Quote:
Originally Posted by Harvath
I don't fully understand the sub-channels. Are they like channels within channels?
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Not exactly, it's a method of signalling within a channel. When you look at an FRS radio, you can set a channel, e.g. 12, and a "subchannel" or "privacy code", e.g. 4.
It just means that a) when you transmit the radio also sends a tone associated with the "privacy code" and b) your radio ignores transmissions that do not include the same tone frequency.
But, it's still the same radio frequency, so you can interfere with and get interference from other people on the channel using different CTCSS tone frequencies, even if you can't hear them.
Think of a room of people (the radio frequency or "channel"). Some have blue cards and some have red. When a person speaks they hold up their card. If you have the same color card, you listen to them, otherwise you don't. You don't speak when someone else is holding up your color. However, different color card holders can speak over each other, even if they can't "hear" each other, because they are still in the same room ("channel").
Of course, these CTCSS tones are filtered by the radios, so we don't hear them in the transmissions.
Usually if you set the code or subchannel to 0, you can hear all transmissions on the channel regardless of CTCSS tone (but not answer back since they will ignore you if they have a "privacy code" set).
So "privacy" is a misnomer.
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