firefighter89
Member
Does anyone know of a place in Spartanburg that could set up my Minitor II?
Pager Programming
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rescuecomm
Member
Minitor II setup = crystals and reeds.
What freq and tones? There may be some junk stuff around here if it matches up.
Bob
What freq and tones? There may be some junk stuff around here if it matches up.
Bob
firefighter89
Member
Frequency: 154.3100
Tones: 1925.0 and 2932.0
Tones: 1925.0 and 2932.0
rescuecomm
Member
We won't have anything close to those freqs and tones. Check the local radio shops in Spartanburg, they may have some dead ones with good crystals and parts left. Morris Communication has a shop there. Could be worth a stop by one day just to see.
Bob
Bob
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There is a place off of California ave, sorry can't remember the name, that can program pagers and radios.
I think it is R and R or something like that. They programed some radios for me and some buddies and told us that they can program the pagers to. It is run by firefighters and only open after 6:00 pm
I think it is R and R or something like that. They programed some radios for me and some buddies and told us that they can program the pagers to. It is run by firefighters and only open after 6:00 pm
You would probably spend less time and money by just purchasing a Minitor 3, 4, or 5 off of ebay. That way you could program it any way you want as often as you want.
Minitor II upfit - Technician time ($90/hr), crystal ($25), reeds ($25/ea) if you can find them...it adds up.
Minitor 3 on ebay with free programming....$150.
Minitor II upfit - Technician time ($90/hr), crystal ($25), reeds ($25/ea) if you can find them...it adds up.
Minitor 3 on ebay with free programming....$150.
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rescuecomm
Member
Sort of my thinking too if you don't have an inside to someone that has free parts. We just retire the Minitor II's when they develope problems. Our tones are 3** and 4** something, so I can't help with that.
Bob
Bob
firefighter89
Member
I'm thinking about selling my Minitor II because I'm about to buy a portable radio and the one I'm looking at does QCII tones.
Where do you get those numbers from? Way wrong.
MII crystal = $8 used, $12 new
MII active tone filter = $10 - $12.50 each
$29 to get a MII crystal changed, which includes the price of a new crystal AND the labor to install and tune the pager
You're looking at $55 for the crystal change/labor plus two active tone filters (they don't use reeds, those were the old Vibrasponders in the original Minitor). Minitor II's are going for around $50 or less on ebay these days. That means you're right around $100 for a RELIABLE pager, not a piece of garbage like the III and IV were.
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Here's one for sale already set to 154.310 $40 BIN
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=220307366622
And this guy has both a 2932.0 and 1930.2 (can be substituted just fine for 1925.0) active filters, $25 for both
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=150307745273
So you could have everything you need for $65 + shipping. Half the price of a POS III or IV.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=220307366622
And this guy has both a 2932.0 and 1930.2 (can be substituted just fine for 1925.0) active filters, $25 for both
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=150307745273
So you could have everything you need for $65 + shipping. Half the price of a POS III or IV.
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firefighter89
Member
Can I install the crystals and tone filters myself or would I need to take it to a radio shop? I have found places online that sell the tone filters and crystal I need.
No, you can't install the frequency crystal yourself because the pager must be tuned afterwards using special equipment that costs $$$$$. The tone filters pop right in and out, no problem.
If I were in your shoes, here are the two options I would consider:
- If the Minitor II you currently have is in good working shape and is in the same bandsplit as 154.310, you could send it to G&G Communications in NY (link below) to have the frequency crystal changed to 154.310 for $30 + shipping
or
- Buy the one I linked you to which is already set to the frequency you need, then sell the one you currently have once you're all good to go
Either way you still have to buy the tone filters, obviously. Like I said, 1930.2 will substitute just fine for 1925.0
http://www.iinc.com/ggcomm/pager.html.
If I were in your shoes, here are the two options I would consider:
- If the Minitor II you currently have is in good working shape and is in the same bandsplit as 154.310, you could send it to G&G Communications in NY (link below) to have the frequency crystal changed to 154.310 for $30 + shipping
or
- Buy the one I linked you to which is already set to the frequency you need, then sell the one you currently have once you're all good to go
Either way you still have to buy the tone filters, obviously. Like I said, 1930.2 will substitute just fine for 1925.0
http://www.iinc.com/ggcomm/pager.html.
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rescuecomm
Member
"That means you're right around $100 for a RELIABLE pager, not a piece of garbage like the III and IV were."
I don't know what frequency and area res6cue_dot_com was using the Motorola gear in, but our squad has relied on Motorola pagers for over 25 years. Over the last 21 years, I have used a Minitor II, then a III, then a IV and now have a V. Calling the lastest units garbage is a little out there to be fair. Most of ones issued to me were switched out not for failure, but due to the practice of giving the newest gear to the most active members.
Even our small squad has too many radios in operation (4 mobiles, 26 HT's, 18 pagers) to rely on communications gear that is no longer factory supported. Firefighter89 setting up his own radio gear is another situation. I have brought radios back from the dead for my own use many times. However, as long as my squad has the money, if a radio that is 10 years old dies, it hits the junkbox and a new one is purchased. If we didn't have any funds, then I would try to work on them or replace them with ebay items.
You are correct about the Minitor 3 pagers being the least reliable of the group. Our main repairs on them were replacement of the case/clip after the widebodies knocked them off sitting down in chairs.
Bob
I don't know what frequency and area res6cue_dot_com was using the Motorola gear in, but our squad has relied on Motorola pagers for over 25 years. Over the last 21 years, I have used a Minitor II, then a III, then a IV and now have a V. Calling the lastest units garbage is a little out there to be fair. Most of ones issued to me were switched out not for failure, but due to the practice of giving the newest gear to the most active members.
Even our small squad has too many radios in operation (4 mobiles, 26 HT's, 18 pagers) to rely on communications gear that is no longer factory supported. Firefighter89 setting up his own radio gear is another situation. I have brought radios back from the dead for my own use many times. However, as long as my squad has the money, if a radio that is 10 years old dies, it hits the junkbox and a new one is purchased. If we didn't have any funds, then I would try to work on them or replace them with ebay items.
You are correct about the Minitor 3 pagers being the least reliable of the group. Our main repairs on them were replacement of the case/clip after the widebodies knocked them off sitting down in chairs.
Bob
The V's are an improvement over the III/IV, but on sheer performance, no synthesized unit is going to outperform a crystal controlled one. The V's still have their share of issues, such as the tendency to false alert. It was enough of an issue that Motorola had to include in the software a "Falsing Alert Adjustment" screen whereby you were able to decrease the decode sensitivity. The drawback to that is the pager is less likely to alert properly in fringe reception areas. By comparison, the II would often still alert even when the RF wasn't enough to open squelch.
The III and IV series were junk. Made in Taiwan, and not by Motorola. In fact, save for a few external parts like the knobs, they were identical inside. There are many IV's out there that, if you open them up, have circuit boards with "Minitor III" printed on them. Both models had a well documented problem with the circuit board flexing, which would detach the decoder IC and the pager would thus not alert.
I do agree that it's quite impractical for an agency to keep gear around that hasn't been supported in years and to which parts are just about impossible to find anymore. However for personal use, you can find some great deals on used units that have many years of service left in them.
All in all, I feel that because the II is a better performing unit than the later released models, and can be had relatively cheap, it remains a viable option for someone looking for a reliable pager.
The III and IV series were junk. Made in Taiwan, and not by Motorola. In fact, save for a few external parts like the knobs, they were identical inside. There are many IV's out there that, if you open them up, have circuit boards with "Minitor III" printed on them. Both models had a well documented problem with the circuit board flexing, which would detach the decoder IC and the pager would thus not alert.
I do agree that it's quite impractical for an agency to keep gear around that hasn't been supported in years and to which parts are just about impossible to find anymore. However for personal use, you can find some great deals on used units that have many years of service left in them.
All in all, I feel that because the II is a better performing unit than the later released models, and can be had relatively cheap, it remains a viable option for someone looking for a reliable pager.
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