New G4 Audio Concerns

[jackculb]

It is normal to have loud hissing audio always while audio is playing? It is only when the audio is playing. It mutes after the talking finishes. This "air" noise when the internal amp turns on is the same at high and low volumes (very annoying).

The air "hissing" sound remains the same so very prevalent at low volume, making it all but impossible to listen at low volume. In fact to understand the traffic you need to listen at 50+or greater (often times 65 or greater, which is not ideal when you just want to quietly listen and not disturb others). This is listening to P25 Type 1 OHIO MARCS system.

I scoured the forums and found one other forum entry with this issue going back to 2017 however none since. Since my unit is new and I just received it last week I wondered if I received is a lemon? Everyone seems to rave how much better the audio is on the Unication G4/G5 compared to the Uniden SDS series however that is not the case with mine. I have had a SDS-200 and have a Whistler WS1080 and a Pro-197 that I can listen to the same system at quiet volume and hear/understand the conversation and both without a loud background hissing noise.

I tried to re-install the latest 1.31 firmware to no avail. I even tried the three-button reset.

 

[Enjoi19]

It's a thing on mine as well, got the unit maybe a month ago - though doesn't bother me much at this point. Seems less noticeable when the unit isn't super close to you. From what I've gathered it's the amplifier. I've contemplated some Bluetooth earbuds to use with it, though I mostly clip it to the visor in my car and run it at a decent volume.

 

[N6ML]

There definitely is significant hiss, that's independent of the volume control. Whether or not it's considered "loud" is somewhat subjective. It irritates me because I want to keep my pager on, but with the volume turned all the way to 0 when I'm working in my office (I don't want to listen to all of the medical dispatch traffic, but if there's a fire incident, I want to be able to replay the recording). The hiss is loud enough to be distracting when I'm working. I've not really thought of it as loud enough to drown out the real audio, though. My workaround is a separate knob position with Alert Mode set to Tone (but I have no tones configured), which effectively mutes the audio, but still records.

What sets the Gx pages apart from scanners like the SDS-x00 is far superior receiver performance, especially on weak signals, and susceptibility to interference. Some people miscategorise this as "better audio". I would say that the Gx audio is mediocre, personally. It's OK for a quiet office environment (aside from the hiss), but practically unusable at a noisy fire scene. I wouldn't say the SDS-100 has stellar audio either, though (compared to, say, a Moto APX).

 

[tglendye]

I hear a slight hiss on my G5 (which I believe is normal) at very low volumes like 5 or 10. But it’s not bad enough to be disturbing. I don’t notice any at all on higher volumes. Maybe question your dealer and see if there is a repair???

Edit: I’m monitoring Rockingham/ Harrisonburg P25 Harris phase 2 system, and sometimes Virginia STARS.

 

[K8EAA]

I get the same thing on my G4. I don't get any hiss when I'm using the BT ear buds. So it sounds like the audio amp/speaker combo that
causes the hiss.

 

[jonwienke]

The audio amp has a slight hiss. It doesn't change with the volume setting, so it's more noticeable at low volume settings. 50 or more usually drowns it out for me, but I don't find it a problem at volume 10; it's still less than typical background noise on analog FM.

 

[jackculb]

I will try to maybe make a video or audio recording so you can hear mine at say ... volume 10.

 

[IAmSixNine]

I am pretty sure this has been discussed before. I believe if you search the unication forum you will see other posts about this as well.
Its not new though. Its been around for years. Its only noticeable when the volume is low or at 0. Even at higher volumes its still there just harder to hear.

 

[MDScanFan]

I will echo that the hiss is normal on these from the speaker. It is there for all volume levels. In a louder environment, like a car, it is not an issue. Likewise, it is not an issue in a room during normal activities. However, I do find the hiss annoying when trying to stay quiet, such as at a bedside or while watching TV with it next to me. Without the hiss a volume level of 5 would probably be enough for me to hear it when it is close to me. With the hiss I find I need to turn the volume up to at least 15-20 to reliably hear signals over the hiss.

 

[tglendye]

I agree that a "little" hiss is normal and does not bother me. However,

...In fact to understand the traffic you need to listen at 50+or greater (often times 65 or greater, which is not ideal when you just want to quietly listen and not disturb others)...

I believe what the original poster is describing is a problem.

 

[IAmSixNine]

At my office my G4 units range from 15 to 35 for volume. If that user has to have 50+ just to hear something agreed there is an issue there.

Edit Thank you @tglendye for pointing out the original poster mentioned 50+ on volume just to hear it. I either glanced over it or missed it.

 

[jackculb]

Update: I contacted my dealer, Ray’s Pager Sales (great guy and company btw), and also submitted a support ticked to Unication today. It might take a few days for them to get back to me due to support volume.

 

[Enjoi19]

Definitely let us know what happens, please.

 

[FishScan]

Do you have a video?

 

[krokus]

I agree, the 50 level is concerning. I can hear mine fine, at 20, in a quietish area. (The hiss is there, but not distracting.)

 

[jackculb]

I have decided to live with it after speaking to Unication as it appears to be quite normal to have the (what I would call loud) background hissing air sound while keyed up. I was just not used to it since I came from the clean sounding scanner side. Great radio otherwise!

 

[MDScanFan]

The low level hiss is a known "feature" for the G4/5 speaker. However, you stated you need to listen at 50% volume or greater to understand traffic. That is very high and much different than what others are reporting. With mine I can understand traffic at 5-10, but prefer to have it at least 15-20 to hear it reliably over the hiss. Did you make sure to describe the level at which you need to turn it up to understand traffic?

 

[bob550]

I only hear an audible hiss if I place the speaker to my ear. However, listening with the pager at arm's length in my home, a volume level of 65 is necessary to copy all transmissions but I hear no hiss. There's a fair degree of variability to the audio levels of the system I normally monitor. While 65 is generally the minimum, a level of 80 may be necessary to hear some calls. My G5 is actually my second unit and was received as a warranty replacement two years ago. The first G5 required the same volume levels. Am I understanding that this is an abnormally high volume based on the experiences of most users?

 

[MonitoringDelCo]

When using my G5, I echo bob550's experience. I usually listen to the pager in a quiet environment at a volume level of 65 with no hiss. If I try to listen at a volume level of 5-10 as MDScanFan notes, I must place the speaker directly to my ear, at which time I then can also hear the hiss.
If I use a voice prompt when changing knob positions, I have to remember to turn the volume way down otherwise, the voice prompt will be extremely loud. There seems to be a mismatch between the radio reception audio and the voice prompt audio with my G5. It would be interesting to see when MDScanFan is using a voice prompt if the audio levels are consistent between the radio reception audio and the voice prompts.

 

[pro106import]

I also have the G5 and need the level to be 65-70 and sometimes 75 on softer transmissions. I tried 5-10 level. No good for my radio unless it is completly quiet in the room and I have my ear right up to the radio. The hiss is excessively noticeable for me also.