What is a trunked radio system (TRS)?
A trunked radio system is a specialized radio system consisting of multiple frequencies (usually between 5 and 30) utilized by complex radios which are all controlled by a specialized computer. Each time a user presses the transmit key to send a message, the computer picks an empty frequency to broadcast on. Through the use of a dedicated computer control frequency that all radios monitor, the computer is able to inform all radios which frequency in the system should be tuned to hear the broadcast. Since the computer is picking the physical frequency being used and due to other radio traffic on the same system, a single conversation between two users can take place on multiple physical frequencies. Or, in other words, it can “hop around” a lot which can make effective listening using a conventional scanner downright frustrating, if not impossible. TrunkTrackers are specially programmed to be able to monitor the control data of the radio system so as the conversations move to new freque
