Field Guide · protocol

Also known as: P25 Phase 2, P25 Phase II, Phase 2 P25

P25 Phase 2 is the second-generation air interface of Project 25, using two-slot TDMA to carry two simultaneous voice conversations in a single 12.5 kHz channel — effectively 6.25 kHz per call.1

time → · one 12.5 kHz channel, 2 slots 121212
P25 Phase 2 uses two-slot TDMA, fitting two calls in one 12.5 kHz channel.

Overview

Phase 2 was introduced to meet spectrum-efficiency goals. Where Phase 1 gives each call its own frequency, Phase 2 divides a traffic channel into two repeating timeslots, doubling capacity. It uses the more efficient AMBE+2 vocoder and a phase-shift modulation (H-DQPSK on the outbound link, H-CPM on the inbound).

Technical characteristics

Property Value
Access TDMA, 2 slots
Channel 12.5 kHz (6.25 kHz equivalent capacity)
Modulation H-DQPSK (outbound) / H-CPM (inbound)
Vocoder AMBE+2 (half-rate)
Control channel Usually a C4FM Phase 1 control channel

A common deployment keeps a C4FM Phase 1 control channel while voice traffic uses Phase 2 TDMA slots.

History

Phase 2 was standardised by the TIA to follow narrowbanding and spectrum-efficiency mandates, and has been deployed on large metropolitan and statewide systems since the early 2010s.1

Deployment

Phase 2 is widely used by busy urban public-safety systems where channel capacity is at a premium, frequently mixed with Phase 1 on the same network.

Decoding it with GopherTrunk

GopherTrunk follows the control channel, tunes to the assigned Phase 2 traffic channel and slot, and decodes the AMBE+2 voice. See Status.

Sources

  1. Project 25 — Wikipedia, for the P25 Phase 2 two-slot TDMA air interface, H-DQPSK/H-CPM modulation, the AMBE+2 vocoder, and TIA standardisation.  2

See also