Chapter 6

TYPICAL PAGING HARDWARE

Hardware making up a typical paging system is comprised of:
a ) Paging receivers or pagers
b ) Paging terminal(s)
c ) Base station

Motorola is in the forefront as a manufacturer of paging products. It has a wide spectrum of products ranging from the simplest, basic pager to the latest state-of-the-art paging systems comprising the most advanced terminals, base stations, controllers and other accessories.

In the following, we summarize the features and capabilities of these latest products.



PAGING RECEIVERS

Paging receivers or pagers have not changed drastically in terms of their functions in the last decade although their form factors are now much more appealing than they used to be. Rugged and yet much smaller in size, they now use advanced technology. They are microprocessor-controlled and powered by a single disposable AA or AAA battery.

A modern pager typically consists of the following modules:

  • Receiver: Receives and modulates the paging signals
  • Decoder: Decodes binary information
  • Display: Displays message and other information
  • Controls: Allows user to set parameters and access information
  • Battery: Provides the power source



    COMMON FEATURES OF PAGING RECEIVERS

    Ranging from the humblest tone-only pager to the sophisticated multifunctional data/information receivers integrated with a portable computer, modern pagers come with some of the very common product features explained below. This is followed by a listing of some of Motorola's wide range of pagers and their features.

    Battery-Saver

    To conserve battery power, battery-saving techniques are incorporated into the paging format and the pager. These techniques switch the pager into low-power mode for short intervals and therefore reduce the frequency of battery replacement.



    Group Call

    The pager is equipped with two codes. One code is for individual call and the other code is for group call. Group call allows a selected group of individuals within a system, e.g. emergency fire and rescue team, to be paged simultaneously.



    Error Detection/Correction

    Most digital signalling protocols, e.g. POCSAG, are equipped with error detection and correction codes to ensure reliable reception of the transmitted data. This involves sending additional information (along with the data) which enables the receiving station to check for the presence of errors in transmission and perform any corrective actions if necessary.



    Silent Alerting

    A pager uses vibration to silently alert its user. Useful in situations or places where tone alert is not acceptable, e.g. meetings, church services.



    Duplicate Message Detection

    If a new message is identical to a stored message, it will not be entered into memory. There will be a "duplicate" prompt to signify that the message has been received more than once. This prevents depletion of memory capacity by duplicated messages.



    Memory Retention (Non-Volatile Memory)

    Messages and pager settings will be retained in memory even when the pager is turned off or when a battery is being changed.



    Unread Message Counter

    Each time a message is received, the "standby" display is updated to reflect the number of unread messages in memory.



    Message Protection

    A certain number of messages can be locked into memory. This prevents selected messages from being overwritten by incoming messages or erased by mistake.



    Message Freeze

    The user can "freeze" a message on the screen by holding down the "read" button. This allows a user to keep a message on the screen while he makes a phone call or writes it down.



    Accelerated Life Test (ALT)

    A process developed by Motorola to simulate five years of field stress in a few weeks. The ALT is conducted to assure product quality and reliability.



    Backlit Display

    A switch can be depressed to illuminate the display. This permits reading in low light conditions.



    Chirp in MEM-O-LERT

    When the pager is switched to the "silent" position, a short beep (or chirp) will be emitted on reception of a page. This is in place of a full alert which might be disturbing.



    Overflow Indicator

    When the number of unread messages is greater than the number of available memory slots, "overflow" replaces the unread message indicator. This tells the user that the oldest unread message has been pushed out of memory by a more recent message.



    Memory Full Indication

    When the number of messages or characters stored reaches capacity, the pager will display a "memory full" screen. This gives the user the opportunity to "lock" any pages that they want to save as existing messages will now be pushed out of memory by a new incoming page.



    Over-The-Air (OTA) Programming

    The pager's EEPROM is reprogrammable via a PC interface and/or with Motorola's Over-the-air programming protocol. These methods can be used to reconfigure the pager's code and options via RF transmission without having the subscribers inconvenienced. The pager no longer has to be brought in for service to be reconfigured.



    Source Indicator

    When selected, a source indicator will appear at the end of each data message. The source indicates what phone number was called to send the page and provides additional information to the user.



    Automatic Alert Reset

    Pager alerts automatically reset after a designated period of time. This minimizes battery drain and the inconvenience of having to manually reset the alerts.



    Mail Drop/Information Services

    The pager's codes can be programmed for mail drop/information services, e.g. sports scores, stock quotes, weather forecasts etc. can be received and stored in their own memory locations. This allows the user to access specific information at any time and to always have the most up-to-date information by reading the assigned memory location.





    POPULAR PAGERS

    Visit Products and Services to see Motorola's a wide range of paging products.

    Pagers That Feature Numeric Display of Messages
    Pagers That Feature Alphanumeric Display of Messages
    Advanced Two-Way Messaging Products
    Pagers That Deliver Voice Messages
    Paging Data Receivers
    Specialty Products
    Technical Information on Pagers





    PAGING SYSTEMS PRODUCTS

    For more information see: Products for Sending Alphanumeric Pages || On Site Products For Delivering Your Own Paging Messages || Paging System Components


    PAGING SYSTEMS

    Motorola offers a complete range of paging equipment from the paging terminal, RF controller to the base stations.

    The MPS2000 Modular Paging Switch and the Motorola Unipage Paging Terminal are two state-of-the-art paging systems used commonly by paging operators all over the world. C-Net RF control system monitors and controls the transmission network. The Nucleus transmitters send out pages from the control centre.

    The C-Net and Nucleus transmission system is microprocessor-controlled with a digital signal processor supporting besides POCSAG and other commonly used paging codes, also high speed codes such as FLEX with four-level modulation.





    PAGING TERMINALS

    The MPS2000 Modular Paging Switch

    • Modular design for easy, effective expansion
    • High processing capacity of more than 1,000,000 subscribers
    • Flexible architecture - input processors and output processors can be located locally or remotely while using a core site central processor for one point billing and maintenance
    • Efficient traffic management - supports high and efficient throughput. Page handling on the MPS2000 is also configurable and programmable to cater for varying degrees of call throughput during the various periods of the day
    • Networking - the MPS2000 switch provides a number of networking options including TNPP, EUROMESSAGING, X.25, and "Follow-me"
    • Voice prompts - high quality standard and custom voice prompts are available
    • Redundancy - any or all the main modules of the MPS2000 system can be configured as redundant, providing true multi-level redundancy



    UnipageTM

    • Modular chassis architecture allows easy, economical system expansion
    • Capacity of more than 1,000,000 subscribers and 1900 input trunks
    • Pulse, DTMF and MF signalling acceptable on the input trunks
    • POCSAG (512, 1200, 2400), GSC, 2-tone, MBS, RDS and FLEX paging formats
    • Alpha, numeric, tone and voice paging
    • Trunks - supports analog (selector level DID, POTS - ring up, Loopstart, 2-wire E&M) and digital (E1/T1)
    • Voice messaging - a versatile voice and numeric mailbox system such as Message Manager, can provide from 6 to 600 hours of voice storage. Message Manager also provides additional features like message discard, notification, date/ time stamp on messages, unanswered message reminder, custom greetings and number change announcement
    • Alpha transcription - converts all voice messages to alpha messages through an operator for subsequent transmission to the subscriber's alpha pager
    • Networking capability - Unipage Network Processor provides wide-area paging through the exchange of paging messages between systems over a wide variety of connections eg. TNPP via leased-line, satellite or dial up
    • Maintenance is flexible and easy through local and remote diagnostic and statistics capability, "hot" maintenance capability (which allows removal and installation of cards while the system is operational), and full or critical sub- system redundancy option





    CONTROLLERS

    C-NetTM

    • Advanced RF network controller
    • Links the terminal to the base stations
    • C-Net can be connected to its base stations via wireline, radio link, microwave or satellite
    • C-Net greatly reduces the need to travel to outlying base stations and even allows upgrade of base station software in the field without making any field trips
    • Supports multiplexing of multiple digital paging systems over a single link
    • Supports paging signal in excess of 6400 bps and high speed formats such as FLEX
    • Supports forward error- correction of all paging data for all formats
    • Supports forward self- alignment of modulation delay
    • Supports re-generation of signals at transmission sites
    • Consumes absolutely no airtime for key control signalling
    • Provides comprehensive system and equipment diagnostics
    • Simultaneously update base station programmes via link system



    NucleusTM Transmitter

    • Microprocessor control offering maximum flexibility for changing system operating parameters
    • Digital signal processor excitor design supports four-level modulation and high speed codes
    • Optimal thermal design and reliable heat sinks for prolonged component life and increased station reliability
    • Easy maintenance due to fully modular component design, front panel access and pull-out component modules
    • Works with different distribution media - wireline, radio links, microwave, satellite lines
    • Wide RF output power range available from 20 to 350 Watts
    • Available in different frequency bands - VHF, 280 MHz, 900 MHz and UHF
    • Compact system size - 9" tall, standard 19" width
    • Accommodates all paging formats - voice, 2-tone, 5/6-tone, POCSAG, GSC, and FLEX formats can be used singly or in combination





    PAGING BASE STATIONS

    Base stations can either be locally or remotely controlled/monitored. A remote controller, centrally located, offers many operational advantages. This is especially true in the case of simulcasting where system equalization of important parameters of the base stations can be performed automatically from a single location.



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    Copyright 1995, 1996, Motorola, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    Last updated: June 5, 1996