metal building, pagers dont work

[medic_sherran]

Pagers dont go off inside our metal Emergency Services Building. Any suggestions to fix this problem would be much appreciated.

[akflightmedic]

Leave the 80s behind and upgrade to a more effective system which accommodates the work environment you are in.

[BushyFromOz]

youll need a small repeater fitted inside with an aerial on the building

[Arctickat]

Our P25 Motorola XTS2500 radios aren't any better AK and I've been told they're top of the line, though I disagree. A repeater added to your building would likely be your only option.

[medic_sherran]

Thank you, Arctickat and Bushy. I was kind of thinking some kind of external antenna too. We are a volunteer corp in a remote area in Michigans Upper Penninsula so we dont have big city funding. We may be stuck in the 80s but we are trying to pull out of it. Thanks for the help

[WestMetroMedic]

My service uses a top of the line cad system, all Motorola APX radios on a digital system and we still carry alpha numeric pagers. They work and their coverage is generally impeccable... Assuming you are speaking about alpha pagers. If your coverage sucks on then, there may be a booster system you could purchase through your communications dealer ata price that isn't outrageous. There also is software that you can run through your computer and a radio card and you can pull data directly off of the pager control channel, but I don't know how discriminating it always is.

If it is a voice pager system, perhaps an old mobile radio could be outfitted in your station. Someone with a little radio know how could do it for around $100, maybe $150 if you want audio plumbed into every room.

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Edited June 20, 2012 by WestMetroMedic

[Chief1C]

Motorola sells these things called alert boxes. It's like a pager, but more scanner shaped. It works with one frequency. You can monitor, or hold for activation only. We use one as a "house alert", just plug a standard speaker into the back and voila. Makes a sound like when a portable radio receives a page. Often a service is limited to technology, by whomever does their dispatching. If it's a large private service, either 911 or Non-E, there could be a private dispatch with options. But more than likely, you have a common PSAP that dispatches for a wide range of agencies. There are ways to upgrade, without touching the radio system, like an amplified pager charger with either a solid or flexible antenna. You could run it to a window, and bolt it to the outside...or just tape the soft antenna to the window.

I keep my Minitor V in an amplified charger at home, with the antenna stapled to the outside of the window frame. Seems to work okay. Then, if your PSAP has CAD (computer aided dispatch) capabilities, you have cellular options and digital pager options. You could receive the page in text message, forwarded through an email address, or a system similar to "I Am Responding" (IAR). I'm big on IAR, it's kind of expensive, but on average, I get the CAD on my phone, before the pager activates. Then, if using IAR, not only can you use it for scheduling, and silent response (without radioing out), you have the option to have the address sent on a Google Maps link in the CAD Page. That way, you can open it up w/ a smart phone and voila, you have the address located on the street view, plain map or satalite view. So you can almost guide yourself to the scene w/o any further directions.

You'll have no choice but to upgrade to an extent, because of national narrowbanding. After a certain date, a lot of radio equipment will be totally useless for public safety systems. IMO, it's a ploy to make communications companies billionaires.. B/c I'm well aware that this shit is expensive. But that's the way it works.

Edited June 21, 2012 by 1 C