• To anyone looking to acquire commercial radio programming software:

    Please do not make requests for copies of radio programming software which is sold (or was sold) by the manufacturer for any monetary value. All requests will be deleted and a forum infraction issued. Making a request such as this is attempting to engage in software piracy and this forum cannot be involved or associated with this activity. The same goes for any private transaction via Private Message. Even if you attempt to engage in this activity in PM's we will still enforce the forum rules. Your PM's are not private and the administration has the right to read them if there's a hint to criminal activity.

    If you are having trouble legally obtaining software please state so. We do not want any hurt feelings when your vague post is mistaken for a free request. It is YOUR responsibility to properly word your request.

    To obtain Motorola software see the Sticky in the Motorola forum.

    The various other vendors often permit their dealers to sell the software online (i.e., Kenwood). Please use Google or some other search engine to find a dealer that sells the software. Typically each series or individual radio requires its own software package. Often the Kenwood software is less than $100 so don't be a cheapskate; just purchase it.

    For M/A Com/Harris/GE, etc: there are two software packages that program all current and past radios. One package is for conventional programming and the other for trunked programming. The trunked package is in upwards of $2,500. The conventional package is more reasonable though is still several hundred dollars. The benefit is you do not need multiple versions for each radio (unlike Motorola).

    This is a large and very visible forum. We cannot jeopardize the ability to provide the RadioReference services by allowing this activity to occur. Please respect this.

Unication G5 Purchase

Status
Not open for further replies.

jmontes77029

Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2010
Messages
230
Location
Baytown, Tx
I just purchased a G5 pager today in Houston for $660. Let me tell you, I am very impressed at how this unit handles the simulcast system in my area. I have no problem spending that kind of money for the quality I am receiving with this. Of course there things this unit can't do that a scanner can, but with proper programming you can customize it to your liking and it can come close. Very easy to program as well. If you can program a scanner you can program a G5. I am happy with my purchase.
 

GTO_04

Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2004
Messages
1,935
Location
Noblesville, IN
I just purchased a G5 pager today in Houston for $660. Let me tell you, I am very impressed at how this unit handles the simulcast system in my area. I have no problem spending that kind of money for the quality I am receiving with this. Of course there things this unit can't do that a scanner can, but with proper programming you can customize it to your liking and it can come close. Very easy to program as well. If you can program a scanner you can program a G5. I am happy with my purchase.

Same here! The G5 absolutely blows away my Unidens and GRE PSR-500 on P25 simulcast systems.

GTO_04
 

jtech48

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
May 5, 2009
Messages
257
Location
OVB
I'm happy to hear that. I just bought one yesterday and I cant wait until it arrives
 

RRR

OFFLINE
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
1,970
Location
USA
Curious, what can't you do with the G5 that you can do with a scanner?
 

BenScan

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
May 12, 2001
Messages
882
Location
D/FW
Some of the biggest differences are below.

The G4/5s only monitor one trunked system at a time. You have to pick one and monitor it. It won't scan one, and then move on to another. Or, you can scan a small number of conventional channels, but again if you want to go onto another interest, you'll have to switch to it manually.

The G4/5s cannot hold on an active talkgroup or skip a talkgroup, so you have to use more thought and preparation in how you program trunked systems.

For someone use to scanners, those might be enough to scare you off from purchasing one. However, if you want to hear a P25 Phase 1 simulcast system that your scanner doesn't receive well, those shortcomings are easily overlooked. Plus, there's some hope that Unication will add some hold/skip functions down the road. I don't imagine scanning multiple systems is as likely, but you never know.

Curious, what can't you do with the G5 that you can do with a scanner?
 

GTO_04

Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2004
Messages
1,935
Location
Noblesville, IN
Some of the biggest differences are below.

The G4/5s only monitor one trunked system at a time. You have to pick one and monitor it. It won't scan one, and then move on to another. Or, you can scan a small number of conventional channels, but again if you want to go onto another interest, you'll have to switch to it manually.

The G4/5s cannot hold on an active talkgroup or skip a talkgroup, so you have to use more thought and preparation in how you program trunked systems.

For someone use to scanners, those might be enough to scare you off from purchasing one. However, if you want to hear a P25 Phase 1 simulcast system that your scanner doesn't receive well, those shortcomings are easily overlooked. Plus, there's some hope that Unication will add some hold/skip functions down the road. I don't imagine scanning multiple systems is as likely, but you never know.

Anyone looking at a G5 should read your excellent review, which tells you everything you need to know about the G5!

GTO_04
 

b1100mac

Premium Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Feb 23, 2013
Messages
191
Location
Corvallis, Montana
I keep reading on the forums that no one can stop on a channel they want to listen to. I don't know what version I am running differs from what others are running but when I am scanning P25 conventional channels (I scan the max of 7 per zone) and one of those channels becomes active, in the bottom left of my screen above the blue up arrow is the word "stay". If I touch the blue arrow while the channel is still active it locks it. And the word "unstay" appears. If I want to go back to full scanning, I just touch "unstay" This is much faster than having to rotate the channel knob to find and isolate the particular P25 channel .
Unfortunately this only seems to appear when scanning P25 conventional channels, not 700-800 trunk systems.
 

sparklehorse

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
May 15, 2003
Messages
1,207
Location
Portland, Oregon
I keep reading on the forums that no one can stop on a channel they want to listen to. I don't know what version I am running differs from what others are running but when I am scanning P25 conventional channels (I scan the max of 7 per zone) and one of those channels becomes active, in the bottom left of my screen above the blue up arrow is the word "stay". If I touch the blue arrow while the channel is still active it locks it. And the word "unstay" appears. If I want to go back to full scanning, I just touch "unstay" This is much faster than having to rotate the channel knob to find and isolate the particular P25 channel .
Unfortunately this only seems to appear when scanning P25 conventional channels, not 700-800 trunk systems.

Yes, that works when you're scanning conventional channels, but that option does not exist when you're scanning Talkgroups. I mostly use the G5 for P25 trunk systems, so the Stay option on conventional isn't of much use to me. I think most of us here use these primarily for trunk systems. It seems like it would be simple for them to add this function to trunk talkgroups, so we are hoping that will happen one day.

.
 

RRR

OFFLINE
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
1,970
Location
USA
Curious, what's so technologically different about these G5 units, that they can monitor simulcast systems so much better than a scanner of about the same price range or higher?

And, stating the obvious here, but it is what it is; why can't/won't scanner manufacturers use this technology to improve on their product?
 

radio3353

Active Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2003
Messages
1,497
Curious, what's so technologically different about these G5 units, that they can monitor simulcast systems so much better than a scanner of about the same price range or higher?

And, stating the obvious here, but it is what it is; why can't/won't scanner manufacturers use this technology to improve on their product?

The G4/G5 use a different technology. Perhaps you should direct that question to Uniden and Whistler. Just don't expect an answer.
 

DJ11DLN

Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2013
Messages
2,068
Location
Mudhole, IN
The G4/G5 use a different technology. Perhaps you should direct that question to Uniden and Whistler. Just don't expect an answer.
Perhaps Unication will produce a full-fledged scanner in the not too distant future using this "different" technology. That would certainly give Uniden and Whistler something to think about. I don't have LSM issues here, but I'm attracted by the compact size, the reports of excellent P25 decode and audio quality, and the integrated Bluetooth. I need another scanner like I need another hole in my head but I may just have to pull the trigger on one of these.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top