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Unication G5 Programing

Jcspruill

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First time programer here - I can only hear traffic from one site. What setting do I need to change in order to hear that traffic from next county over? I usually just get an out of range message and hear nothing.
 

RaleighGuy

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First time programer here - I can only hear traffic from one site. What setting do I need to change in order to hear that traffic from next county over? I usually just get an out of range message and hear nothing.

The Unication pagers are not scanners, you can only hear one system, one site, per knob position. You can program a different site on a different knob position.
 

Jcspruill

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The Unication pagers are not scanners, you can only hear one system, one site, per knob position. You can program a different site on a different knob position.
Okay, so I have 8 sites and 28 channels programed under NC Viper system how do I switch sites on each knob position?
 

RaleighGuy

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Okay, so I have 8 sites and 28 channels programed under NC Viper system how do I switch sites on each knob position?
You have to program the site, on the system, not the system.

You need to add each site individually, like below...

3.JPG4.JPG
 
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K9KLC

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First time programer here - I can only hear traffic from one site. What setting do I need to change in order to hear that traffic from next county over? I usually just get an out of range message and hear nothing.
It could be a little more helpful if we actually knew which sites and your distances from them to make sure you're actually not "out of range". However that being said you need to follow @RaleighGuy's instructions and put in one site per knob position then just switch knob positions to the different sites. I have 5 systems programmed in my G5, (as well as a bunch of other stuff too) and I just put them in the knob position or zone I find most useful for me, then simply switch either knob positions or zone/knob position as needed to pick those up.
 

Jcspruill

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It could be a little more helpful if we actually knew which sites and your distances from them to make sure you're actually not "out of range". However that being said you need to follow @RaleighGuy's instructions and put in one site per knob position then just switch knob positions to the different sites. I have 5 systems programmed in my G5, (as well as a bunch of other stuff too) and I just put them in the knob position or zone I find most useful for me, then simply switch either knob positions or zone/knob position as needed to pick those up.
Okay I think I am getting closer to understanding. I had a bunch of sites programed under one system Alias thinking the pager would just tune to the next site when it came in range. My main site is Plymouth; Fire, EMS, Sheriff, etc.... The plymouth site only covers half of Washington County and Columbia site covers the other half. Do I need to program the same knob settings with Plymouth site and another knob setting with the columbia site and then switch positions depending on what part of the county I am in? Sorry I am lost?
 

RaleighGuy

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Do I need to program the same knob settings with Plymouth site and another knob setting with the columbia site and then switch positions depending on what part of the county I am in? Sorry I am lost?

You can add multiple sites into one knob position, that doesn't mean program in all the control channels it means entering each site as shown below, and when you lose signal strength from one tower it will switch. HOWEVER, just because you travel from one part of the county to the next does NOT mean signal strength of the first site will drop significantly, allowing the pager to change sites.

I live 2 miles from one site and 15 miles from another, but the site 15 miles away is still strong enough to lock on as the stronger site, likewise, as I go to the next county west of the site 15 miles away it stays locked on to that site, not the new county's site. So, it is better to ensure both sites are on different knobs to ensure you hear the traffic you want. Tower assignments for units are NOT always the tower your pager will choose to monitor.

4.JPG
 

hill

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Unication pagers stay on on one site for a long time. No garentees it will switch when you cross over to another area. It may stay on the first site it acquired depending on signal strength.

If you really want to monitor an area cover by another site you really need to enter it as separate system on own knob position.

99% of the time on large muti site systems I just go with flow and let the G4/G5 pick best site. The only rub if you want to monitor a talkgroup that is not affiliated with that site it won't be received. I good with just getting the radio traffic on that site.

The only time I add just one site to knob position if want to listen to another County farther away.

Unications have great receive and I receive systems from 3-4 counties away.
 

Jcspruill

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You can add multiple sites into one knob position, that doesn't mean program in all the control channels it means entering each site as shown below, and when you lose signal strength from one tower it will switch. HOWEVER, just because you travel from one part of the county to the next does NOT mean signal strength of the first site will drop significantly, allowing the pager to change sites.

I live 2 miles from one site and 15 miles from another, but the site 15 miles away is still strong enough to lock on as the stronger site, likewise, as I go to the next county west of the site 15 miles away it stays locked on to that site, not the new county's site. So, it is better to ensure both sites are on different knobs to ensure you hear the traffic you want. Tower assignments for units are NOT always the tower your pager will choose to monitor.

View attachment 179475
I just must have something set wrong because I never change sites it just goes to out of range when I get about 10 to 15 miles away. It doesn't ever switch sites. I even have programed other counties and can switch to that site and it still says out of range?
 

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K9KLC

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The plymouth site only covers half of Washington County and Columbia site covers the other half.
You'd put the Plymouth site on one knob position and the Columbia site on another. From your pics you have one system downloaded with 8 sites and have it on spectrum scan which may or may not work. We would also need to see your channel knob programming to help more.


I'm just going by the pics you posted here, so I'm not sure what those sites are actually called.
 

K9KLC

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The plymouth site only covers half of Washington County and Columbia site covers the other half.
You could "TRY" getting Both Columbia and Plymouth downloaded, into one system, add the Talk groups you want, and then assign that to a knob position. Again, that may or may not work. In my area it's been hit and miss to some degree. The best way I've found in my area, is to simply assign a knob position for each site, this helps to insure you'll get what you're waiting to hear. Anything else is sometimes a roll of the dice but fun to experiment with till you find something that works for you.

I've been looking into that area for scanning "stuff" since my wife and I are toying with the idea of moving somewhere down in that area maybe "one of these days"...
 
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