Unication *New* G4 and G5 pagers/ somewhat limited scanner

[David_Oney]

I'm currently internally testing a new version of firmware that that makes some changes it will take a little bit of time before I'm comfortable releasing it so please bear with me as I go through this process. I have to make sure that this update is solid.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

 

[radio3353]

...The scanner makers really want to deal with systems that are simulcast.

I have not seen any evidence of that. Any question asked on the Whistler or Uniden forums about the problem are ignored. I have received several warnings from a certain moderator about my frequent questions to Whistler about their plans to address simulcast distortion. I think he considers me a pest.

I wish you were correct, but I fear not. I am thankful Unication has it figured out and hope they will expand their product line to include a more traditional scanner using their superior technology.

 

[cpetraglia]

I have not seen any evidence of that. Any question asked on the Whistler or Uniden forums about the problem are ignored. I have received several warnings from a certain moderator about my frequent questions to Whistler about their plans to address simulcast distortion. I think he considers me a pest.

I wish you were correct, but I fear not. I am thankful Unication has it figured out and hope they will expand their product line to include a more traditional scanner using their superior technology.

Join the club. I too have been warned for brining up the LSM issues. I am told it is not the proper forum to discuss it. That makes no sense to me because the problem exists with the very scanner(s) we are discussing. Maybe they are getting paid to keep the discussion quiet. Who knows. I have said that since the purchase of my Unication pager, I'll never buy another scanner again until LSM is addressed.

 

[WayneH]

Join the club. I too have been warned for brining up the LSM issues.

And rightfully so. It's like every other dead horse topic people have to continually bring up. We get it already! You fail to understand the economics of reasonably priced scanners/receivers. These manufacturers can't maintain a business and devote R&D and manufacturing to professional hobbyists because the money is not there.

End of topic. Take it to Rants if you want to continue yet another LSM soap-box journey or how we censor because we're paid off to:roll:. Either discuss Unication or move along.

 

[willdanl]

Here's a review of the Unication G5 that I've been working on. I wrote it from the perspective of a scanner-head, so I didn't touch on the device's primary functions for users who are using it as a voice pager. When I first heard of the G5, I wasn't sure it was something that would help me as a typical scanner guy. I'm happy that I took time to learn more about it.

Unication G5 Voice Pager as a Scanner - Review

If there's enough interest, I'll try to flesh out more areas. I'm sure I didn't cover everything.

Happy Scanning,
Ben

Ben,
Nice write up. Thank you for taking the time to do that. My experience has been essentially identical to yours. It has been nice to carry around the G5, ride around with it in the truck, or be able to set it down anywhere in the house and it performs well on the Fort Worth Regional System no matter where it is (had the same experience with the Phase 1 MA broadcasts of Houston PD on the TXWARN P25 system). I must admit I have grown accustomed to more focused listening, and less scanning of so many talk groups/systems all at once – it’s really kind of refreshing – I’m realizing the difference in hearing a lot of stuff all the time vs paying attention to a smaller group of TGIDs really well. Another thing to add to your list of pros is that it charges while listening – may seem like a small thing but not doing that is annoying on the PSR800 and the BCD436HP. I agree that I’d also like a wired headphone jack; however, I found a $14 bluetooth receiver on Amazon called RockRok, that has a 3.5mm jack – it paired easily and it works great plugged into the line-in jack in the Sync system in my Ford truck and I play the G5 through the truck speakers , or you can plug a set of earbuds into that thing as well. I’m eager for the firmware upgrade for Phase II – I travel through Arlington to Irving for work every day and am looking forward to hearing the TDMA talk groups on the G5. Thanks again for the review.
Dan

 

[willdanl]

I'm currently internally testing a new version of firmware that that makes some changes it will take a little bit of time before I'm comfortable releasing it so please bear with me as I go through this process. I have to make sure that this update is solid.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

If having a few beta testers would be helpful, I would be willing - and I bet that I would not be the only one willing to participate.
Dan

 

[BenScan]

Thanks for the feedback Dan, and good point about charging while you listen. I dislike that on the new scanners too. I've been charing mine when I go to sleep. I leave it on with my "night watch" profile that records the local fire department dispatch channels and the fireground channels, but not a lot of the routine stuff.

Ben,
Nice write up. Thank you for taking the time to do that. My experience has been essentially identical to yours. It has been nice to carry around the G5, ride around with it in the truck, or be able to set it down anywhere in the house and it performs well on the Fort Worth Regional System no matter where it is (had the same experience with the Phase 1 MA broadcasts of Houston PD on the TXWARN P25 system). I must admit I have grown accustomed to more focused listening, and less scanning of so many talk groups/systems all at once – it’s really kind of refreshing – I’m realizing the difference in hearing a lot of stuff all the time vs paying attention to a smaller group of TGIDs really well. Another thing to add to your list of pros is that it charges while listening – may seem like a small thing but not doing that is annoying on the PSR800 and the BCD436HP. I agree that I’d also like a wired headphone jack; however, I found a $14 bluetooth receiver on Amazon called RockRok, that has a 3.5mm jack – it paired easily and it works great plugged into the line-in jack in the Sync system in my Ford truck and I play the G5 through the truck speakers , or you can plug a set of earbuds into that thing as well. I’m eager for the firmware upgrade for Phase II – I travel through Arlington to Irving for work every day and am looking forward to hearing the TDMA talk groups on the G5. Thanks again for the review.
Dan

 

[cpetraglia]

Ben,
Nice write up. Thank you for taking the time to do that. My experience has been essentially identical to yours. It has been nice to carry around the G5, ride around with it in the truck, or be able to set it down anywhere in the house and it performs well on the Fort Worth Regional System no matter where it is (had the same experience with the Phase 1 MA broadcasts of Houston PD on the TXWARN P25 system). I must admit I have grown accustomed to more focused listening, and less scanning of so many talk groups/systems all at once – it’s really kind of refreshing – I’m realizing the difference in hearing a lot of stuff all the time vs paying attention to a smaller group of TGIDs really well. Another thing to add to your list of pros is that it charges while listening – may seem like a small thing but not doing that is annoying on the PSR800 and the BCD436HP. I agree that I’d also like a wired headphone jack; however, I found a $14 bluetooth receiver on Amazon called RockRok, that has a 3.5mm jack – it paired easily and it works great plugged into the line-in jack in the Sync system in my Ford truck and I play the G5 through the truck speakers , or you can plug a set of earbuds into that thing as well. I’m eager for the firmware upgrade for Phase II – I travel through Arlington to Irving for work every day and am looking forward to hearing the TDMA talk groups on the G5. Thanks again for the review.
Dan

Willdanl,
I see you have found a BT receiver that works. I have struggled with this for a while now. I looked in Amazon and found three different RockRok receivers. Would you be so kind as to let me know which one you got? Also does it function when plugged into the charger? I use my G4 in a constant location and cant be stopping to charge a BT device.

Thanks,

 

[willdanl]

Willdanl,
I see you have found a BT receiver that works. I have struggled with this for a while now. I looked in Amazon and found three different RockRok receivers. Would you be so kind as to let me know which one you got? Also does it function when plugged into the charger? I use my G4 in a constant location and cant be stopping to charge a BT device.

Thanks,

Certainly, it is model RORK-BR01. And yes, it works while plugged in - same cord/power requirement as the G5, so it's easy for me to run it powered from the USB port on the Ford Sync that is right next to the 3.5mm jack it's plugged into. I have also successfully paired mine with a JBL Flip speaker that I use for a little extra volume around the house sometimes. Both the Rockrok and the JBL handle the on/off nature of "scanner" streaming well without cutting off the first part of the transmission.

 

[JASII]

Unication *New* G4 And G5 Pagers/Somewhat Limited Scanner

.....I agree that I’d also like a wired headphone jack; however, I found a $14 bluetooth receiver on Amazon called RockRok, that has a 3.5mm jack – it paired easily and it works great plugged into the line-in jack in the Sync system in my Ford truck and I play the G5 through the truck speakers, or you can plug a set of earbuds into that thing as well.....

I, too, have been thinking about additional speakers, but I have been approaching it from a different angle. Since it has Bluetooth, I have been focusing on Bluetooth speakers. One of the inherent problems with many of them is the ability to mount them.

One of the first ones I tried was the Jabra Freeway. It is a great Bluetooth speaker and has very good reviews. It is not a good match for the Unication G5, though. It is much more suitable for continuous streaming of music or telephone calls than it is for two way radio communications monitoring.

I h ave also tried the Brookstone Big Blue Go Wireless Bluetooth Speaker. It comes with a suction cup mount and it about the size of many GPS devices. While it was somewhat more suitable than the JAbra Freeway, it still didn't quite do it for me for use with the Unication G5.

Currently I am using the EcoXGear EcoRox. One of the first things I should point out is it it is mountable. I am not a "camera guy", but I am learning that this speaker has a ¼ -20 camera mount screw post. According to Wikipedia, ".....most consumer cameras are fitted with 1/4-20 UNC threads." I should note that although not all Bluetooth portable speakers are mountable, The ones that I have seen that are seem to use the 1/4-20 camera mount screw post. Also, it should be noted that some companies that make equipment for mounting radios and other equipment, like Ram Mount and PanaVise, carry components that are compatible with the 1/4"-20 camera thread. RAM 1" Ball with 1/4-20 Male Threaded Post for Cameras Unpackaged - RAM-B-237U | RAM Mounts http://panavise.com/index.html?page...P+L_DESCRIP&--woGROUP1datarq=1/4-20&x=14&y=11

Anyway, back to the EcoXGear EcoRox. The MSRP is $129.99, which, in my not so humble opinion, is over the top expensive. However, Cabelas currently h as it on sale for $39.88. Also, it can be purchased through other retailers around the $30 to $40 range.

I am not necessarily totally set on the EcoXGear EcoRox. IT just happens to be the best one that I have found so far that works with the Unication G5. One of the other problems that I am having is finding detailed specifications for the other mountable Bluetooth speakers. Specifically, how many watts the speaker(s) is/are. In the specifications for the EcoXGear EcoRox is lists 8 watts (2 x 4 watt) speakers.

Top 10 Best Outdoor & Waterproof Bluetooth Speakers | Heavy.com

 

[cpetraglia]

Certainly, it is model RORK-BR01. And yes, it works while plugged in - same cord/power requirement as the G5, so it's easy for me to run it powered from the USB port on the Ford Sync that is right next to the 3.5mm jack it's plugged into. I have also successfully paired mine with a JBL Flip speaker that I use for a little extra volume around the house sometimes. Both the Rockrok and the JBL handle the on/off nature of "scanner" streaming well without cutting off the first part of the transmission.

Thanks for your quick answer. I am up to 12 BT receivers with only one working OK for me. Many have been tiny boards from China, so no big expense. The biggest problem is you have to buy the BT device with no way of knowing if it will work.

Thanks again, I will try one of them.

 

[cpetraglia]

I, too, have been thinking about additional speakers, but I have been approaching it from a different angle. Since it has Bluetooth, I have been focusing on Bluetooth speakers. One of the inherent problems with many of them is the ability to mount them.

One of the first ones I tried was the Jabra Freeway. It is a great Bluetooth speaker and has very good reviews. It is not a good match for the Unication G5, though. It is much more suitable for continuous streaming of music or telephone calls than it is for two way radio communications monitoring.

I h ave also tried the Brookstone Big Blue Go Wireless Bluetooth Speaker. It comes with a suction cup mount and it about the size of many GPS devices. While it was somewhat more suitable than the JAbra Freeway, it still didn't quite do it for me for use with the Unication G5.

Currently I am using the EcoXGear EcoRox. One of the first things I should point out is it it is mountable. I am not a "camera guy", but I am learning that this speaker has a ¼ -20 camera mount screw post. According to Wikipedia, ".....most consumer cameras are fitted with 1/4-20 UNC threads." I should note that although not all Bluetooth portable speakers are mountable, The ones that I have seen that are seem to use the 1/4-20 camera mount screw post. Also, it should be noted that some companies that make equipment for mounting radios and other equipment, like Ram Mount and PanaVise, carry components that are compatible with the 1/4"-20 camera thread. RAM 1" Ball with 1/4-20 Male Threaded Post for Cameras Unpackaged - RAM-B-237U | RAM Mounts PanaVise Products, Inc.

Anyway, back to the EcoXGear EcoRox. The MSRP is $129.99, which, in my not so humble opinion, is over the top expensive. However, Cabelas currently h as it on sale for $39.88. Also, it can be purchased through other retailers around the $30 to $40 range.

I am not necessarily totally set on the EcoXGear EcoRox. IT just happens to be the best one that I have found so far that works with the Unication G5. One of the other problems that I am having is finding detailed specifications for the other mountable Bluetooth speakers. Specifically, how many watts the speaker(s) is/are. In the specifications for the EcoXGear EcoRox is lists 8 watts (2 x 4 watt) speakers.

Top 10 Best Outdoor & Waterproof Bluetooth Speakers | Heavy.com

Were you able to somehow verify it would pair and work OK or was it as I have done so many times? Order it with fingers crossed and hope it works. I would like to see Unication to provide BT specs. I have asked more than once and always heard "we are waiting for the engineers to get back to us" I know it's a small issue, but was a big concern before I bought mine. I was told it should work with just about any BT device. (NOT)

 

[KevinC]

Maybe it isn't obvious, but this thread is about the Unication G4 and G5. Not the lack of Uniden or Whistler or any other company failing to address the P25 simulcast issues.

You are more than welcome to discuss that issue here...

http://forums.radioreference.com/ge...want-lsm-work-properly-my-scanner-thread.html

 

[JASII]

Unication *New* G4 And G5 Pagers/Somewhat Limited Scanner

Were you able to somehow verify it would pair and work OK or was it as I have done so many times? Order it with fingers crossed and hope it works. I would like to see Unication to provide BT specs. I have asked more than once and always heard "we are waiting for the engineers to get back to us" I know it's a small issue, but was a big concern before I bought mine. I was told it should work with just about any BT device. (NOT)

Yes, it paired just fine with all of them.

 

[county]

I'm happy to be a new owner of the G5!

I am impressed with the radio's capabilities. While most of my area's P1 trunking is not LSM, I am listening to a system about 15 MI north of my location that is simulcast, and it performs flawlessly. Traditional consumer-grade scanner-audio is choppy on that system.

I am also impressed that the radio can do preempt priority on P25. I wonder if it has two receivers to simultaneously monitor the CC + voice channel. . not sure if there is a datastream on the voice channels with TG info.

Like others have noted, it will be nice to have the TG priority-scan 'always on' bug corrected in the next FW update. I hope there is also a future plan to specify which talkgroups are preempt-able. . as it would be super handy to have a customizable # of talkgroups that can interrupt the others, since the present waterfall algorithm for all talkgroups being scanned makes it hard to follow activity especially if it's a busy system. In my case, I'd use 1-2 priority talkgroups in the larger scan-list.

I also think a TG 'hold' option would be quite valuable. Conventional scan already has this feature.

I'm looking forward to P2 support as I live within a municipality that just commissioned an LSM P2 system. My Unidens are really struggling.

 

[03msc]

I know we've seen some but more videos posted of the G5 (or G4) in action would be great. I guess I'm thinking as more people get these little jewels that would let us see how it operates on different systems and in different settings/locations/situations.

 

[phirephoto]

I'm happy to be a new owner of the G5!

I am impressed with the radio's capabilities. While most of my area's P1 trunking is not LSM, I am listening to a system about 15 MI north of my location that is simulcast, and it performs flawlessly. Traditional consumer-grade scanner-audio is choppy on that system.

I am also impressed that the radio can do preempt priority on P25. I wonder if it has two receivers to simultaneously monitor the CC + voice channel. . not sure if there is a datastream on the voice channels with TG info.

Like others have noted, it will be nice to have the TG priority-scan 'always on' bug corrected in the next FW update. I hope there is also a future plan to specify which talkgroups are preempt-able. . as it would be super handy to have a customizable # of talkgroups that can interrupt the others, since the present waterfall algorithm for all talkgroups being scanned makes it hard to follow activity especially if it's a busy system. In my case, I'd use 1-2 priority talkgroups in the larger scan-list.

I also think a TG 'hold' option would be quite valuable. Conventional scan already has this feature.

I'm looking forward to P2 support as I live within a municipality that just commissioned an LSM P2 system. My Unidens are really struggling.

I don't believe it has two receivers. My understanding is that's how P25 is - able to hear the audio and the data at the same time. every p25 radio I believe can do that.

 

[David_Oney]

I know we've seen some but more videos posted of the G5 (or G4) in action would be great. I guess I'm thinking as more people get these little jewels that would let us see how it operates on different systems and in different settings/locations/situations.

I plan to do a few youtube videos and another updated webinar in future. Please provide any suggestions you may have on specific subjects that would be good for me to cover in the videos.

 

[trido]

Ham Station and Unication Announcement

I would like to announce as of today The Ham Station is a dealer for Unication G5 pagers.

 

[county]

That's a very good point. One of the great things about the Relm is that you do not need a system key to use RX Only mode. As you no doubt know, XTS and APX radios have ways to turn them in to "passive scanners," but it requires a system key and introduces opportunities for people who don't know what they're doing to make a mistake and end up transmitting. The Relm radios have no such opportunity, since with a Relm I don't need a system key, don't want a system key, and don't have a system key, and Neovision doesn't even check for a system key once I click that "RX Only" box. If I mess up the programming, the worst that happens is I don't hear anything. My radio still can't even attempt to affiliate. Which is good.

Hi Dan- thanks for posting this info regarding Relm. I had a few more questions on this if you don't mind a PM.

I am enjoying the G5 but am anxious for a P2 solution to be rolled out for it . . which the Relm already has.