Method and apparatus for a distributive wide area network for a land mobile transmission trunked communication system

An alternate home channel for a land mobile transmission trunked communication system designates one of a plurality of repeaters for a given site or coverage zone as an alternate home repeater. The control signals transmitted over the subaudio band for all home channel repeaters in that site are also duplicatively transmitted over the subaudio band of the alternate home repeater. Each mobile transceiver will be programmed with two channel numbers. One for the home repeater and the other for the site alternate home repeater. When the power is turned on, the mobile transceiver determines which repeater to monitor by scanning both the home and alternate home channels. When a valid control message is detected on either channel, that channel becomes the monitor channel. Operation of the mobile transceiver is then generally similar to prior operation, with the exception that the monitor channel (either home or alternate home channel) is used instead of just the home channel.