alkassell
Member
I am a volunteer firefighter, and looking for some help solving a problem. I have some ideas, but I'm an amateur, so I thought I'd give my scenario, and see if any one has a good solution, rather than trying to re-invent the wheel.
My department uses the Minitor V pagers, and occasionally I don't have enough signal to receive a page in my shop, which, as the only officer who is usually in town during the day, is a problem. I don't like the idea of putting my pager in an amplified charger, because I know myself well enough to know I will forget to take it with me ( I'm in and out a lot ). So my thoughts are to:
- Purchase a CDM 1250 or 1550 ( I have CPS ( Yes, legally), but would need to buy a cable - only have one for the HT's ), and program it to act as a pager with Quick call II. I can then run an antenna to the roof.
- Purchase a second pager and amplified base, and leave them in the shop. I read that the amplified base is only slightly better, but don't know if that's true. I could at least try to strategically place it, for better reception.
- I also have a Bendix-King GBH base radio that someone gave me, but I have no software, and have no idea if it's capable of being set up with something like quick call. If purchasing software ( legally! ) and a cable is cheaper than other solutions, maybe that's the way to go. I can post elsewhere to get more info on BK if this thread doesn't yield much.
I'm leaning towards the first option, even though I'd probably never transmit - when I get paged, I'm out the door before the tones are done, and my HT 1250 can reach dispatch once I'm outside and on my way to the FD or scene, it's just inside the building that reception is iffy.
If anyone has some other suggestions, I'm all ears. One constraint is budget - this is coming out of my pocket - so since I already have CPS through the FD I thought I'd stick to Motorola ( not sure if there are scanners that will do what I want, and be cheaper, if you factor in programming ). Another issue is that it's a metal fabrication shop, so I often have hearing protection on with lots of background noise, so it's got to be loud, or have a strobe ( the vibrate on the Minitor does get my attention when it's on my belt ). Also, I am new to the world of radios (Chief one day said 'You're in charge of updating the portables.' so I learned just enough to do that), so make sure to use small words
Thanks in advance.
My department uses the Minitor V pagers, and occasionally I don't have enough signal to receive a page in my shop, which, as the only officer who is usually in town during the day, is a problem. I don't like the idea of putting my pager in an amplified charger, because I know myself well enough to know I will forget to take it with me ( I'm in and out a lot ). So my thoughts are to:
- Purchase a CDM 1250 or 1550 ( I have CPS ( Yes, legally), but would need to buy a cable - only have one for the HT's ), and program it to act as a pager with Quick call II. I can then run an antenna to the roof.
- Purchase a second pager and amplified base, and leave them in the shop. I read that the amplified base is only slightly better, but don't know if that's true. I could at least try to strategically place it, for better reception.
- I also have a Bendix-King GBH base radio that someone gave me, but I have no software, and have no idea if it's capable of being set up with something like quick call. If purchasing software ( legally! ) and a cable is cheaper than other solutions, maybe that's the way to go. I can post elsewhere to get more info on BK if this thread doesn't yield much.
I'm leaning towards the first option, even though I'd probably never transmit - when I get paged, I'm out the door before the tones are done, and my HT 1250 can reach dispatch once I'm outside and on my way to the FD or scene, it's just inside the building that reception is iffy.
If anyone has some other suggestions, I'm all ears. One constraint is budget - this is coming out of my pocket - so since I already have CPS through the FD I thought I'd stick to Motorola ( not sure if there are scanners that will do what I want, and be cheaper, if you factor in programming ). Another issue is that it's a metal fabrication shop, so I often have hearing protection on with lots of background noise, so it's got to be loud, or have a strobe ( the vibrate on the Minitor does get my attention when it's on my belt ). Also, I am new to the world of radios (Chief one day said 'You're in charge of updating the portables.' so I learned just enough to do that), so make sure to use small words
Thanks in advance.
