pagers, how do they work...

[jrfireemt]

i was kind of wondering how the pagers work. like since i'm not part of a department, but i have a scanner, and i was kind of thinking about a pager. do you tune them to your station, or do you have to get a special one for your station. just things like taht. i just wanted one, but i dont know how i'd set it to my town's station.

[mcaldwell]

You have to get it programmed by the dept's authorized dealer, as they monitor fixed frequencies only (sometimes multiple channels). If your explorer post is allowed to carry pagers, they should be able to help you out. If you are not affiliated with the explorer program or a dept, you should not have a pager from that dept. Besides, the only benefit is that they are activated by the dispatch tones, but you will not hear anything "extra".

If you are just interested in listening to calls, you just want your scanner. Much cheaper (Minitor pagers are many hundreds of dollars), and as you know you can listen to police, ambulance, and everyone else too.

[jrfireemt]

ok, yeah, i was just thinking about it, but i wasnt sure. i guess i'll jsut likseten to my scanner.

[ffexpCP]

Depends. Do you hear 'BEEEPBOOOOOOP" before they announce a run? If you do, those are tones. Think of tones as the keys on a telephone. The phone sends tones to the switching center to tell the system where your phone call goes. The pagers are similar. Those tones are specific to department, station, shift or however the department decided to break up people into groups. When dispatch sends the tones, the pager listens to it and if it matches what it is looking for it will alert. Some pagers need crystals and tone filters while others are programmed form a computer.

If they use a trunking system or alphanumeric pagers, well- good luck with that.

Get one of the higher-end Uniden scanners. They will decode and alert on tones. It will act similar to a pager.

[nosrednanoraa]

Well explained ffexpCP. Keep your scanner jrfireemt. Pagers are outrageously expensive.

[jrfireemt]

well, yeah. i guess i'll jsut keep my scanner. and i have the uniden kind. it's a trunking one. but it doesnt pick up tones. just some beeping.

[firefighter3419]

How they work is they basically monitor a Fx. When a single tone goes off that is matched with the pager is electronically waits for a second tone. (pager needs to be programmed for both tones) When it recieves that second tone it activates the alert which it is programmed for. (either a series of beeps or a single long beep on most of them) It then opens up and you hear the dispatch. Then you must manually reset it unless it's programmed to reset after so many seconds. The minitor II you can get for around 100 to 200 sometimes on ebay. There is nothing illegal in having one but you might pee in some peoples chereos.

[RedFox0457]

well, yeah. i guess i'll jsut keep my scanner. and i have the uniden kind. it's a trunking one. but it doesnt pick up tones. just some beeping.

That beeping is the tones. The scanner is just not programmed to react to them.

[ndvfdff33]

As the others have said keep your scanner. Don't waste your money on a pager. For one you don't need it because your not a member of any dept, as well your scanner can pick up more.

[ffexpCP]

There is nothing illegal in having one but you might pee in some peoples chereos.

Amen. I don't care what an explorer has or does with their radio as long as its legal and they not doing anything stupid. It can also be used as a learning tool.

Others just b!tch because they don't like the explorers and they look for any excuse to whine. I don't normally try to be a ***, but I encourage them to get a scanner/pager and give them freq and tone info whenever I can, mostly just because it ticks them off. Some people need a reality check, why does it matter so much to them? If it’s used responsibly, what's the problem? Worry about something a little more important. Get a life and spend all that energy doing something useful.

Besides, I don't see them wearing a white shirt.

Alrighty then, rant off.

[ndvfdff33]

Removed due to stupidity

[Firetacoma1]

A call comes in and it goes beep beep beep.

[jrfireemt]

A call comes in and it goes beep beep beep.

no S**T. god i know that! jeeze i'm not cluelessw. i train with some of the guys, so i hear the calls.
i meant about programing, and if you're trying to be funny, it's not working

[DeputyMarshal]

You have to get it programmed by the dept's authorized dealer, as they monitor fixed frequencies only

FWIW, any radio service shop (and quite a few amateurs) should be able to program a pager. It doesn't necessarily have to be done by the department's "authorized dealer".

If your explorer post is allowed to carry pagers, they should be able to help you out. If you are not affiliated with the explorer program or a dept, you should not have a pager from that dept.

I'm afraid that's incorrect. Anyone can monitor public service frequencies. Transmitting is limited to authorized parties but receiving is not.

If you are just interested in listening to calls, you just want your scanner.

That would be my advice as well. Unless you get a particularly good deal on a pager and have someone who will program it cheap, a scanner would save you a good chunk of change.

[Firetacoma1]

no S**T. god i know that! jeeze i'm not cluelessw. i train with some of the guys, so i hear the calls.
i meant about programing, and if you're trying to be funny, it's not working

My humor is wasted on you I see...

[Res343cue]

no S**T. god i know that! jeeze i'm not cluelessw. i train with some of the guys, so i hear the calls.
i meant about programing, and if you're trying to be funny, it's not working

Just exactly what training are you doing?

If there's no formal program for you in the department, it kind of explains why you were told by the Chief to "stay away".

[ffexpCP]

You might want to have your facts straight before you spout off. For one she is not even an Explorer/Junior because her town does not have a program. If you maybe read previous posts by her you would know this.

I happened to have read every post here before I posted. I know she not a part of any program.

Secondly she has a scanner, and sometimes goes to check out calls. At least she did, before the Chief told her not too.

Well, then that would fall under my idea of not using it responsibly. Running around sightseeing after hearing something on the radio is just inviting problems. However I see no problem with anyone having a scanner/pager/whatever to listen.

So why waste her money to get a pager when she is not even a member of a dept. Keep the scanner. Maybe if she was infact an explorer the answers would be a little more positive towards getting a pager.

That's her choice. I don't care. She didn't ask what she should get. She wanted to know how it worked and it was answered.

Where did anybody b**ch in this thread? I don't see anything remotely near it. Your here saying your encouraging this young lady,not even an explorer, to go out and buy a pager, because it may tick people off? Wow thats brilliant.

I was referring to my experiences as it relates to this topic and explorers. [this is the explorer section isn't it?] It seems like no one wants to have anything to do with the explorers unless they think it is going to get them something. However, they won't hesitate to give their opions and even go so far as to sabotage things for the group. Explorer/junior or not, why should it matter what someone has if it is used legally and responsibly?

When I was an explorer, they had the idea they could tell me I wouldn't be allowed to even own a scanner under post rules. Funny, I never remember seeing that in the rules, oh yeah I know why. They overstepped their bounds and were trying to hide things like this from the Chief. See where I'm going with this?

Please explain to me how people need a reality check. It matters because people are trying to look out for this young lady's safety so she does not get injured while sitting at a fire scene watching, so some day maybe she can infact join a dept.

Oh, warm fuzzy feeling. Group hug everyone.

Seriously, Look back at what I said. If something is being done that could be unsafe (sightseeing at a run) because of something (scanner/pager) then it is not being used responsibly.

I wish her all the luck in the world with her plans for the future.

Nice rant bud.

Thanks.

On a serious note; about the rant- it was a rough night at the station. I had to vent.

[ndvfdff33]

Fair enough then. I apologize for my post. Maybe next time you shouldn't post these sorts of rants in a thread like this. Then you won't have some dumb***** like me taking it the wrong way. I agree a lot of people have issues with Juniors. Some I'm not sure if they just have no experiance around them so they think it's bad, some may have a bad experiance with them and some just flat out don't like them. You find that everywhere you go in any job. I guess you gotta try and deal with it the best way you can.


On the side of your rough night at the station causing the rant. As someone much wiser than I told me you gotta be able to control your emotions and concentrate on the topic at hand. Don't let it get the best of yah.

[ndvfdff33]

Just exactly what training are you doing?

If there's no formal program for you in the department, it kind of explains why you were told by the Chief to "stay away".

I'm kind of wondering the same thing. Do elaborate on that jrfireemt

[ffexpCP]

On the side of your rough night at the station causing the rant. As someone much wiser than I told me you gotta be able to control your emotions and concentrate on the topic at hand. Don't let it get the best of yah.

True dat. I just happend to come accross this thread immediatally after dealing with this exact topic back at the station. It was fresh in my mind and set me off. I'm all relaxed now.