Q1. My radio seems dead / doesn't work 

A1. For portable radios

• Check the on/off switch
• Check the talkgroup selection
• Check the battery is not flat (try a new battery)
• Clean the battery contacts

A2. For mobile radios

• Check the on/off switch and talkgroup selection
• Check any fuses
• Check the vehicle battery (ie. start the motor, turn on lights, etc.)

A3. General / Other

• The radio may be inhibited or faulty. Contact your internal communications section/manager.

Q2. I cannot make a phone call

A. Telephone Interconnect facility may have been disabled - contact the HelpDesk.

Q3. I have "ERRxx" (or similar error code) flashing on screen

A. The program in your radio has encountered a problem.  Contact your internal communications section/manager to have the radio repaired.

Q4. I cannot Transmit or Receive any calls on the radio.

There are a number of situations where this could occur:

A1. Coverage

Is the radio LCD screen flashing "Out of Range"? You could be in an area of poor coverage, or outside the GRN coverage footprint.  See the section on Coverage for predicted coverage in your area

A3. Unregistered Radio

This may be the case if you haven't used the radio in a long time.  Your radio may be disconnected from the network. contact your internal communications section/manager (or GRN Helpdesk) to have the radio checked.

A4. Network problem

The local GRN base site that provides coverage at your current location may be unavailable. The NOCC informs all users of any planned outages or network problems, but information may not have filtered down to those in the field.  Check with a colleague's radio (affiliated to the same site) if they are having a similar problem, or with your internal communications section/manager or dispatch centre who may have information from the GRN Helpdesk.

Your radio may have become disoriented from the network. Turn off your radio, and then back on. Your radio will then try to re-establish contact with the network. If this was the cause of your problem, you will now be able to communicate normally.

A5. Busy Network

In times of high usage, storms, floods & fires etc, users may experience short delays in transmitting calls & be placed in a queue. The system will then allocate resources and indicate to the user that their call can proceed. But the user may be distracted and interpret this as being unable to make or receive any calls.

A2. Faulty Radio

The antenna for your radio may be damaged. Turn off your radio and inspect the antenna and any cables linking your radio to its antenna for damage, and if found, contact your internal communications section/manager to have the radio repaired.

If the suggestions above do not work, it is likely that there may be a different / more serious fault within your radio.  Again, contact your internal communications section/manager to have the radio checked / repaired.

Q5. I am having trouble making calls,  I experience access delays, busies or lockouts.

A. Access delays, busies or lockouts may occur during times of high network usage, such as during storms, fires, emergencies, etc., and are the result of all bases at one or more sites (that are required for your call to proceed) being involved in other calls. They may also occur during times of network outages or interruptions to service. The GRN HelpDesk can advise if there are any events taking place on the network that may be resulting in the difficulties you are experiencing.

In many instances, the GRN HelpDesk may be able to reduce or eliminate access delays by giving users details of radio IDs on busy sites. It could be that one radio affiliated to a very busy site is causing most, if not all, of the busies being experienced by the talkgroup. By switching that radio to another less busy site, or requesting that radio be switched off, calls may proceed normally.

It must be remembered that regardless of radio numbers, the determining factor that increases the probability of receiving busies is the spread of radios across the network. If 10 radios are affiliated to a single site on the same channel, this consumes the same resources as a single radio. But if these 10 radios are each affiliated to different sites, then resources will be required at each and every one of these sites. The site with the least resources will determine network performance, regardless of the user being involved in a conversation or merely listening in.

Having trouble making calls may be the result of other problems (see possibilities listed in Q4 above).

Additionally, check the firmware version of the radio: See Firmware and Software Section for details.

Q6. If I get a busy indication and give up on the call and try again a minute later, I often get another busy indication. Why do I get so many?

A. The correct terminology for "busies" or "lockouts" is "access delays". The GRN does not work like the public telephone system (ie try again in a few minutes when you get a busy tone). When you attempt to make a call on the GRN and get the access delay signal, your call is placed in a queue. When you move up the queue and are given a channel to talk on, usually within a couple of seconds, you will hear a "beep-beep" sound indicating that you are now free to make your call. If you do not respond within a few seconds of hearing the "beep-beep" sound, you will lose your place in the queue and will need to start again.

In times of significant emergencies (such as the Sydney bushfires of 2001-2002), it is likely you will experience longer delays, especially if you are not one of the emergency service organisations involved in that emergency.

Q7. I used to get much better radio reception a couple of years ago from exactly the same location. Why?

A. Sometimes the environment changes eg a new multi-storey building goes up between you and the nearest GRN site, but more likely, parts of your radio have aged. Batteries lose their efficiency/capacity and affect radio performance, and antennae become worn or damaged or the antenna mounting has become dirty or corroded. Check with your communications manager who can compare your radio’s performance with another, and perhaps arrange to have your radio serviced. Your communications manager is also often in contact with the GRN HelpDesk and can investigate problems in cooperation with the GRN HelpDesk.

Q8. My radio has been stolen or recovered or damaged

A. Tell your communications manager who will contact the HelpDesk.

Q9. I need to connect a radio / radios.

A. Tell your communications manager who will contact the HelpDesk.

Q10. My radio is flashing "Out of Range"

A. You could be in an area of poor coverage, or outside the GRN coverage footprint.

The antenna for your radio may be damaged. Turn off your radio and inspect the antenna and any cables linking your radio to its antenna for damage, and if found, undertake repairs via a certified radio repairer, or via Motorola.

The local GRN base site that provides coverage at your current location may be unavailable. The NOCC informs all users of any planned outages or network problems, but information may not have filtered down to those in the field.

Your radio may have become disoriented from the network. Turn off your radio, and then back on. Your radio will then try to re-establish contact with the network. If this was the cause of your problem, you will now be able to communicate normally.

Q11. My radio is flashing "Site Trunking"

A. Your radio is affiliated to a GRN base site that is in "Site Trunking", meaning that you cannot contact members of your talkgroup that are affiliated to other sites, only those members who are on the same site as you. The reason for this is that the GRN site you are affiliated to has lost contact with the GRN Central site, most likely due to a failure in the network. If your radio comes into range of another GRN site that is in "Wide Area Trunking", your radio will automatically switch and affiliate to that site.

Q12. What is "Wide Area Trunking" ?

A. This is the normal mode of operation of the network, where calls can be made from the site you are affiliated to, to any radio that is also on a site that is in Wide Area Trunking.

Q13. My radio /radios are picking up unidentified voice transmissions / interference.

A. This is a serious problem that can be very difficult to pin-point (and therefore fix) by the Network Manager.  If this happens, please collect as much information as possible such as:

• Radios involved
• Your radio ID/serial number
• Your agency
• The talkgroup you were on
• Site you were affiliated to
• Exact time of interference
• Your location
• What you heard

and pass this information to the HelpDesk as soon as possible.

Q14. My radio is having problems making calls.

A. Check to see if a collegue is having the same problem - this will determine if it's a network or radio-specific problem, then contact the HelpDesk with as much information as possible such as:

• Your agency
• Your radio ID
• Other radios involved, and if they are having a similar problem
• Site you were affiliated to
• Nature of problem - constant / intermittent.