Difference between revisions of "Unication Voice Pager Receivers"

Revision as of 01:03, 24 May 2022

Layout of G2-5 Voice Pagers
Click to Enlarge

Welcome to the Unication voice pager wiki page. Please see the official Unication P25 Voice Pager page for models and specifications.

Unication has developed a couple models of receive only P25 capable public safety pagers. These pager/receivers are intended for public safety users and therefore have an I/Q demodulator and narrower filters for band specific needs. They work generally without any "tweaks" that may be needed for a scanner. However, these pager/receivers are lacking several basic features found in most scanners. A beta of a scanning feature is in the testing phase.

These units are capable of both Phase 1 and Phase 2.

These units are commercial grade receivers designed for public safety users, not scanners. They are designed to monitor a single trunked site at a time or a small set of conventional VHF / UHF frequencies.

Comparison to a Digital Scanner

Similarities

Excellent P25 Simulcast reception
Two-tone paging (conventional or [some] P25)
Color display
Compact size/weight
Battery lasts a long time
Harsh environment design

Differences

No "on the fly" programming
Can only monitor a single control channel at a time (no multi-site or multiple system scanning)
Cannot mix scanning of P25 control channel and conventional frequencies.
G4 is only 700/800
G5 adds a band but you have to choose which one (VHF, 380, 400, 450) conventional analog or P25 and/or P25 Phase 1&2 Trunking. DMR Conventional (Paid upgrade)
Doesn't support Motorola Smartnet/SmartZone Analog, EDACS, LTR, NXDN, DMR Trunking
Programming software (PPS) design isn't intuitive

After Market Gear (Antennas, Bluetooth, etc.)

Antennas

G5 Antenna for 800 Mhz Thread

Bluetooth and Related

Pager Comparison

Features	G2	G3	G4	G5
Bands	Single	Dual	Single	Dual
Models	• VHF (136-174 MHz) or • UHF-C (400-470 MHz) or • UHF-D (450-520 MHz)	• VHF & UHF-C (400-470 MHz) or • VHF & UHF-D (450-520 MHz)	763-776 Mhz & 851-870 Mhz	• VHF (136-174 MHz), 763-776 Mhz & 851-870 Mhz or • UHF-A (330-400 MHz), 763-776 Mhz & 851-870 Mhz or • UHF-B (380-430 MHz), 763-776 Mhz & 851-870 Mhz or • UHF-C (400-470 MHz), 763-776 Mhz & 851-870 Mhz or • UHF-D (450-520 MHz), 763-776 Mhz & 851-870 Mhz
MSRP	$645	$745	$645	$745
Antenna (external)	• VHF: 136-174 MHz or • UHF: 330-512 MHz	• V+U: 330-512 MHz • U+V: 136-174 MHz	764-870 MHz	764-870 MHz
Antenna (internal)	no	• V+U: 136-174 MHz • U+V: 330-512 MHz	no	• VHF: 136-174 MHz • UHF: 330-512 MHz
P25	Conventional, Trunked	Conventional, Trunked	Conventional, Trunked	Conventional, Trunked
DMR Upgradeable?	yes, $25 mail-in	yes, $25 mail-in	yes, $25 mail-in	yes, $25 mail-in
Channel Spacing / Band Width (unique to each freq)	12.5kHz / 25kHz / 20kHz	12.5kHz / 25kHz / 20kHz	12.5kHz / 25kHz / 20kHz	12.5kHz / 25kHz / 20kHz
Message Types (receive)	• Analog: voice, text, image via MDC or DVOA only. • Digital: voice, text, image via DMR, P25C, or P25T	• Analog: voice, text, image via MDC or DVOA only. • Digital: voice, text, image via DMR, P25C, or P25T	• Analog: voice, text, image via MDC or DVOA only. • Digital: voice, text, image via DMR, P25C, or P25T	• Analog: voice, text, image via MDC or DVOA only. • Digital: voice, text, image via DMR, P25C, or P25T
Battery Size (mAh)	2800 mAH Lithium Ion	2800 mAH Lithium Ion	2800 mAH Lithium Ion	2800 mAH Lithium Ion
Battery Max Voltage	4.35 Volts	4.35 Volts	4.35 Volts	4.35 Volts
Normal Voltage Supply	3.80 Vdc	3.80 Vdc	3.80 Vdc	3.80 Vdc
Weight (including antenna, battery, belt clip)	290 grams / 10.2 oz	290 grams / 10.2 oz	290 grams / 10.2 oz	290 grams / 10.2 oz
Weight, excluding battery	215 grams / 7.58 oz	224 grams / 7.9 oz	221 grams / 7.8 oz	223 grams / 7.87 oz
Size (height x width x thickness)	102 x 61 x 31.5 mm	102 x 61 x 31.5 mm	102 x 61 x 31.5 mm	102 x 61 x 31.5 mm
Operating Temp Range	-30°C to 60°C -22°F to 140°F	-30°C to 60°C -22°F to 140°F	-30°C to 60°C -22°F to 140°F	-30°C to 60°C -22°F to 140°F
Material	PPC14312 plastic & TDV rubber	PPC14312 plastic & TDV rubber	PPC14312 plastic & TDV rubber	PPC14312 plastic & TDV rubber
Water Submersion	3ft/30mins	3ft/30mins	3ft/30mins	3ft/30mins
Alert Types	Tone (standard or custom file), vibrate, silent, or tone+vibrate	Tone (standard or custom file), vibrate, silent, or tone+vibrate	Tone (standard or custom file), vibrate, silent, or tone+vibrate	Tone (standard or custom file), vibrate, silent, or tone+vibrate
Customized Alerts via .wav/.mp3 files	yes	yes	yes	yes
Bluetooth	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0
Minutes of Voice Storage	100 minutes	100 minutes	32 minutes	32 minutes
Protocols (analog)	• CTCSS / CDCSS • 2 tone / 5 tone • MDC 1200 • Uni DVOA	• CTCSS / CDCSS • 2 tone / 5 tone • MDC 1200 • Uni DVOA	• CTCSS / CDCSS • 2 tone / 5 tone • MDC 1200 • Uni DVOA	• CTCSS / CDCSS • 2 tone / 5 tone • MDC 1200 • Uni DVOA
Protocols (digital)	• P25C • DMR	• P25C • DMR	• P25C • DMR	• P25C • DMR
Protocols (trunking)	• P25T Phase I • P25T Phase II	• P25T Phase I • P25T Phase II	• P25T Phase I • P25T Phase II	• P25T Phase I • P25T Phase II
2-Tone Function Modes	Selective Call, Monitor, Scan	Selective Call, Monitor, Scan	Selective Call, Monitor, Scan	Selective Call, Monitor, Scan
Encryption key	yes, per frequency	yes, per frequency	yes, per frequency	yes, per frequency
Encryption type	AES 256	AES 256	AES 256	AES 256
Full Spectrum Scan	yes	yes	yes	yes
Monitor & Alert on Multiple Talkgroups?	yes	yes	yes	yes
Priority TGID Scan	yes	yes	yes	yes
No. of Channels	516 analog / 256 control	516 analog / 256 control	516 analog / 256 control	516 analog / 256 control
Talkgroup Hold feature	yes	yes	yes	yes
Talkgroup Block/Lockout feature	yes	yes	yes	yes
Out of Range Alert	yes	yes	yes	yes
Display	LCD, full color	LCD, full color	LCD, full color	LCD, full color
Display Size (inches)	2.0 inches (30.6x40.8/mm)	2.0 inches (30.6x40.8/mm)	2.0 inches (30.6x40.8/mm)	2.0 inches (30.6x40.8/mm)
Display Size (pixels)	320 x 240	320 x 240	320 x 240	320 x 240
Display Color Space	65535 (uncalibrated)	65535 (uncalibrated)	65535 (uncalibrated)	65535 (uncalibrated)
Display text	9 lines x 22 characters	9 lines x 22 characters	9 lines x 22 characters	9 lines x 22 characters
Backlight	yes	yes	yes	yes
Warranty	2 years	2 years	2 years	2 years
Extended Warranty	Addt'l 3 years	Addt'l 3 years	Addt'l 3 years	Addt'l 3 years
Sensitivity	-122 dBm	-122 dBm	-122 dBm	-122 dBm
Radiated Sensitivity / 12dB SINAD / 5% BER	• VHF model: 7.98 µV/M • UHF-C model: 6.4 µV/M • UHF-D model: 4.3 µV/M	• VHF model: 14.2 µV/M • UHF-C model: 6.4 µV/M • UHF-D model: 4.3 µV/M	4.02 µV/M	6 µV/M
Image Rejection (Analog/Digital)	• VHF model: >65dB / >60dB • UHF models: >60dB / >55dB	• VHF model: >65dB / >60dB • UHF models: >60dB / >55dB	>65dB / >60dB	>65dB / >60dB
Intermodulation Rejection (Analog/Digital)	• VHF model: >65dB / >60dB • UHF models: >55dB / >50dB	• VHF model: >65dB / >60dB • UHF models: >55dB / >50dB	>65dB / >60dB	• VHF model: >65dB / >60dB • UHF models: >55dB / >50dB
Frequency Stability	+/- 1 ppm	+/- 1 ppm	+/- 1 ppm	+/- 1 ppm
Adjacent Channel Selectivity	760 dB	760 dB	760 dB	760 dB
Blocking	>80 dB	>80 dB	>80 dB	>80 dB
Spurious	>70 dB	>70 dB	>70 dB	>70 dB
Audio Output Linear	>300 mW	>300 mW	>300 mW	>300 mW
Audio Distortion	<2%	<2%	<2%	<2%
Speech SPL @ 12in	96dB +3dB/-2dB	96dB +3dB/-2dB	96dB +3dB/-2dB	96dB +3dB/-2dB
Alert SPL @ 12in	96dB +3dB/-2dB	96dB +3dB/-2dB	96dB +3dB/-2dB	96dB +3dB/-2dB
Ingress Protection Rating	IP67 Water/Dust	IP67 Water/Dust	IP67 Water/Dust	IP67 Water/Dust
UL	Class I, Div. II	Class I, Div. II	Class I, Div. II	Class I, Div. II
FCC	FCC Part 15	FCC Part 15	FCC Part 15	FCC Part 15
MIL-STD	810E, Proc1 for Driving Rain	810E, Proc1 for Driving Rain	810E, Proc1 for Driving Rain	810E, Proc1 for Driving Rain

Issues

FAQ

Q: Is the G2-G5 a replacement for Motorola Minitor? A: Yes - a replacement, and then some. It has a similar form factor, can do everything a Minitor IV, V, VI, etc can do without batting an eye, and then adds significant additional capabilities, frequencies, encryption, and user-customization options.

Q: How does the range of the G2-G5 compare to a Minitor? A: Based on voluminous user feedback on RadioReference since 2015, the overwhelming consensus seems to be "yes, the range is as good and usually better by a few miles depending on geography."

Q: Do the G-Series pagers support P25 Phase I and Phase II? A: Yes. Phase II support was added in August 2018 to all G2-G5 devices running Firmware v1.1, which also included backwards compatibility for Phase I. Firmware updates remain free and user-installed with a USB cable.

Q: Can I download stored messages? A: Yes - via Unication's free software to any Windows PC, using a regular USB cable.

Third Party Software

Universal Scanner Audio Player (Google Drive)
- Universal Scanner Audio Player Thread
- Unication files are supported via importing

Official Links

Learning Sessions

Downloads

Documentation

Contacts

RadioReference Forum and Information

User Guide for Importing Data from RadioReference API *Note: PDF File on Dropbox
Unication Forum on RadioReference

Mailing Lists/Social

Facebook

Compatible Accessories

The below is a condensed summary of the thread 3rd Party Accessories Recommendations/Reviews - Unication G2/G3/G4/G5.

Chargers

Charger brand + model	Purchase link	Pics	Price	Charges?	Charge Error?	Programs/Data Transfer?	Sticks out from pager's body?	Notes
NetDot magnetic micro-USB	amazon	pics	$18.90	yes	no	yes	2mm	3 cables @ 6.6ft/ea + 2 tips per cable (USB Micro-B + USB-C).
Kuulaa magnetic micro-USB	amazon	pics	$15.99	yes	no	yes	2mm	2 cables @ 3.3ft/ea + 3 tips per cable (USB Micro-B, USB-C, Apple Lightning).
Cafele magnetic micro-USB	amazon	pics	$13.59	yes	no	no	5mm	2 cables @ 4ft/ea + 1 tip per cable (USB Micro-B).
Terasako magnetic micro-USB	amazon	pics	$15.99	yes	yes	no	5mm	4 cables (1ft + 3ft + 6ft + 6ft) + 3 tips per cable (USB Micro-B, USB-C, Apple Lightning).

Stand/Cradle

Brand/model	Purchase link	Pics	Price	Angled or Straight	Material	Charges?	Programs?	Amplified Antenna	Notes
bartsscannerparts	eBay	pics	$17.99/ea	Angled	Plastic. 3D Printed.	Accommodates charge cable	Accommodates program cable	no	4 rubber feet on bottom. Belt clip snaps into base.
bioluminous	eBay	see purch link	$29.99	Angled	Plastic. 3D Printed.	Accommodates charge cable	Accommodates program cable	no	Belt clip fits in base, but does not attach.
bartsscannerparts	eBay	see purch link	$23.99	Angled	Plastic. 3D Printed.	Accommodates charge cable	Accommodates program cable	no	Only for car's cup holder

Replacement Parts

Accessory Type	Brand/model	Purchase link	Pics	Price	Notes
Amplified Charger Terminal Connector Block	277-1163-ND	eBay	see purch link	$7.99	identical to OEM part
Amplified Charger DIN Connector	CP-1050-ND	eBay	see purch link	$7.95	identical to OEM part

3D Models to print your own accessories

Accessory Type	Price	Download link
Desktop cradle/stand/holder	Free	thingiverse
Desktop or Car cradle/stand/holder (2 versions in the file)	Free	thingiverse
Car cradle/stand/holder w/ RAM mount	Free	thingiverse
Desktop cradle/stand/holder	Free	thingiverse

Bluetooth earbuds/speakers

Brand	Model No.	Purchase link	Pics	Price	Ear Placement	Bluetooth	Sound	Playtime per charge	Fast Charging	Waterproof rating	Included accessories	Notes
Kurdene	S8	Amazon	pics	$22.99	In Ear/earbud	Bluetooth 5.2	8mm drivers	8 Hours	Charge for 15 minutes, listen for 1 hour	IPX8	Charging cable + Charging case + 6 silicone eartips with S/M/L sizes	1.5hr to full charge

Belt Clips

Name	Model No.	Purchase link	Pics	Price	Material	Notes
Swivel Belt Clip	LG-G4-PW	link	pics	$15.30	Metal

Software Release Notes

Firmware Version: V1.31 Bug/Issue Fixes:

Fixed problems with conventional VHF QCII alerting
Fixed issue causing P25C QCII Stacked Paging Decode Failure
Fixed issue where TGID hold timer would only count down when the pager screen is active
Fixed issue that caused pager to crash when changing knob positions in some zones
Fixed issue where pager would not connect to PPS while screen off & would not charge until the screen turned on
Fixed issue where pager would randomly reset when programmed with a large programming file
Fixed issue in PPS that caused software to shut down when attempting to write a profile to pager
Fixed issue when a P25 TG is received, and voice transmission is over, the squelch that opened speaker kept speaker

on with a hissing sound

Fixed issue causing pager to lock up while navigating the settings menu
Fixed lost audio issues, where received message audio would not play through speaker and recorded messages

would not play back

Fixed issue of pager receiving messages while powered off and charging (Green LED flashes and screen lights up

showing "charging full")

Fixed issue where pager decoded while powered off in the Amp Charger
Fixed issue where during off duty state the voice record would continue for 10 minutes
Fixed issue when 2-tone is sent from P25 Conventional channel on console, after tones end during hang time a

different TGID and ID is seen on the screen and the pager reset

Various other under the hood fixes and improvements to optimize performance

PPS Version: V03.16.20 PPS Changes/ Feature Modifications:

Added “Factory Setting” function that allows user to reset pager to original factory settings
Added new Radio Reference import process (for Radio Reference premium members)

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Return to APCO Project 25

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+[[File:G5_diagram.png|thumb|right|<div style="text-align: center;">Layout of G2-5 Voice Pagers<br>''Click to Enlarge''</div>]]
 Welcome to the Unication voice pager wiki page.  Please see the official [https://www.unicationusa.com/gseriesp25voicepager Unication P25 Voice Pager] page
 for models and specifications.