Shout Lines

Shout lines enable quick coordination between facilities. They appear on the grid like regular channels but ring positions at another facility.

What are Shout Lines?

Shout lines are inter-facility communication buttons. When you click a shout line, it rings positions at the target facility, allowing quick coordination without knowing specific callsigns.

Example: ZAB has a shout line to ZLA

    ZAB Controller                    ZLA Facility
    +------------+
    |    ZLA     |  ───[SHOUT]───►   ABQ_16_CTR rings
    |   (red)    |                    (or any online position)
    +------------+

Bidirectional shout lines work both ways:

    ZAB                               ZLA
    +------------+                    +------------+
    |    ZLA     |  ◄──────────────►  |    ZAB     |
    +------------+                    +------------+
            

Shout Lines Tab Layout

+----------------------+----------------------------------------+
| + New Shout Line     |  New Shout Line                        |
|----------------------|                                        |
| [Search...]          |  Target Facility: [ZLA - Los Angeles ▼]|
|                      |  Target Position: [ABQ_16_CTR ▼       ]|
| ZLA (←→)             |                                        |
|   Los Angeles Center |  Display Name: [ZLA Shout        ]     |
|   [Delete]           |  Short Name:   [ZLA              ]     |
|----------------------|                                        |
| ZDV (→)              |  Color: [■][■][■][■][■][...]           |
|   Denver Center      |                                        |
|   [Delete]           |  Pages: [✓ Main] [✓ Page 2] [ Page 3]  |
|----------------------|  Grid Positions:                       |
| ...                  |    Main: [11]                          |
|                      |    Page 2: [11]                        |
|                      |                                        |
|                      |  Ring Time: [30] seconds               |
|                      |  [✓] Bidirectional                     |
|                      |                                        |
|                      |  [Cancel]           [Create]           |
+----------------------+----------------------------------------+
     Shout Line List                  Shout Line Editor
            

Creating a Shout Line

1. Click + New Shout Line
2. Select the Target Facility
3. Optionally select a Target Position
4. Configure display name, color, and pages
5. Enable Bidirectional if you want a reverse shout line
6. Click Create

Shout Line Fields

Color Presets

Click a preset color or use the color picker for a custom color:

Target Position Options

All Positions (Facility-Wide)

Leave Target Position empty to ring any online position at the target facility. The first available online position will receive the call. Useful for general coordination when you don't need a specific sector.

Specific Position

Select a specific position to route the call to that position. When a target position is set, the call uses the consolidation hierarchy at the target facility to find the appropriate online position.

Useful for:

• TMU coordination (e.g., always route to ZAB_TMU)
• Supervisor contact
• Specific sector handoffs (e.g., ABQ_16_CTR)

Position Routing and Consolidation

When a shout line targets a specific position, calls are routed through the target facility's consolidation hierarchy:

Shout line targets: PHX_GND

1. PHX_GND online?
   ├─ YES → Call goes to PHX_GND
   └─ NO  → Walk UP hierarchy

2. Parent (PHX_A_APP) online?
   ├─ YES → Call goes to PHX_A_APP
   └─ NO  → Continue UP

3. Grandparent (ABQ_16_CTR) online?
   ├─ YES → Call goes to ABQ_16_CTR
   └─ NO  → Walk DOWN from target

4. Any child of PHX_GND online?
   ├─ YES → Call goes to first online child
   └─ NO  → No available positions
            

Example: ZLA Shout Line to ZAB

A shout line from ZLA targeting PHX_GND at ZAB:

• If PHX_GND is online → call rings at PHX_GND
• If PHX_GND is offline but PHX_A_APP is online → call rings at PHX_A_APP
• If both are offline but ABQ_16_CTR is online → call rings at ABQ_16_CTR
• If PHX_GND, PHX_A_APP, and ABQ_16_CTR are all offline but ABQ_TWR (child of PHX_A_APP) is online → call rings at ABQ_TWR

Bidirectional Shout Lines

When Bidirectional is enabled:

• A matching shout line is automatically created at the target facility
• Both facilities can call each other using their respective shout buttons
• The reverse shout line uses the same settings (mirrored names)

Bidirectional shout lines are shown with a double arrow indicator (←→) in the list.

Grid Position per Page

Shout lines can appear on multiple pages at different grid positions:

1. Select multiple pages using the checkboxes
2. Set the grid position (0-11) for each selected page
3. Grid positions are independent per page

Editing Shout Lines

Click a shout line in the list to edit it. You can modify:

• Display Name
• Short Name
• Color
• Pages and grid positions
• Ring Time

Cannot be changed: Target Facility, Target Position, Bidirectional setting.

Deleting Shout Lines

1. Click the shout line in the list
2. Click the Delete link
3. Confirm the deletion

List Indicators

Related Topics

• Channel Grid Editor - Shout lines appear alongside channels
• Making Calls - How shout lines work for users