Patent ID: 7437180

Claim:
A method of using a radio not configured for communication over a radio system using over-the-air signaling for establishing communication connections, for communication with an intended receiver over a trunked radio system using over-the-air signaling, the method comprising: removing a first handset from the radio that is not configured to user over-the-air signaling to provide for a communication connection; providing a second handset having a signal generating device configured for generating signals representative of a communication connection to be set up; establishing a communication connection between the second handset and the radio; using the second handset and the signal generating device to generate signals representative of the communication connection to be set up between the radio and the intended receiver; and transmitting the signals to a retransmission system having a retransmission bridge, the retransmission system for interpreting the signaling and configuring the retransmission bridge to set up the communication connection between the radio and the intended receiver based on the interpretation.