Abstract: A radio communication system (100) includes a system control display interface (201) to provide operational control. A radio system control panel (261) is automatically arranged in a relative pattern with respect to other control panels (260) on the display interface (201), such that when operating in a mode that expands beyond predefined borders, the control panel (261) covers a non-critical display area (282) defined on another control panel (262) formed on the display interface (201), but does not cover a critical display area (282) defined on that control panel (262).

Abstract: A dispatch radio communication system (100) employs a method (200) and apparatus (101) for assigning one of a console station's control modules (113-115) to a communication resource. The assignment is initiated by associating (203) each control module (113-115) with a group of supported resource features and associating (205) each communication resource with a group of employed resource features. The latter association is then used to establish (211 ) a minimum set and an extended set of resource feature requirements for a particular communication resource that is to be added to a console station (109). The former association is used to identify (217) a group of candidate control modules (113-115) at the console station (109) that can support at least the minimum set of resource feature requirements. Upon identification of the candidate group (113-115), the candidate control module (e.g.

Abstract: In a communication system (100) that includes an operator station (105-107), a functions processor (104) and peripheral communication devices (108-109), the operator station (105-107) may perform functions when the functions processor (104) is unable in the following manner. When the operator station (105-107) receives a request for a particular function from an operator, it determines whether the functions processor (104) is unable to perform the requested function. If the functions processor (104) is unable, the operator station (105-107) determines whether it will perform the requested function or whether a peripheral communication device (108-109) will perform the requested function. If the operator station (105-107) is to perform the requested function, it performs the requested function. If the peripheral communication device (108-109) is to perform the requested function, the operator station (105-107) transports the requested function to the peripheral communication unit (108-109).

Abstract: In a communication system, an operator station provides dispatch services to communication groups and multi-communication groups. When a request is received by the operator station to provide a particular dispatch service, which requires at least one multi-communication group to be modified, a temporary multi-communication group is created based on the request and predetermined communication system limitations. After the particular dispatch service has been performed for the temporary multi-communication group, the temporary multi-communication group is discarded, returning the temporary multi-communication group to the at least one multi-communication group.

Abstract: In a communication system that comprises a plurality of communication groups, a plurality of transceivers, and a plurality of consoles which monitor selected communication groups, a console may quickly monitor an unmonitored communication in the following manner. When the console detects activity in a particular unmonitored communication group, that communication group is placed into a receive queue. Once the communication group is in the receive queue, a dispatcher of the console may select the communication group and place it into a monitoring queue. Once in the monitoring queue, the dispatcher has full monitoring capabilities over that communication group. Once the dispatcher is done with the communication group, or call activity ends in the communication group, the communication group is placed back into a system group list.