The invention relates to a method for controlling a subscriber station (MS1, MS2) operating on a direct mode channel in a mobile radio system, this mobile radio system comprising a radio network (107, 101, BS) with at least one base station (BS) and subscriber stations (MS1, MS3), and at least one subscriber database (DB), and further, at least one repeater station (RS), which forwards traffic between said at least one base station (BS) and the subscriber stations (MS1, MS2) operating on a direct mode channel; in which method a subscriber station (MS1) is registered in a radio network via a base station (BS), said subscriber station (MS1) transmits a detachment message to the base station, and indicates that it is switching to operate on a direct mode channel. In order that the radio network would be able to control and communicate with the subscriber station switched to the direct mode channel, the identifier of the repeater station (RS) via which repeater station (RS) the subscriber station (MS) operating on the direct mode channel can be reached by the radio network is transmitted to the radio network, and the identifier of the repeater station (RS) is stored in said at least one subscriber database (DB) of the radio network.