Abstract: A two-way selective call communication system (FIG. 1) controls transmissions in a dominant cell (504) of a plurality of cells (502, 504) utilizing a common radio frequency for sending messages (408). The dominant cell carries significantly greater traffic than any other cell of the plurality of cells. A controller (112) groups (808, 906), into a first time period (708), the transmissions of non-dominant cell messages which interfere with the transmissions of dominant cell messages. The controller then determines a subset of the dominant cell messages that require a higher signal-to-interference ratio than available in the dominant cell during the first time period. The controller then transmits (908) the subset during a second time period (710) different from the first time period.

Abstract: A method and apparatus assigns and utilizes sets of transmitters (206) to provide radio coverage in dynamically assigned simulcast areas for communicating simultaneously with portable transceivers (122). Transmitters are assigned (704) to the sets such that each set is assigned all transmitters dominant to at least one of the portable transceivers having a message queued therefor. A transmitter is defined to be dominant when it can affect communications with the at least one of the portable transceivers while different data transmissions are being sent from all other transmitters. A subset of the sets is determined (708), wherein no transmitter is assigned more than once in the subset. The sets of the subset are then simulcast (710) such that the transmitters assigned to each of the sets of the subset transmit the message queued for the at least one of the portable transceivers to which the transmitters of the set are dominant.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is used for transmitting an outbound message in a two-way messaging system having a plurality of cells employing frequency reuse. The outbound message is transmitted to a selective call transceiver (122) utilizing a first frequency reuse plan (312). The two-way messaging system awaits a positive acknowledgment (316, 318) from the selective call transceiver (122) confirming that the outbound message was received with an acceptable quality. The two-way messaging system retransmits the outbound message to the selective call transceiver (122) utilizing a second frequency reuse plan (332), in response to receiving a negative acknowledgment and also in response to failing to receive any acknowledgment within a predetermined time after transmitting the outbound message.

Abstract: A communication system (100) providing analog message re-transmission on demand comprises a base station (114) and at least one portable communication transceiver (118). The base station (114) transmits an address (414) identifying the portable communication transceiver (118) to which a voice message is directed, and a session number (415) modulated in a first modulation format and a compressed analog message (418) representing the voice message modulated in a second modulation format. When the signal quality of the voice message played back in the portable communication transceiver (118) is perceived by the user to be unintelligible, the user can receive from the base station (114) a re-transmission of the compressed analog message (418) by generating a request for re-transmission of the compressed analog message (418).