Programming Cap+ into CP

This is the basic guide I follow to program Cap+ systems into my TRBO radios

1. Channel Pool

Zone -> Channel Pool

Add the repeater frequencies into the Channel Pool. This is done under Zone -> Channel Pool. Each one must be added as a Capacity Plus Voice Channel (and Data Channel as needed). I try to follow a logical naming convention by site-type for easy ID later on. For example:

SITE	TYPE	NAME
1 Mesa	Voice	S1V1 (or MesaV1)
1 Mesa	Voice	S1V2 (or MesaV2)
1 Mesa	Data	S1D1 (or MesaD1)
1 Mesa	Data	S1D2 (or MesaD2)
2 Tempe	Voice	S2V1 (or TempeV1)
2 Tempe	Data	S2D1 (or TempeD1)
3 Phoenix	Voice	S3V1 (or PhxV1)
3 Phoenix	Voice	S3V2 (or PhxV2)
3 Phoenix	Voice	S3V3 (or PhxV3)
3 Phoenix	Data	S3D1 (or PhxD1)
3 Phoenix	Data	S3D2 (or PhxD2)
3 Phoenix	Data	S3D3 (or PhxD3)

Either way I try to incorporate what site it is, it's function and put them in order by their Logical Channel Number (LCN), as these will be placed in Cap+ voice and data lists later on, so being able to quickly ID the information makes the programming much faster for me.

2. Voice & Data Lists

Capacity Plus Lists -> Voice (& Data as needed)

Next up is creating the voice and data lists. If you don't have dedicated data channels, don't create any data lists. This is done by creating a list for each site above. Each list would then list the channels. For example, the Mesa Site voice list would have 3 members from the table above. It's important to note the order of things, as you see ID on the far right side - this is the Logical Channel Number (LCN). In my example above, I have 2 voice channels for Mesa, and 2 data. So when adding a voice list for Mesa's site, the first frequency entered in the channel pool is LCN 1-2 and the second one is LCN 3-4. The order would continue for all channels at that site. These must match how the system is configured! Same would be done for data lists. The Phoenix Data list would have 3 members: S3D1, S3D2, S3D3. Each in order by LCN.

3. Contacts

Contacts -> Add New -> Capacity Plus -> Group Call

Next, I like to add my contacts to get this out of the way. I normally don't add individual radios for private calling, as many times this isn't required for the systems I deal with, so if that's something you need, then add them as needed. That said, add a new contact for each talk group you will be adding to your radio. Here is an example:

TG NAME	TG ID
Security	100
Parking	200
Front House	300
Back House	400
Servers	500
Guest Services	600
EVS	700
Maintenance	800

4. Capacity Plus RX Group List

RX Group Lists -> Capacity Plus RX Group List

An RX Group List (RGL) is essentially a collection of channels that a radio can monitor simultaneously. It's like having multiple "ears" tuned to different frequencies at once. This is particularly useful in scenarios where a user needs to stay aware of communications on multiple channels, such as:

• Dispatcher needing to monitor multiple dispatch channels
• Field personnel listening for calls from different departments
• Supervisors checking in on multiple teams

An RX Group List is static, once defined, it remains fixed. Channels cannot be added or removed dynamically, unlike a Flexible RX Group List (FGL) which channels can be added or removed on the fly

Next, I create my group lists, one for each of my talk groups from the table above. I simply use the talk group name for the channel list. Once the list is created, I add the talk group from the available list. Yes, you can add more than one talk group to the list, but keep in mind, this will allow both TG to be heard on the channel from the zone (think of it as a scan list, this is oversimplified but the jist of it).

Something to keep in mind is that you can only add 16 members to your RX Group Lists, each. Same goes for Flexible RX Lists. In the zone, you can add up to 160 channels.

5. Zone Channels

Zone ->Add New -> Capacity Plus Personality (or Capacity Plus Personality (Linked))

The last thing on my list is to create the zone and channels for that zone. Create a new zone, give it a name. Then create a channel with the type of Capacity Plus personality type you need.

Capacity Plus Personality

This option allows you to assign a specific Cap+ personality to a zone, and is usually the default option for most systems

Capacity Plus Personality (Linked)

This option allows you to link a zone to an existing Cap+ Personality. This means that the zone will automatically inherit the characteristics of the linked personality. When you select this option, you'll be prompted to select the Cap+ Personality that you want to link to the zone.

The key differences:

• Flexibility: The "Capacity Plus Personality" option provides more flexibility, as you can assign different personalities to different zones within the same system. This can be useful if you have specific requirements for certain zones
• Simplicity: The "Capacity Plus Personality Linked" option is simpler to configure, as you only need to specify the desired personality once. This can be helpful if you have a large number of zones to configure

Additional Considerations:

• When using the "Capacity Plus Personality Linked" option, any changes made to the linked personality will automatically be reflected in all zones that are linked to that personality
  

6. Site Lists

Capacity Plus Lists -> Capacity Plus Site List

The channels in the channel  pool is tied to the voice list. The voice list is tied to the site list. The Site list is tied to the personality. This is how the radio knows what frequency to use at which site.

This is where you define the individual sites in the system (see the table above). In my example, we have a system with 3 sites (Mesa, Tempe, Phoenix). Here is where you add each one, give it an alias (name), select it's voice and data lists, as well as define the default RX Group List. You can also define an RSSI threshold per site, or define a system wide one.

To define an RSSI value per site, check the box under the General section to be allowed to enter your RSSI values by site, otherwise, the default value you enter in the General section will be applied to all sites.

7. Profit!

With this guide you should be able to get a Cap+ system set up in the subscriber unit and get talking on the system just fine. As I get time I will refine this guide, and probably change the order of things around to match how it works (I think I got it close already). Write the radio and enjoy.