Abstract: In a multi-point mobile radio broadcast network, the multiple mobile radios can have personality information reprogrammed via a broadcast method, rather than on a one-to-one basis. A communications manager, which controls the communications between the various mobile radios can change the personality information contained in each radio by broadcasting that information to the radios as a group. After receiving the new personality information, a processor within the mobile radios can remove the unique identification codes associated with that particular radio from the old personality information, imported into the new personality information communicated to it by the communication manager, and store the new personality information with the newly incorporated unique identification codes into a local memory. The protocol for broadcasting the personality information to the mobile radios is important to ensure that the mobile radios receive the new personality information.

Abstract: A base station is configured to facilitate its rapid deployment to provide trunked radio communication system. The base station includes a receiving section and a transmitting section functioning as a repeater operating on a single trunked duplex channel. The base station also includes another receiving section for interrogating the presence of pre-existing RF energy in a given geographic area before allowing the base station to become active. This prevents a newly introduced deployable base station from interfering with pre-existing deployable or fixed base stations.

Abstract: A vehicular repeater system communicates with a portable mobile radio using the same RF communication band and digital trunking protocol that it communicates with a base site. The repeater station may employ an operational radio within a vehicle which communicates with the base site. A separate repeater radio module is connected to the operational radio, preferably through hardwired links. The separate repeater radio module includes a transmitting section which receives messages from the base site through the operational radio, and forwards these messages through a passive RF interface to a portable radio. The separate repeater also includes a receiving section which receives messages from the portable radio, and forwards these messages through the operational radio to the base site.

Abstract: A digital radio has standardized "key" storage for several different cryptosystems (DES, VGE, VGS, etc.). Cryptographic keys are stored in a table in non-volatile memory such as EEPROM. The "keys" are stored in an "encrypted" form such that their identities are not readily revealed by a "dump" of memory contents. Additional security is provided in accordance with the present invention by extracting the "keys" from the stored table and re-"encrypting" the entire table each time a key loader device is attached to the radio. Multiple key banks are used to provide enhanced voice security by increasing the number of encryption keys available for use by a radio.