Understanding Privacy Lines, Subchannels & Tones

[H8SPVMT]

Other radios on the same frequency will be evident when they transmit by looking at the receiver signal indicator on your radio when they key up the mike as well.  You won't know what PL they are using, you'll just know someone within your range is transmitting.  That has been my experience.

 

[PACNWComms]

16 hours ago, Sbsyncro said:

does the "strongest signal win"

This is a reason why trunking in various forms, as well as additional waveforms have been created. Imagine this happening in a war zone where many of the participants have two or three radios all trying to communicate within the same spectrum. It can be like having hundreds of GMRS radios operating in an area with all the receivers set for CSQ. Then you add some with PL tones, and have your experience. However, there is still RF, on frequency. This can have a negative effect when you get a lot of users in close proximity, strongest radio usually wins.

Then with newer digital waveforms and encryption (military radios) some can suppress their carriers into the noise floor, frequency hop, and use different modulation to act like different types of PL tones to clean up the mess a bit. Some of this technology is also experienced in commercial radio, Motorola Trbo series with RAS keys, and Basic Pricavy settings for example. But, in simple terms, strongest signal usually wins (except in P25, where a cheap low power Baofeng can knock out a site, due to the term "assured [voice] communications").