It is possible to migrate your analogue radio system to a digital system without total replacement of all equipment at the same time, thereby spreading capital costs over time. Migrating this way will allow you to realise only some of the benefits of digital radios until all equipment has been changed to digital.

How?.
All current models of digital radios (as of 2014) also can be set to work in analogue mode so they can communicate with both analogue and digital systems. They cannot however talk to both analogue and digital radios at the same time.

The Radio Options - How it works.
Digital Radios can be used in purely analogue mode until all analogue radios have been replaced with digital radios.

Or

Digital radios can talk to both analogue and digital radios but the user will need to decide if they will make the call in analogue or digital mode.

  • (Calls made in digital mode will not be heard by analogue radios).
  • (Calls made in analogue mode will be heard by all radios).
  • Only digital features such as Emergency and Text messaging will only work between digital radios.

Repeater Options - How it works.
All current models of digital repeaters (as of 2014) also can be set to work in analogue and digital mode (mixed mode) so they will repeat both analogue and digital traffic. They cannot however talk to both analogue and digital radios at the same time.

  • If your radio system operates through an existing analogue repeater then all traffic must be analogue.
  • If you migrate to a digital repeater then the repeater will repeat whatever it hears, analogue or digital.

External aerials and Duplex filters do not normally need to be changed.