Patent ID: 8509693

Claim:
A vehicle mounted communication system comprising: a mobile radio comprising: a radio processor; a transceiver operatively coupled to the radio processor; a short range communication module operatively coupled to the transceiver; a main speaker; a microphone coupled to the mobile radio, wherein the microphone comprises a (Push-To-Talk) PTT button, the microphone operating in one of an on-hook mode of operation and an off-hook mode of operation; a hook sense circuit for detecting whether the microphone is located in its on-hook location or whether it has been physically removed from its on-hook location and is thus off-hook; and a short range wireless headset, comprising a second microphone and a second speaker, operatively coupleable to the short range communication module; wherein the radio processor is configured to: make a first determination of whether the short range wireless headset is coupled to the short range communication module; make a second determination, via the hook sense circuit, of whether the microphone is on-hook or off-hook; and route incoming audio received via the transceiver to one of the main speaker and the second speaker as a function of both the first determination and the second determination.