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G4/G5 are not scanners

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tumegpc

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Now that we are getting a reality check, it is possible to design a radio that can receive P25 with virtually no LSM distortion. I think that we're being a little unfair to Unication. They designed the G4/G5 as a pager and not a scanner and there has been an increase of requests for additional features to be added.

When David with Unication announced the P25 II update, there we several posts about how the cost was too much and he should consider reducing it . We shouldn't be asking Unication to add or fix anything. We should be asking the two companies that have been in the scanner industry for decades to design a scanner that can handle LSM distortion like the G4/G5 and include a color display, bluetooth, loud audio, and able to withstand everyday use without the need of a bulky case.
 

troymail

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^ agree...:D

We've already seen alot of "why can't the Unication do this or that? It can't be that hard...".

Fact of the matter is that if Unication turned their pagers into scanners, the biggest complaint them would be "why can't it only handle P25 trunk systems? What about DMR? NXDN? legacy Motorola, EDACS, ProVoice..."

It would never end.
 

Haley

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I have nothing to add, I am in complete agreement with the both of you. I'm glad somebody said it. I'm just glad ( and actually surprised ) that Unification even cares or listens to us here at all. I have a lot of respect for David for coming on these forums and keeping us informed. Mike
 

mmckenna

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I agree.
While I don't own a Unication pager, it is interesting to read the threads.
The same complaints are coming from the amateur radio operators who have purchased Kenwood NX-5000 series LMR radios then get bent out of shape because Kenwood won't cater to the amateur radio crowd.

People buy products for various reasons without thinking it through very well. Rather than admit they did an impulse buy or didn't research the product, they'll blame the manufacturer.

Partially surprised there hasn't been someone try to start a "class action suit" or an "open letter to Unication" about this sort of stuff.

Drives me nuts when consumer/hobbyists start messing with the higher end commercial/public safety gear and then start bi†çhing when they won't do what the consumer/hobby radios do.
 

DJ11DLN

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Thinking back several years, Minitor III's retailed for well over $400. In 1992 dollars, that was considerably more than a G5 would cost today, and probably halfway to paying for the P.2 upgrade. For a pager that covered a single frequency on a single band, and opened to a single set of tones.

Seems to me that the G4/G5 are still pretty good values for what they do...just sayin'.
 

sefrischling

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The only thing I want from the G5 is to be able to monitor both 800 trunked and VHF conventional at the same time, not 800 or VHF. This would allow me to go from two pagers to one pager. Two towns are border towns, one department is both 800 P25 & 33mhz for dispatch , and the other town is VHF.

I don't care about the hold, or nuisance delete, or scanner features, I just want one pager that already supports both 800 and VHF to allow me to monitor both 800 and VHF at the same time.
 

RRR

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G4/G5 are not scanners.

I do believe the comfortable amount of sales from the "scanning" hobbyists, news media, etc. justify our input, weather you agree with it or not.

This whole thread is a moot point.
 

mmckenna

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I'm sure they'll welcome your input, but when some expect/demand that changes be made to benefit a market that the product was not intended for, it usually results in disappointment.

Lots of proof of that attitude on this site.

On the professional side of things, there are upgrades we need to equipment that are necessary to support our end users. When hobbyists want resources diverted to satisfy a recreational/entertainment use/function, it's annoying as he77 to those of us that work in the industry.
 

krokus

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I do believe the comfortable amount of sales from the "scanning" hobbyists, news media, etc. justify our input, weather you agree with it or not.

This whole thread is a moot point.
I doubt the numbers back that up. I am guessing that my county bought almost as many G4 as have been sold to people who want to use them in place of a scanner.

Sent via Tapatalk
 

IAmSixNine

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The only thing I want from the G5 is to be able to monitor both 800 trunked and VHF conventional at the same time, not 800 or VHF. This would allow me to go from two pagers to one pager. Two towns are border towns, one department is both 800 P25 & 33mhz for dispatch , and the other town is VHF.

I don't care about the hold, or nuisance delete, or scanner features, I just want one pager that already supports both 800 and VHF to allow me to monitor both 800 and VHF at the same time.

If you truly are on call for 2 different departments you need to have 2 different receivers. Just like a trunked system most of the time its never at capacity but during busy times it can be.
You as a responder need to be prepared for that busy time. If your busy scanning due to a storm coming through how will you know if your needed if your 1 device is busy scanning or tied up being paged by a neighboring department.
If you are worried about it you need to keep each dept dedicated to a device for paging purposes.
No device will monitor 2 different systems "at the same time" They monitor one, then switch to monitor the other, then back.
 

sefrischling

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If you truly are on call for 2 different departments you need to have 2 different receivers. Just like a trunked system most of the time its never at capacity but during busy times it can be.
You as a responder need to be prepared for that busy time. If your busy scanning due to a storm coming through how will you know if your needed if your 1 device is busy scanning or tied up being paged by a neighboring department.
If you are worried about it you need to keep each dept dedicated to a device for paging purposes.
No device will monitor 2 different systems "at the same time" They monitor one, then switch to monitor the other, then back.

If there is a storm coming through, or as we have them, hurricanes or blizzards, I am usually walking around with two different radios, or in my truck or at my desk, listening to everything, rather than relying on a Minitor pager. There are also texts and Active 911 alerts via my phone. Do they get toned out at the same time? Sometimes. But for being out at the grocery store, or walking on the beach, or getting ice cream with my kids, I'd like to knock it down to a single pager and this is an ideal way to do that.

I am a departmental photographer for what comes out to 8 departments in three towns, so I already have some logistical issues, but I'd really rather knock it down to a single pager for the basics, rather than walking around with two pagers, or two XTS3000 radios hanging off of me.

On a side note, the Minitor IV and V never had any issue monitoring two VHF departments or two Low Band departments at once. I can't recall a single time I missed a call because one department was being tone out at the same time as the other department.
 

IAmSixNine

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Makes sense. I still carry 2 devices for monitoring.
Where i live is UHF and neighboring cities are 700/800 trunking.
So never fails my primary radio is my APX7000 and my secondary is my XPR7550.
Yesterday when Dallas had the FF shot i had my desk loaded out so i could set each radio on a individual channel and not miss anything scanning. Co-worker heard the noise in my office and asked how i could understand it all. I said easy, hear that voice, its the helo pilot giving ground officers info, hear that voice, its the FD dispatcher providing staging info for the additional units responding.
Its neat to be able to put years of scanning to use like that. LOL
So i understand where your coming from. In this case your not an emergency responder, but get to respond to emergencies to photograph and document.
 

krokus

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On a side note, the Minitor IV and V never had any issue monitoring two VHF departments or two Low Band departments at once. I can't recall a single time I missed a call because one department was being tone out at the same time as the other department.

But that is one receiver, only changing frequency a few MHz, to one audio path. Not two receivers, being coupled to one audio path, with a large gap in frequencies. (Even if it is one receiver, it takes time retune.)

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sefrischling

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But that is one receiver, only changing frequency a few MHz, to one audio path. Not two receivers, being coupled to one audio path, with a large gap in frequencies. (Even if it is one receiver, it takes time retune.)

I'll take my chances. I'd like to try and pair down to a single pager instead of two on my hip.
 
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