A Talkgroup is the term given to assigned groups on a trunked radio system. Unlike a conventional radio

Conventional radio

In radio communication, a conventional radio is generally understood as being a system in which each group of talkers is assigned one frequency. This is usually contrasted to a trunked radio system, where talkgroups share a given group of frequencies....

 which assigns users a certain frequency

Radio frequency

Radio frequency is a rate of oscillation in the range of about 3 kHz to 300 GHz, which corresponds to the frequency of radio waves, and the alternating currents which carry radio signals...

, a trunk systems takes a number of frequencies allocated to the system. Then the control channel

Control channel

In radio communication, a control channel is a central channel that controls other constituent radios by handling data streams. It is most often used in the context of a trunked radio system, where the control channel sends data which coordinates users in talkgroups.In GSM networks, Control...

 coordinates the system so talkgroups can share these frequencies seamlessly. The purpose is to dramatically increase bandwidth. Many radios today treat talkgroups as if they were frequencies, since they behave like such. For example, on a radio scanner it is very common to be able to assign talkgroups into banks or lock them out, exactly like that of conventional frequencies.

Fleet maps and IDs

In some agencies, groups are assigned in a fleet map. This was implemented to make it easier to assign group ID numbers. For example, EMS would be on a separate 'fleet' than police. In those fleets are subfleets or the actual talkgroups. This system is not as common as the typical trunking method, but they do exist. In some communities the ID correspond to location or agency. For example, it is not uncommon to see a '1' or '2' in front of a police groups and another number in front of a fire group.

Scanning

Most scanners that can listen to trunked radio systems (called trunk tracking) are able to scan and store individual talkgroups just as if they were frequencies. The difference in this case is that the groups are assigned to a certain bank in which the trunked system is programmed. In other words, the talkgroups are stored on the trunked bank.