What is "ATG"?

[AlmostHandy]

In the database, several difference agencies have a talkgroup/frequency that is simply labeled "ATG".

I've searched the boards and there is nothing.

It's a bit vague for google, but several "Acronym" sites gave a few options, but I'm not sure.

My first thought was "Air to ground", but this didn't seem logical. There are other TG/Freq entries that are clearly labeled "Air To Ground", and not "ATG".


Can someone clear it up for me?

 

[Bentley]

Announcement Talk Group

used for announcements, as opposed to dispatch, tactical, detectives, etc.

 

[Jay911]

To clarify, an Announcement Talk Group (at least on a Motorola system, which is I think where the term originates) will override any other reception a radio is having, regardless of its channel settings (so long as the radio has that ATG programmed). Police local to me use it as a kind of a 'calling all cars' broadcast channel, to announce high-priority crimes and incidents, as well as officer mayday calls, etc.

Most agencies will have the ATG programmed into all their radios, so that every radio will receive when something is transmitted on that channel. Some police agencies will deliberately NOT program that into, say, SWAT team radios or drugs/vice/undercover units, as you would not want a tactical team member giving the go/no-go signal on a hostage incident to be overridden by a dispatcher announcing a bank robbery alarm 5 districts away, etc.

 

[icom1020]

I've seen it used on LTR systems for amusement parks and such to announce a lost child.

 

[mm]

ATG lets a trunking user transmit a message on every talkgroup of a specific trunking personality that's programmed in his or her radio.

For instance if a PD officers radio has lets say 50 individual talkgroups programmed in trunking personality #1 along with an ATG enabled talkgroup in the same personality, then when the officer switches to this announcement talkgroup the radio will transmit on all 50 talkgroups.

In short ATG lets the user transmit on one large channel which is made up of any number of individual talkgroups.

M

 

[AlmostHandy]

Ahh!! Very cool! Thank you everyone.

 

[wwhitby]

I've also seen it used to label conventional (non-trunked) frequencies as mutual aid frequencies.

Warren

 

[slicerwizard]

For instance if a PD officers radio has lets say 50 individual talkgroups programmed in trunking personality #1 along with an ATG enabled talkgroup in the same personality, then when the officer switches to this announcement talkgroup the radio will transmit on all 50 talkgroups.

No, it will only transmit on the announcement talkgroup.

 

[mikewazowski]

Isn't it a case of the announcement talkgroup belonging to a trunking personality and as long as the user is on one of the talkgroups within that personality, he will hear the announcement?

 

[Jay911]

Isn't it a case of the announcement talkgroup belonging to a trunking personality and as long as the user is on one of the talkgroups within that personality, he will hear the announcement?

Yeah, that's what I was trying to get at by saying it can be programmed into the radio. Radio 'personalities' can be a daunting concept for a radio user to wrap their brain around, let alone a scanner user who never has to look into a professional radio's programming.

 

[mm]

Yes isn't that what I said ? sorry, I may have phrased it to sound confusing.

An ATG transmission initiates the users transmission on the ATG and since other users radios are also programmed with the same talkgroups setup in a specific trunking personality, they will all receive the ATG call even if they are set to a different talkgroup.

 

[RKG]

ATG lets a trunking user transmit a message on every talkgroup of a specific trunking personality that's programmed in his or her radio.

For instance if a PD officers radio has lets say 50 individual talkgroups programmed in trunking personality #1 along with an ATG enabled talkgroup in the same personality, then when the officer switches to this announcement talkgroup the radio will transmit on all 50 talkgroups.

In short ATG lets the user transmit on one large channel which is made up of any number of individual talkgroups.

M

Not quite.

If the ATG is programmed into a subscriber's radio's trunking "personality," it will function more or less for the receipt of announcements as prior responders have described.

If the ATG is programmed as a selectable TG in a subscriber's radio, it will reach only those radios who are selected on a TG that is tagged to a personality that is tagged to that ATG.

A trunked system can have multiple ATGs.