Minitor Minitor 6 tones from scanner

[pvnh]

Hello all,
I had initially posed this question in a scanner forum as I didn't understand why I was getting different tones using the scanners tone for search function. I was helped into discovering what is likely the correct pair of tones. However now when programmed into the Minitor 6 pager, it does not alert, and I can not figure out what else to adjust. I have pasted the link for my original question below which got me to where I am.

BCT15X: - Tone out and Minitor 6

Hello all, I have been using my BCT15x's tone out for function to search for the EMS and group tones in town. Because what I have been putting into my minitor 6 is not alerting off these tones, I have a couple of days worth of data from the tone out function. I was wondering if anyone has any...

forums.radioreference.com

 

[cpg178]

Your tones may be off a bit, with the Minitor unless you have the exact tone pair it will most likely not go off.

 

[gary123]

I have set up a ton and a half of Minitor IV, V, VI. For the VI use these settings

channel BW = 25
reset = automatic
tone system = Motorola *Unless you know they are not using Motorola pagers
coding option = R168
tone 1 and 2 from the paging chart
* use your decoded tones and look for the nearest value
** the values you got should be within 1-2 hz maximum of the value in the chart.

https://www.sigidwiki.com/images/f/f3/Tone-signaling-charts.pdf *not endorsing this site

 

[pvnh]

I have updated the pager based on your suggestions. I know the town uses Minitor 5 pagers. I'll let you know if this works or not.

 

[ka3aaa]

you must hold on the dispatch frequency or talkgroup in order for the tone out to work properly, when scanning you may miss the tones being broadcast so the scanner cant decode them.

 

[cpg178]

I have set up a ton and a half of Minitor IV, V, VI. For the VI use these settings

channel BW = 25
reset = automatic
tone system = Motorola *Unless you know they are not using Motorola pagers
coding option = R168
tone 1 and 2 from the paging chart
* use your decoded tones and look for the nearest value
** the values you got should be within 1-2 hz maximum of the value in the chart.

https://www.sigidwiki.com/images/f/f3/Tone-signaling-charts.pdf *not endorsing this site

you set pagers to 25khz even on a narrowband channel?

 

[pvnh]

you must hold on the dispatch frequency or talkgroup in order for the tone out to work properly, when scanning you may miss the tones being broadcast so the scanner cant decode them.

That is a possibility that I did not think of yet, especially considering that the channel/tones I'm having an issue with is on my second priority of the priority scan list. I have not adjusted the priority scan time, would you recommend a longer one?

 

[cpg178]

Priority scan is designed to allow it to alert on the priority channel even if traffic is being received on the secondary, but I have had it fail to alert a few times. Have the pager sit solely on your primary channel to ensure it will alert with the tone pairs you programmed first, then if it still does not work move onto other possibilities. If you are a member of the department this pager is for just ask the chief or your depts radio guy what the tones are, much easier than guessing.

 

[pvnh]

I will attempt swapping the primary channels to test the pair. I turned down a Minitor 5 when I joined last year thinking that I could use the same 5 channel Minitor 6 for both. I did get frustrated and ask the chief for the tones pair but apparently that information is regulated by the town Police chief and not available to share? I did look at someone else's Minitor 5 because I vaguely remember carrying a Minitor 4 years ago that had a sticker on the back with the tones pair without luck. That's how I ended up asking strangers on the internet for help.

 

[pvnh]

Making the "problem" channel primary solved my issue. It activated for the noon test. I did not adjust the priority scan time. I am going to experiment next with probability scan. Thank you @cpg178

 

[cpg178]

I have a Min6 that sits on Silent scan basically 24/7 and I have had only 1 instance where it did not alert as a call came in on both channels at the same time and both had tones that were in my list. I am not familiar with probability scan, but glad you got it working.
I do not think that the secondary frequency in a priority scan list can alert

 

[pvnh]

I have a Min6 that sits on Silent scan basically 24/7 and I have had only 1 instance where it did not alert as a call came in on both channels at the same time and both had tones that were in my list. I am not familiar with probability scan, but glad you got it working.
I do not think that the secondary frequency in a priority scan list can alert

That's good to know. I used to regularly carry a Unication G5 (FD in town was VHF and PD was 800) and in that I went from priority scan to normal scan and it only missed alerting me once, but I heard about the call anyway because the PD was going. Not to mention that practically every department has an app or texts now as a backup/safety net.