I Have MDC1200, What Now?

I have MDC1200, what now?

The first thing you want to do is program your radio's PTT-ID.

What is a PTT-ID?

A PTT-ID (sometimes called ANI) is a unique number that identifies your radio when you talk. Around here, we use a simple system:

The first number tells which of your radios you're on:

0 → Primary base station

1 → Primary mobile

2 → Primary handheld (HT)

3+ → Any other radios you own (some people reuse ID's to keep things simple, like using 1 for all their mobiles. You could use 3 on up to specify a base station at a specific location like work or school or something.)

The last three numbers are taken from your callsign (for GMRS).

Should You Use BOT or EOT?

Most people prefer EOT (End of Transmission), but it's actually better to use BOT (Beginning of Transmission).

BOT (Beginning of Transmission) → Your ID shows as soon as you key up and stays for the duration of your transmission, so the recipient immediately knows who's talking. But you have to wait a second before speaking. (Thankfully most radios will beep when it's done.)

EOT (End of Transmission) → Your ID only appears after you finish talking, which isn't as useful. However you don't have to worry about waiting.

Aliasing – Make Names Appear Instead of Numbers

With aliasing, you can assign a name to someone’s MDC1200 ID. So instead of seeing just a number, you’ll see their actual name when they transmit—making it much easier to know who’s talking.

Selective Calling – Get Someone’s Attention Directly

One of the coolest features is Selective Calling. This lets you send an alert to a specific person's radio, letting them know you have something important to say.

MDC1200 is pretty awesome, giving you better radio communication with clear identification, name tagging, and direct alerts! 

Bonus Tip! A lot of people dislike the use of MDC1200 or similar signalling of HAM bands, especially on repeater or calling frequencies. However, if your running simplex with friends or something like that, it can be a usefull tool. To get the last three digits, I take the last letters of my callsign, and look at a phone and see what numbers the letters equate to. So for KJ5KEF, KEF=533.