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Unication Voice Pager Receivers

From The RadioReference Wiki

Layout of G2-5 Voice Pagers
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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.

Notable Limitations

The G2 thru G5 models function more similarly to a full-featured scanner than resembling the feature-limited pagers common in the fire service since the Motorola Minitor I pager's introduction in the 1970's. The G-series voice pagers are marketed toward public safety professionals and thus the feature-set was designed to lock-on to a single system and never miss an emergency alarm/page, versus the feature-set expectations of a scanner user who expects to scan a large volume of frequencies but is acceptable to miss part of a transmission on occasion. For the G-Series user, a few key limitations, as of firmware v1.31, are important to note:

  1. A knob position can only scan one trunked system.
  2. A knob position cannot scan both a trunked system and conventional frequencies.
  3. A knob position, scanning a single trunked system, can scan a maximum of 64 Talkgroups in that knob position. The only workaround is designating a wildcard.
  4. The Amplified Charger is only product that boosts the antenna strength. It has a BNC connector, and boosts both internal and external antennas1.

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
Bluetooth and Related

Comparison

Features G1 G2 G3 G4 G5
Pics
Unication G1.png
Unication G2.png
Unication G3.png
Unication G4.png
Unication G5.png
Bands Single Single Dual Single Dual
Releae Date Mar 4, 2014 Dec. 10, 2015 Dec. 10, 2015 Dec. 10, 2015 Dec. 10, 2015
Models • Low Band (33-49 MHz)
• Low Band (66-88 MHz)
• VHF (137-174 MHz)
• UHF (406-512 MHz)
• 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 $395 $645 $745 $645 $745
Antenna (external) for GSM only • 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) yes no • V+U: 136-174 MHz
• U+V: 330-512 MHz
no • VHF: 136-174 MHz
• UHF: 330-512 MHz
P25 no Conventional, Trunked Conventional, Trunked Conventional, Trunked Conventional, Trunked
DMR Upgradeable? no 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 12.5kHz / 25kHz / 20kHz
Message Types (receive) Analog: voice, text, image via MDC only • 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) 680 mAh: two AAA Ni-MH 2800 mAH Lithium Ion 2800 mAH Lithium Ion 2800 mAH Lithium Ion 2800 mAH Lithium Ion
Battery Max Voltage N/A 4.35 Volts 4.35 Volts 4.35 Volts 4.35 Volts
Normal Voltage Supply 2.4 Vdc 3.80 Vdc 3.80 Vdc 3.80 Vdc 3.80 Vdc
Weight (including antenna, battery, belt clip) n/a 290 grams / 10.2 oz 290 grams / 10.2 oz 290 grams / 10.2 oz 290 grams / 10.2 oz
Weight, excluding battery & antenna 220 grams / 7.76 oz 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) 100.5 x 65.2 x 26.45 mm 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 -10°C to 50°C
-14°F to 122°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
-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 PPC14312 plastic & TDV rubber
Water Submersion 3ft/30mins 3ft/30mins 3ft/30mins 3ft/30mins 3ft/30mins
Alert Types N/A 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 yes
Bluetooth (Audio) N/A 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0
Bluetooth (data, for app connection) N/A 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0
Minutes of Voice Storage 16 minutes 100 minutes 100 minutes 32 minutes 32 minutes
Protocols (analog) • CTCSS / CDCSS
• 2 tone / 5 tone
• MDC 1200
• 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 Selective Call, Monitor, Scan
Encryption key - yes, per frequency yes, per frequency yes, per frequency yes, per frequency
Encryption type not supported AES 256 AES 256 AES 256 AES 256
Full Spectrum Scan no yes yes yes yes
Monitor & Alert on Multiple Talkgroups? - yes yes yes yes
Priority TGID Scan - yes yes yes yes
No. of Channels 64 analog 516 analog / 256 control 516 analog / 256 control 516 analog / 256 control 516 analog / 256 control
Talkgroup Hold feature no yes yes yes yes
Talkgroup Block/Lockout feature no yes yes yes yes
Out of Range Alert no yes yes yes yes
Display N/A LCD, full color LCD, full color LCD, full color LCD, full color
Display Size (inches) N/A 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) N/A 320 x 240 320 x 240 320 x 240 320 x 240
Display Color Space N/A 65535 (uncalibrated) 65535 (uncalibrated) 65535 (uncalibrated) 65535 (uncalibrated)
Display text N/A 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 yes
Warranty 2 years 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 Addt'l 3 years
Sensitivity • Low Band model: 3.5 µV/M
• VHF model: 2 µV/M
• UHF model: 3 µV/M
-122 dBm -122 dBm -122 dBm -122 dBm
Radiated Sensitivity / 12dB SINAD / 5% BER • Low Band or UHF models: 9 µV/M
• VHF model: 8 µV/M
• 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) >70dB • VHF model: >65dB / >60dB
• UHF models: >60dB / >55dB
• VHF model: >65dB / >60dB
• UHF models: >60dB / >55dB
>65dB / >60dB >65dB / >60dB
Intermodulation Rejection (Analog/Digital) >70dB • 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 • Low Band: +/- 10 ppm
• VHF and UHF models: +/- 3 ppm
+/- 1 ppm +/- 1 ppm +/- 1 ppm +/- 1 ppm
Adjacent Channel Selectivity 70/65 dB 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 >70 dB
Audio Output Linear >300 mW >300 mW >300 mW >300 mW >300 mW
Audio Distortion <3% <2% <2% <2% <2%
Speech SPL @ 12in 94dB 96dB +3dB/-2dB 96dB +3dB/-2dB 96dB +3dB/-2dB 96dB +3dB/-2dB
Alert SPL @ 12in 96dB 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 IP67 Water/Dust
UL Class I, Div. II 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 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 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


Official Links

Learning Sessions

Downloads

Documentation

Contacts

RadioReference Forum and Information


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 Updates

Unication provides its pagers' Firmware and programming software, also called Pre-Programming Software or "PPS", free of charge. Each are updated at irregular intervals.

Firmware Updates

Version Release Date Changelog
V1.40 Unreleased Added ability to scan multiple trunked systems within a single knob position. Currently in closed-group Beta testing since 2020.
V1.32 Unreleased Fixes an issue with G4's rebooting when on large systems that had a mix of VHF/UHF frequencies with 700/800 which caused issues, mainly TACN and MOSWIN systems.
V1.31 12/1/2020 • 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

V1.30 8/14/2020 • Added Radio Aliases/Unit IDs feature.
• Added Talkgroup Hold/Remove feature.
• Bluetooth improvements.
V1.20 3/1/2019 • Added mute of encrypted channels.
• Added various Bluetooth fixes.
V1.10 T06 7/10/2018
V1.10 7/5/2018
V1.00 7/2/2018
V1.00-T08 7/1/2018 Added Phase II support.
V0.93-0.17K-R02 1/1/2018
V0.93.017 - R00 9/11/2017 • With R11P SW- Non-alerting TGIDs will no longer vibrate when the Selector Knob setting is set to Vibrate Mode.
• With R11P SW-When pager is in deep discharge it will not charge unless the battery is removed and re-inserted. This has been fixed.
• With R11P SW-When pager is off and transitions to ultra low power mode the 3 LEDS go on and eventually go off when the pager is fully charged. This has been fixed.
R11P 11/19/2016 • Corrects the common tone A issue on the analog side
• Corrects the issue of when the dispatch console has an SUID=0 on the P25 side
• Includes a few under the hood fixes
R11N2 11/4/2016


PPS Updates

Version Release Date Changelog
V3.17.10 Unreleased Only for V1.4 firmware beta testers. Shared 11/12/2020 to beta testers by Unication in Taiwan.
V3.17.09 Unreleased Only for V1.4 firmware beta testers. Emailed 11/4/2020 to beta testers by Unication in Taiwan.
V3.16.24 5/1/2021 Fixed issue for some users logging into RadioReference
V3.16.22 2/28/2021 Fixed issue logging into RadioReference to import frequencies
V3.16.20 Unknown • 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)
V3.12.6 7/14/2018 • Can now 64 zones, up from prior limit of 32 zones.
• Upgrades for adding DMR in future firmware release.
V3.11.09 7/1/2018 Added Phase II support
V3.10.07 1/1/2018 No notable changes.
V3.9.02 9/11/2017 • Added new paging functionality for QCII over P25 Selecitve Call and Monitor Modes
• Voice Memo can be disabled in programming software.
• Out of Range audible alert can be disabled (still displayed on display) in programming software.
• Unread Message Alert has been added for Voice Messages that have been stored and not read.
• Ability to convert G4 files to a G5 file.
• Call Alert is enabled
• Monitor Mode was removed in favor of using a Wildcard TGID of FFFF (HEX).
• Many "under the hood" changes to provide better overall performance.
V3.5.07 11/24/2016
V3.05.01 11/1/2016


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