio areas.
Advisory Committee.
LSB
ISDN Abbreviation for Least Significant BIT.
Abbreviation for Integrated Services
Digital Network All-digital network LSD
handling a multiplicity of services with Low Speed Data embedded in digital
standard interfaces for user access. An voice
integrated digital network in which the
same time-division switches and digital LU
transmission paths are used to establish Abbreviation for Logical Unit.
connections for different services.
MDT
ISO Abbreviation for Mobile Data Terminal
Abbreviation for International Standards
MFID
Organization
Abbreviation for Manufacturers
Key Identity. An eight-BIT field identifying
The parameter defining an encryption manufacturer of the radio equipment.
code or method.
MI
Key Tag Message Indicator to initialize encryption
The parameter defining one of several
MIB
encryption codes or methods.
Abbreviation for Management
KID Information BITs.
Sixteen BITs which identify the
MIL-STD
encryption key in systems with multiple
Abbreviation for Military Standard.
encryption keys.
MODEM
LAN
An acronym for MOdulator/
Abbreviation for Local Area Network.
DEModulator. A device for converting
LC digital signals into quasi-analog
Link Control information embedded in signals for transmission over analog
digital voice communications channels and for
reconverting the quasi-analog signals
Linear Amplifier into digital signals.
A radio final amplifier in which the output
is linearly proportional to the input. Modulation
Usually a class A amplifier. A controlled variation of any property
of a carrier wave for the purpose of
Linearized Amplifier transferring information.
A radio final amplifier in which the output
is mostly linearly proportional to the MOS
input. Usually a class AB amplifier. Abbreviation for Mean Opinion Score.
An audio quality test.
LLC
Logical Link Control sublayer of the OSI MR
Data Link Layer Mobile Radio, a reference designating a
mobile or portable subscriber unit
LMR
Abbreviation for Land Mobile Radio MSB
Abbreviation for Most Significant BIT.

MSK Open System

Abbreviation for Minimum Shift Keying. A system whose characteristics comply
A form of frequency modulation in which with specified standards and that
the modulating signal shifts the output therefore can be connected to other
frequency between predetermined systems that comply with these same
values. Sometimes called fast frequency standards.
shift keying.
Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)
NASTD A logical structure for network operations
Abbreviation for National Association of standardized within the ISO; a seven-
State Telecommunications Directors. layer network architecture being used
for the definition of network protocol
NCS standards to enable any OSl-compliant
Abbreviation for National computer or device to communicate
Communications Systems group a U.S. with any other OSl-compliant computer
Federal agency. or device for a meaningful exchange of
information
NID
Network Identifier code word following Operating System
the frame sync An integrated collection of routines that
service the sequencing and processing
NIST of programs by a computer. Includes
Abbreviation for National Institute of such functions as memory allocation,
Standards and Technology a U.S. file management, input and output
Federal agency. operations, communications and
interfacing to other application software.
NPSPAC
Abbreviation for National Public Safety OTAC
Planning Advisory Committee A user/ Abbreviation for Over-The-Air-Control.
industry advisory committee established
by the Federal Communications OTAP
Commission to develop a plan for Abbreviation for Over-The-Air-
the use of the 800 MHz Public Safety Programming.
spectrum.
OTAR
NSA Abbreviation for Over-The-Air-
Abbreviation for the U.S. Federal Rekeying.
Government National Security Agency.
Packet
NTIA A sequence of binary digits, including
Abbreviation for National data and control signals, that is
Telecommunications and Information transmitted and switched as a
Administration. a U.S. Federal agency. composite whole. The data, control
signals and possibly error control
Octal information, are arranged in a specific
Base 8 notation for numbers, also called format.
radix 8
Packet Switching
Octet The process of routing and transferring
Eight BITs grouped together, also called data by means of addressed packets
a byte so that a channel is occupied during
the transmission of the packet only, and
OFB
upon completion of the transmission
Abbreviation for a Output Feedback.
the channel is made available for the
An encryption synchronization method.
transfer of other traffic.

PBX Protocol
Abbreviation for Private Branch A set of unique rules specifying a
Exchange. A privately owned switch, sequence of actions necessary to
generally of relatively small size, perform a communications function.
connected via output trunks to the public
switched telephone network. PSDN
Abbreviation for Public Switched Data
PCM Network.
Abbreviation for Pulse Coded
Modulation. That form of modulation PSK
in which the modulating signal is Abbreviation for Phase Shift Keying.
sequentially sampled, quantized, A method of modulation used for digital
and coded into a binary form for transmission wherein the phase of the
transmission over a digital link. carrier is discretely varied in relation to
a reference phase, or the phase of the
PDT previous signal element, in accordance
Abbreviation for Portable Data with the data to be transmitted.
Terminal
PSTN
/4 DQPSK Abbreviation for Public Switched
Abbreviation for Differential Quadrature Telephone Network.
Phase Shift Keying modulation
technique. /4 indicates 90 phase PTT
angles. Abbreviation for Push-to-Talk, the
switch on a subscriber unit which, when
/4 QPSK pressed, causes the subscriber unit to
Abbreviation for Quadrature Phase transmit.
Shift Keying modulation technique. PSK
using four phase states. /4 indicates Quadrature Modulation
90 phase angles. Modulation of two carrier components
90 apart in phase by separate
PN Sequence modulating functions.
A pseudo random BIT sequence used in
vocoding. QAM
Abbreviation for Quadrature Amplitude
Polling Modulation. Quadrature modulation
A network control system in which a in which some form of amplitude
designated control station invites its modulation is used for both inputs.
tributary stations to transmit in any
sequence specified by the control QPSK
station. Abbreviation for Quadrature Phase
Shift Keying modulation technique. PSK
POTS using four phase states.
Abbreviation for Plain Old Telephone
Service. Reed-Solomon (RS)
An error correction coding scheme for
PPP binary data fields.
Abbreviation for Point-to-Point
Protocol. Reference Vocoder
The particular implementation of the
Processing Delay APCO Project Vocoder available from
The time in ms required for the Digital Voice Systems Incorporated as
coding and decoding of voice or data Model VC-20-PRJ25. This is the agreed
information. upon reference implementation of the
APCO Project 25 Vocoder.

RF STC
Abbreviation for Radio Frequency. Abbreviation for Sinusoidal Transform
Coding A voice coding technique
RF Sub-System (analog to digital voice conversion).
The RF infrastructure which is bounded
by the five open APCO Project 25 Subscriber Unit
interfaces and three standard computer A mobile or portable radio unit used in a
network gateway interfaces. It is the RF radio system.
equipment and related non standard
peripheral equipment which provides Sub-System
a standardized RF communication A defined portion of any organized
channel. One of the APCO Project 25 assembly of resources and procedures
interfaces is the Common Air Interface united and regulated by interaction or
(CAI). interdependence to accomplish a set of
specific functions.
RS-232
An asynchronous, serial, data System
transmission standard that defines Any organized assembly of resources
the required sequence, timing, and and procedures united and regulated
hardware interface. by interaction or interdependence to
accomplish a set of specific functions.
RS
Reed-Solomon error correction code. T1 system
A digital communication system
RTP designed to handle 24 voice channels
Abbreviation for Real-time Transport at 64 kBPS each. Digital transmission
Protocol. media to support 1.544 Mbps.
transmission speed.
SAP
Service Access Point, where a network TCP
provides a service. Abbreviation for Transmission Control
Protocol. ARPAnet developed transport
Setup Delay layer protocol.
The time in ms required to actuate
equipment for transmission and TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access)
reception. A communications technique that uses
a common channel for communication
Signal among multiple users by allocating
The detectable transmitted energy which unique time slots to different users.
carries information from a transmitter to
a receiver. Telnet
Terminal-remote host protocol
SINAD developed for ARPAnet.
Abbreviation for SIgnal plus Noise And
Distortion to noise and distortion ratio. TGID
Abbreviation for Talk-Group Identifier. A
SMRS sixteen BIT field identifying talk-group of
Abbreviation for Specialized Mobile the radio message.
Radio Service.
Throughput Delay
Squelch The total time in ms between the
A radio circuit that eliminates noise from initiation of a voice or data signal, ie.
the speaker when no transmitted signal push-to-talk, until the reception and
is present. identification of the identical signal at the
received output speaker or other device.

TIA VOCODER (Voice-Coder)

Abbreviation for Telecommunications A type of voice coder. Usually
Industry Association consisting of a speech analyzer and
a speech synthesizer which convert
Time-Out-Timer analog speech into digital signals
A function that limits the transmission for transmission and digital signals
period to a pre-defined time. The user back into artificial speech sounds for
will automatically stop transmitting when reception.
the timer goes off after the pre-defined
time. VSELP
Abbreviation for a Vector Sum code
TPDU Excited Linear Predictive voice coding
Abbreviation for Transport Protocol technique (analog to digital voice
Data Unit. conversion).
Transmission Delay WAN
The time in ms required for transmission Abbreviation for Wide-area Network
of a voice frame or data packet through
a communication channel. X.25
The CCITT three-layered interface
Trellis Code architecture for packet switching
Type of error correcting code for digital connecting a DTE to a DCE.
modulation
TriBIT
3 BITs grouped together into a symbol
for a trellis code
TRS
Technical Requirements Specification
Trunk
A single transmission channel between
two points that are switching centers or
nodes, or both.
Trunked (system)
Systems with full feature sets in which
all aspects of radio operation, including
RF channel selection and access, are
centrally managed.
UDP
Abbreviation for User Datagram
Protocol.
ULP
Abbreviation for Upper Layer Protocol.
Layer above TCP.
Um Interface
The label given to the Common Air
Interface reference point in the General
System Model.


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Canada, V8V 1P8
www.codanradio.com
[email protected]
Toll Free Canada and USA

Phone: 1-800-664-4066
Fax: 1-877-750-0004
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P25 Radio Systems

NOTE 2013 Codan Limited.

CODAN, NGT, Easitalk, CIB and CALM are trademarks of

IMBE and AMBE+2 are trademarks of Digital Voice Systems, Inc.

The English version takes precedence over any translated versions.

DOCUMENT REVISION Documentation uses a three-level revision system. Each element of

Document revision history is provided at the back of the document.

Codan Radio Communications

Toll Free Canada and USA:

Document Number: TG-001

Codan Radio Communications is a leading international designer ABOUT CODAN RADIO

For over 50 years Codan has provided customers in North America

Codan is a pioneering member of the P25 Digital standard, for radio

Our self-servicing customers range from Forestry and National Park

Codan is an industry leader in Analog and P25 radio systems design.

Pete has been at Daniels / Codan since 1996, working in engineering,

Many people helped write, compile, research and check the

REFERENCES Many references were used in the creation of this document.

Chapter 2: P25 Interface Standards .................................... 15

Chapter 3: P25 Technical Information .................................. 23

Chapter 4: Anatomy of the Common Air Interface ............... 49

Chapter 5: Conventional Fixed Station Interface ................. 63

Chapter 6: P25 Trunking ...................................................... 71

Chapter 7: P25 Phase 2....................................................... 85

Chapter 8: IMBE and AMBE+2 Vocoders ..................... 97

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO P25

Chapter 1: Introduction To P25 Page 1

in Canada under Industry Canada (IC) rules and regulations.

allow effective, efficient and reliable intra-agency and inter-agency communications

improve radio spectrum efficiency

TIA (Telecommunications Industry Association) is a national trade organization of manufacturers

Page 2 Chapter 1: Introduction To P25

C ON VENTIONAL VS. TR U N KED

Chapter 1: Introduction To P25 Page 3

H OW D OES PHASE 1 P25 WOR K?

Conventional Trunked Narrowband Wideband

Individual Unit to PSTN Announcement

Figure 1-1: P25 Radio System Operation

Page 4 Chapter 1: Introduction To P25

P 25 RADIO SYSTEM AR C H ITEC TU R E

Micro- Speech Channel Baseband

IMBE IDs &

IMBE IDs &

Speaker D to A Speech Channel Filters & Demod-- Rx

Figure 1-2: P25 Radio System Architecture

Figure 1-2 represents a basic digital transceiver.

Chapter 1: Introduction To P25 Page 5

A to D / D to A and Speech Coding / Decoding

Channel Coding / Decoding

Modulating / Demodulating and Filtering

Page 6 Chapter 1: Introduction To P25

Information Bits Symbol C4FM Deviation (Phase 1)

Digital Nyquist Raised Shaping FM C4FM

Figure 1-3: C4FM Modulator

Chapter 1: Introduction To P25 Page 7

Figure 1-4: C4FM Demodulator