Motorola
Motorola, Inc. () was an American Multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, United States. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, the company split into two independent p ...
Minitor is a portable, analog, receive only, voice
pager
A pager (also known as a beeper or bleeper) is a wireless telecommunications device that receives and displays alphanumeric or voice messages. One-way pagers can only receive messages, while response pagers and two-way pagers can also acknow ...
typically carried by
fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products.
At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...
,
rescue
Rescue comprises responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, or the urgent treatment of injuries after an accident or a dangerous situation.
Tools used might include search and rescue dogs, mounted search and rescue ho ...
, and EMS personnel (both volunteer and career) to alert of
emergencies
An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...
. The Minitor, slightly smaller than a pack of cigarettes, is carried on a person and usually left in selective call mode. When the unit is activated, the pager sounds a tone alert, followed by an announcement from a
dispatcher
A dispatcher is a communications worker who receives and transmits information to coordinate operations of other personnel and vehicles carrying out a service. A number of organizations, including police and fire departments, emergency medical s ...
alerting the user of a situation. After activation, the pager remains in monitor mode much like a scanner, and monitors transmissions on that channel until the unit is reset back into selective call mode either manually, or automatically after a set period of time, depending on programming.
Purpose and History
In the times before modern
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
communications, it was difficult for emergency services such as volunteer
fire departments
A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...
to alert their members to an emergency, since the members were not based at the station. The earliest methods of sounding an alarm would typically be by ringing a bell either at the fire station or the local church. As electricity became available, most fire departments used fire sirens or whistles to summon volunteers (many fire departments still use outdoor sirens and horns along with pagers to alert volunteers). Other methods included specialized phones placed inside the volunteer firefighter's home or business or by base radios or scanners. "
Plectron
A Plectron is a specialized VHF/UHF single-channel, emergency alerting radio receiver, used to activate emergency response personnel, and disaster warning systems. Manufactured from the late 1950s, through the late 1990s, by the now defunct Plect ...
" radio receivers were very popular, but were limited to 120VAC or 12VDC operation, limiting their use to a house/building or mounted in a vehicle. There was a great need and desire for a portable radio small enough to be worn by a person and only activated when needed. Thus, Motorola answered this call in the 1970s and released the very first Minitor pager.
There are six versions of Minitor pagers. The first was the original Minitor, followed by the Minitor II(1992), Minitor III(1999), Minitor IV, and the Minitor V released in late 2005. The Minitor VI was released in early 2014. The Minitor III, IV, and V used the same basic design, while the original Minitor and Minitor II use their own rectangular
proprietary
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* Controls - Physical controls (specifically on the Minitor III) include an "A,B,C,D" function knob, a power/volume knob, reset button, voice playback button, external speaker jack, and an amber and red LED. Depending on the model, the selection on the function knobs may do different things.
* Control examples - For example, function A may be selective call mode, while function B is the vibrate function. Function C monitors channel 2. D is the mode that is similar to a scanner. When the pager is turned on, eight short beeps are heard along with flashing of both LEDs. Holding down the reset button in selective call mode will monitor the channel for any transmission on that channel at that time, or pure static as the
squelch
In telecommunications, squelch is a circuit function that acts to suppress the audio (or video) output of a receiver in the absence of a strong input signal. Essentially, squelch is a specialized type of noise gate designed to suppress weak s ...
is bypassed.
* Field Programmable - Some models have field programmable options such as Non- Priority Scan, Alert Duration, Priority Alert, On/Off Duty, Reset Options, and Push-To-Listen. Many Minitor pagers can be hooked up to a
computer
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as C ...
with a special cable and options changed.http://www.mepin.com/Minitor%20III%20MAN.pdf
* Durability - Unlike older models, the Minitor V is "rainproof" as it meets "Military Standard 810, Procedure 1 for driving rain".
* Belt Clip - A spring-loaded clip is attached to the back of each Minitor to allow the user to clip the pager onto a pocket or belt. Also, carrying cases and covers are also made to protect the pager.
* Charging - Minitor pagers come standard with a charging stand and two rechargeable batteries.
* Amplified base unit - An optional "Charger/Amplifier" base can be bought. Bigger than the standard charging stand, the "Charger/Amplifier" base not only charges the pager, but has an external antenna for increased
reception
Reception is a noun form of ''receiving'', or ''to receive'' something, such as art, experience, information, people, products, or vehicles. It may refer to:
Astrology
* Reception (astrology), when a planet is located in a sign ruled by another p ...
, an amplified audio out jack to drive a stand-alone speaker, and some models even incorporate a
relay
A relay
Electromechanical relay schematic showing a control coil, four pairs of normally open and one pair of normally closed contacts
An automotive-style miniature relay with the dust cover taken off
A relay is an electrically operated switch ...
to activate external devices along with the pager. Some uses for this relay include: Turning on lights in a building such as a fire station, activating an external audio/visual alarm, etc.
* Accessories - Official Motorola accessories for the Minitor pagers include (including some listed above): Desktop Battery Charger, Desktop Battery Charger/Amplifier with Antenna and Relay, Vehicular Charger-Amp with Relay, Earpieces, Extra Loud Lapel Speaker, and Nylon Carrying Case.
Disadvantages
The audible alarm on the Minitor lasts only for the duration of the second activation tone. If there is bad reception, the pager may only sound a quick beep, and the user may not be alerted properly. This can be changed by editing the codeplug's "Alert Duration" from STD to Fixed, the user can then set the alert duration longer than the second tone. The user must be cautious, however, as setting the alert tone duration too high may cover some voice information. Also, some units may have the volume knob set to control the sound output of the audible alert as well. The user may have the volume turned down to an undetectable level either by accident or by carelessness, thus missing the page. A factory option for "Fixed Alert" (the only option on the earlier Minitor I), however, lets the alert tone override the volume and sound at maximum volume regardless of the volume knob's position. It is possible to program the pager to always vibrate when an alert is received, giving the possibility of either a silent (vibrating) alert or audible and vibrating alerts. Minitor I and II do not have vibrating capabilities standard).
The vibrating motor in the newer (IV and V) Minitor pagers is quite strong in order to be felt in varying conditions, such as when performing heavy work. It is not uncommon for the vibrating motor in a pager, placed in a charger overnight and left in vibrate mode, to "walk" the pager and charger off of a table or
nightstand
A nightstand, alternatively night table, bedside table, daystand or bedside cabinet, is a small table or cabinet designed to stand beside a bed or elsewhere in a bedroom. Modern nightstands are usually small bedside tables, often with one or s ...
.
Minitor pagers are powered by battery which will eventually run down if not charged (a flashing red LED and audible alarm is used as a warning of low battery power). As the Minitor is portable, its
electronics
The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...
aren't as sensitive as set top or base radios and are usually less able to pick up weak or distant signals.
See also
*
Selective calling
In a conventional, analog two-way radio system, a standard radio has ''noise squelch'' or ''carrier squelch'', which allows a radio to receive all transmissions. Selective calling is used to address a subset of all two-way radios on a single rad ...
*
Radio receiver
In radio communications, a radio receiver, also known as a receiver, a wireless, or simply a radio, is an electronic device that receives radio waves and converts the information carried by them to a usable form. It is used with an antenna. Th ...
*
Plectron
A Plectron is a specialized VHF/UHF single-channel, emergency alerting radio receiver, used to activate emergency response personnel, and disaster warning systems. Manufactured from the late 1950s, through the late 1990s, by the now defunct Plect ...
*
Dispatching
Dispatch is a procedure for assigning employees (workers) or vehicles to customers. Industries that dispatch include taxicabs, couriers, emergency services, as well as home and commercial services such as maid services, plumbing, HVAC, pest contro ...