What is so great about "push to talk"

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Feldenak

Lifer
Jan 31, 2003
14,090
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81
It's so that everyone in your immediate viscinity can share in your wonderous conversation.
 
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boyRacer

Lifer
Oct 1, 2001
18,569
0
0
I have no freakin idea... i wish some of them would use the freakin internal speaker instead of the damn speakerphone. That beeping sh*t is annoying.
 
pyonir

pyonir

Lifer
Dec 18, 2001
40,856
321
126
Speaker phone is hella annoying...and so are two way radio cell phones.

(heheh....i just used hella)
 
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geckojohn

Diamond Member
Nov 28, 2000
4,679
0
0
yeah, it's so annoying. just use your phone. construction workers think they're so cool when they use this.
 
GeekDrew

GeekDrew

Diamond Member
Jun 7, 2000
9,099
19
81
Oh good god people...

My entire company uses Nextel PTT Technology. As does my entire family. We use it all the time for short communication - I can't describe what or why, but I am a lot more willing to beep someone via PTT than I am to call them.

A few months ago, as an example... it was convenient to have because I was in server room F-4, and my boss was in server room E-1 (an entirely different campus). One of our techs incorrectly applied an update to our servers... and thus, the first time one of them rebooted... it didn't want to come back up. It was just more convenient - for my boss and me, anyway - to use the 'walkie-talkie' function w/ speakerphone enabled, than it was to use the telephone. I don't like to make calls on speakerphone, because they run in full-duplex, and cause an insane echo. PTT is only half-duplex... which is something I like.

In that example, I did use the speakerphone. However, I am curtious... I mute speakerphone, leave the room, etc, when appropriate.

Drew
 
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Broohaha

Banned
Jan 4, 2001
3,973
0
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drew. sorry, geekdrew ;), can you explain a little how ptt is used? i'm specifically wondering how easy/difficult it is to CHOOSE the person that you want to PTT with? i.e. if ther are two dozen contacts listed on my phone, is it easy to initiate a PTT with them? and what if they're not there? what happens then? can you PTT only within your own wireless network or outside it too? thx.
 
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PlatinumGold

Lifer
Aug 11, 2000
23,168
0
71
I'm with you.

I don't get it at all. IF they aren't going to answer the cell phone for some reason, why would they respond to that stupid beep?

 
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geckojohn

Diamond Member
Nov 28, 2000
4,679
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Can you PTT someone who doesn't pickup and listen in on their background noise?

Also: how does the contacts list go? Can you ptt anyone in the US? or do they have to add you to their contact list also? THX
 
GeekDrew

GeekDrew

Diamond Member
Jun 7, 2000
9,099
19
81
PTT addressing is done via the phone's address book - exactly like on a cell phone's normal address book. It just shares the entry with the cell phone number. If you hit the call button, it calls them, and establishes a normal call. If you press PTT instead of call, then it "chirps" them - they just hear the single beep. So selection and addressing is done just as it would be for a normal call. If they are not there... then your PTT session dies... (I believe that there is a 10 second timeout on a PTT session... if no transmissions are made between the 2 phones, then the "call" dies.) nothing happens. You just won't get a response. And no, you do not have to be in their address book.

As I said: PTT is mandatory HALF duplex. You may only send to their phone; you cannot receieve from it. The remote user must be pressing their PTT key before anything on their end is sent to you.

As for PTTing between networks... it depends which networks you are talking about. You cannot currently bridge between vendor networks (Nextel may only speak to Nextel, etc). However, there are 'networks' defined in the geographical US... until about a month ago, you could not speak outside of your network. However, that was changed (as of July 15, I believe... I've done it so I know it's working).

I don't get it at all. IF they aren't going to answer the cell phone for some reason, why would they respond to that stupid beep?
Click to expand...
They wouldn't. That's not the intended purpose. There are 2 different PTT modes: CHIRP and ALERT. If you are making a normal call, their phone would ring like normal... which indicates that you must speak with them... you are demanding attention, as the phone does not stop ringing until answered, times out, or forwards to VM or another line. PTT follows a similar, but not identical, approach. If you select someone to talk to, and hit the PTT key, then they are sent a chirp - that's the beep that you all seem to have associated with satan. It's just that single chirp. Nothing else happens. You are not demanding attention - simply requesting it. For example, I would chirp my boss if I thought there was a possibility he was in a meeting. That is less intrusive than repetitive ringing, or an Alert. An alert is like a call ringing... A high pitch beep is emitted from the phone for several minutes... it's on a pattern, like a ring, and it has a time out (5 minutes maybe?). After that, the alert signal mutes itself. When an alert is receieved, whether muted or audible, a window is displayed on the phone that says "Alert Received from #####: Clear/OK". That window does not disappear until the user manually presses clear; they have thus been notified of the call. A chirp does not do that. After the single chirp, the call has been logged to the phone log, but no notice of the event is presented to the user that it ever happened.

Any more questions?

Drew
 
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