Patent ID: 7142900

Claim:
A portable radio capable of communicating with at least one other portable radio over a wireless radio network, the radio comprising: a radio transceiver for transmitting voice communications to and receiving voice communications from the other radio; and a continuous tone coded squelch system (CTCSS) coupled with the radio transceiver for controlling audio output of the transceiver so that a user of the radio only hears certain communications transmitted over the network, the CTCSS including a selector for selecting between a plurality of CTCSS tones that each, when selected, is transmitted by the radio transceiver and received by the other radio and used to enable audio output of the other radio only if the other radio has been set to the same CTCSS tone, the CTCSS further including an emergency CTCSS tone that, when selected and transmitted, enables the audio output of the other radio whether or not the other radio has been set to the same CTCSS tone as the radio.