Patent ID: 8139597

Claim:
In a two-way radio frequency (RF) communications system having at least one repeater, a plurality of channels, and a plurality of subscriber units, the method comprising, at a first subscriber unit: monitoring a first channel that is currently serving as a rest channel for the system, the rest channel being a channel identified in the system as one which idle subscriber units will monitor for transmission of at least one of new call initiations and new rest channel notifications; determining that a first new call is being initiated on the first channel by a second subscriber unit in the plurality of subscriber units without the second one of the subscriber units having to request another channel prior to starting the first new call; if the first new call is not of interest to the first subscriber unit, the first subscriber unit ceasing to monitor the first channel, and instead monitoring a second channel different from the first channel that will then serve as the rest channel for the system; and if the first new call is of interest to the first subscriber unit, the first subscriber unit participating in the first new call on the first channel, and after the first new call ends, participating in a second new call on a third channel if the second new call is of interest to the first subscriber, unit; otherwise, after the first new call ends, monitoring a fourth channel in the plurality that is currently serving as the rest channel for the system.