Zone & Channel Details
See all of the programmed settings for a single channel, organized into sections.
This screen is the complete programming for one channel, written out in labeled sections you can read top to bottom: where the channel sits, its frequencies, its squelch on receive and transmit, its talkgroup or system, its identity, and its display profile. A second tab lists the radio's menu items for that channel's type, and a menu option compares this channel against another codeplug to find the same channel on a different radio.
Overview
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Header | The channel name |
| Details tab | The channel's full programming, section by section. This is the tab the screen opens on. |
| Menu Items tab | The radio's menu items for this channel's type, loaded the first time you open the tab |
| Three-dot menu | Opens the single option, Compare |
| Back | Returns to the channel list |
The active tab's label turns red and gains an underline. You can tap a tab or swipe left and right between them, and the screen keeps its place when you rotate the device.
Empty fields are never shown. A section whose fields are all empty is left out completely, so two channels of the same type can show a different number of sections.
Getting Here
- From the Home screen, open References and select Communications.
- Choose a codeplug on Radio Info to open the hub.
- Open a channel list, either through Zones and then a zone, or through Channels and then an occurrence row.
- Tap the channel. This screen opens, titled with the channel name.
Reading the Details Tab
The sections always appear in this order, and only the ones with data are shown.
Channel
Shown for every channel type.
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Zone | The zone number and zone name where this copy of the channel lives |
| Channel # | The channel's position within that zone — the number you dial |
| Top Display | What the radio shows on its top display line for this channel |
| Mode | The channel's operating mode |
| Digital | Yes or No |
| Active | Only shown, as No, when the channel is not active |
Frequencies
Shown when the channel has a receive or transmit frequency. Values are printed to four decimal places.
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| RX | Receive frequency in MHz |
| TX | Transmit frequency in MHz |
| Direct | Only shown when direct/talkaround is enabled; shows the direct frequency, or Enabled when no separate frequency is programmed |
Squelch
A two-column block with RX on the left and TX on the right, so you can compare the two directions at a glance. Rows appear only when one of the directions has a value, and the rows shown depend on the squelch type.
| Row | Appears when | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Always, once a squelch type is known | The squelch type for that direction, such as CSQ, PL, DPL, NAC, or MPL |
| PL Freq | Type is PL | The tone frequency, printed to one decimal place in Hz |
| PL Code | Type is PL | The tone's code, when programmed |
| DPL Code | Type is DPL | The digital code |
| DPL Invert | Type is DPL and invert is set | Yes |
| NAC | Type is NAC | The network access code |
| MPL | Type is MPL on either side | A full-width note reading User-selectable (MPL), or RX: User-selectable (MPL) / TX: User-selectable (MPL) when only one direction uses it |
| Squelch type | What you will see |
|---|---|
| CSQ (carrier squelch) | Just the type — there is no tone or code |
| PL | Type plus the tone frequency, and a code when programmed |
| DPL | Type plus the digital code, and DPL Invert when inverted |
| NAC | Type plus the network access code |
| MPL | Type plus the user-selectable note — the actual tone is chosen on the radio |
Values that do not belong to the active squelch type are deliberately hidden, so a channel that once carried leftover tone data does not show a tone it will never use. When a squelch value is missing, the app falls back to the channel's own summary string to fill in the type and value.
Talkgroup — trunking channels only
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Talkgroup Name | The talkgroup's name |
| TG ID (Dec) | Talkgroup ID in decimal |
| TG ID (Hex) | The same ID in hexadecimal |
System
The fields differ by channel type.
| Trunking channel field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Personality | The trunking personality the channel uses |
| Trunked System | The trunked system it belongs to |
| System ID (Hex) | The system's ID |
| WACN (Hex) | The wide area communications network ID |
| Coverage Type | The coverage type programmed for the system |
| Connect Tone (Hz) | The system connect tone |
| Conventional channel field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Personality | The conventional personality the channel uses |
| RX Signal Type | Receive signalling type |
| TX Signal Type | Transmit signalling type |
| Conventional System | The conventional system it belongs to |
| System Type | The system type |
| Frequency Option | The frequency option the channel points at |
| Bandwidth | The channel bandwidth |
Security — trunking channels only
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Secure/Strap | Whether the channel is strapped secure or clear |
| Key Select | The encryption key position selected |
Identity
Shown for every channel type. These values are printed in a fixed-width style so long strings stay readable.
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| RF Match Key | The key used to match this channel against channels in other codeplugs |
| Canonical String | A compact summary of the channel's RF identity, including receive, transmit, and both squelch settings |
| Channel UID | The channel's unique identifier |
Profile
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Radio Profile | The radio profile assigned to the channel |
| Backlight Color | The backlight color the radio shows for this channel |
Reading the Menu Items Tab
- Tap Menu Items, or swipe left.
- The menu items for this channel's type are loaded the first time you open the tab — trunking items for a trunking channel, conventional items for a conventional one.
- Each row shows the menu item's name in bold with its description underneath.
- Tapping a row does nothing; the tab is a lookup list.
This is the same set of menu items as the Menu Items screen, filtered to the channel type you are looking at, so you do not have to remember which tab to use.
Comparing This Channel Against Another Codeplug
Compare answers a very practical question: does another agency's radio have this same channel, and under what name?
- Tap the three-dot menu and choose Compare.
- The compare card opens with a codeplug picker at the top, already set to the first codeplug other than the one you are reading.
- Tap the picker to choose a different codeplug.
- Tap the run action. The card checks the other codeplug for channels that match this one's RF identity.
| Result | What the card says |
|---|---|
| Exact matches | A green banner reading Exact Matches (n) with the note Identical channel identity — same frequency, squelch, and mode. |
| Close matches | An amber banner reading Maybe / Close Matches (n) with the note Same RX/TX frequency, but squelch/tone or mode differs — verify before relying on it. |
| Nothing found | No banner and no list |
- Matches are grouped by zone, with a header reading the zone number and name.
- Each row under a zone shows the channel position and name, a colored type badge (Trk in blue, conventional in green), and a match note where one applies.
- Tap the cancel action to close the card.
Treat close matches as unverified. The same pair of frequencies with a different tone or mode will not talk to the other agency reliably, which is exactly what the amber note is warning you about — confirm with the other agency before you rely on it.
Loading, Empty, and Error States
| State | What you see |
|---|---|
| Loading | A loading indicator while the channel is fetched or read |
| Details could not be understood | "Unable to parse channel details." |
| Request failed | An alert with the message returned by the server |
| Codeplug not downloaded, no connection | "This channel isn't available offline." |
| Channel not present in the local copy | A short message reading Channel not in this codeplug |
| Menu Items tab empty | The codeplug has no menu items for that channel type |
How This Connects
- Where the details come from. The channel is looked up by itself, separately from the list you came from. With a connection it is fetched for that one channel; with no connection it is read from the downloaded codeplug on your device — see Radio Info.
- How you got here. Both the per-zone list and the unique channel list open this screen, described in Channels and Zones. The Zone and Channel # fields at the top are the same numbers those lists show.
- MPL is a pointer, not a value. When the Squelch block says User-selectable (MPL), the tone is chosen on the radio from the MPL positions listed in MPL Radio List and explained in MPL Configuration. Read the entry's fields in MPL Radio Detail.
- Compare crosses codeplugs. It is the one place in Communications that reads two codeplugs at once, using the channel's RF Match Key and canonical identity. Offline it compares against a downloaded codeplug, so both codeplugs must be on the device.
- Menu items and controls. The Menu Items tab is a filtered view of Menu Items; what the physical buttons do for this channel type is in Buttons & Switches.
- Used with incidents. When a comms plan names a channel, this screen confirms its frequencies, tones, and talkgroup before you transmit — see Incident Comms Tab.
- Offline and reconnect. Details, menu items, and Compare all work offline for downloaded codeplugs. When the connection returns, go back to the list and reopen the channel to fetch the current version.
Troubleshooting
| If this happens | What to do |
|---|---|
| "Unable to parse channel details." | The record could not be read. Go back and reopen the channel; if it persists, try another channel to confirm the codeplug loaded. |
| Channel not in this codeplug | The channel does not exist in the local copy you are reading. Check you opened the right codeplug. |
| Sections you expected are missing | Those fields are empty in the codeplug. Only sections with data are shown. |
| The Squelch block shows only Type | The type is carrier squelch, which has no tone or code. |
| User-selectable (MPL) and no tone | That is by design — the tone is picked on the radio. See the MPL pages. |
| A trunking channel shows no frequencies | Trunking channels usually carry no channel frequency; the system does. |
| The Menu Items tab is empty | The codeplug holds no menu items for that channel type. |
| Compare shows no codeplug to pick | Only one codeplug is available. Open another codeplug once so it is downloaded, then try again. |
| Compare finds nothing | No channel in the other codeplug matches this RF identity. Check the frequencies by hand before assuming. |
| Amber close matches | The frequencies line up but the tone or mode differs. Verify before relying on it. |
Related Pages
⬅️ Previous: Zones | Next: Radio Info ➡️