Hey guys, first timer here. I just joined my local volunteer fire dept. as a junior fire fighter, and I was issued a minitor II pager, and I was hoping to find a manual or something online, but no such luck. Does anyone have a link to a user guide or something? I wasn't given any other info then "plug it in". Can anyone give me some info on how to use this?
Thanks,
Tim
well there is a volume/on off knob, and then another knob that has a 1, 2, and a little bell. whats all that do? there is also a little button on is squelch? how long do I charge it, and then how long does a charge last?
ok so weird stuff happened...lol I left it on, and then after awhile I set it back on the base, and the little "pager" light didn't come on, so does that mean it was charging and its only on when its fully charged? On the pager, there is little light that blinks and the pager beeps when you turn it on, but that stopping blinking, but I think thats cause its dead (the batttery). Correct?
Again, thanks for your help.
The light is one when the call comes in, some stay on until reset after a call. As far as the base light goes, this should be lit while in the charger. The light stays on the entire time. If you jiggle the pager and can make it go on and off, you may have a bad base. Also, see if there is any idea of the age of the battery. They don;t last forever.
The Minitor II is an older model and if you use the Nickel Cadmium batteries (likely), they do loose strength after years of use. They tend to keep a "memory", so it best to use as much of the battery's power before fully recharging it again. Most people tend to keep it on it's base when you are not using it...which sometimes gives it an unsusual charging pattern and depletes it's integrity.
I have used one for eight years and this system seemd to work best for me:
Do not charge the entire pager on it's base. Have at least 2 batteries. One in the pager always on, and the other charging for 12-14 hours. A good battery can last up to 10-12 hours on normal runs and traffic. By the end of the day the battery is very low and should be swapped out with the the fully charged one. In the back of the base there should be an extra battery compartment for charging. It is always good to drain as much power from the battery before fully recharging it. This applies to Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cad) batts only.
Get with your officers to understand the 1, 2, and Bell settings. Typically, but not necassarily, the Bell is for an alarm and dispatch only. 1 and/or 2 is to hear the traffic of an incident, or used as a Tac channel.
If you have high speed or broadband internet, check on YouTube for some Minitor II demonstration videos.
My old Min 2 has done somersaults on the concrete, been stepped on, and submerged completely underwater. Still works, but now I have a Min 4 w/ Nickel Hydride batts. Much better.
ok thanks for the info. I did a little research, and I found that the "1" freq is the CDF Local Net (151.325). The "2" freq is the County Tactical (154.340). If I was monitoring the county tac freq, would I still get paged and stuff?
Yes, leaving it on 1 or 2 should also receive the dispatch alarm. I left mine on 1 or 2 all the time. Some chargers can do both Ni-Cad and Nimh. But since the charger/base is from an older model, I would not risk charging NiMHs on a NiCad charger. If you or anyone you know is electronically savvy, I would ask their expert opinion.
My battery is a aftermarket replacement, so no date. So in order to receive a page, I'm gonna need to just leave it on 1 then....thats good to know cause I was thinking it was 2. Thanks for the info there.
well i use a min 2 and i hate it it gets bad service and goes off one spot then move it 2 inches then won't go off but useing it you can have 2 freqs and the alarm i leave mine on alarm so it isn't scanning the freq list should be on the bottom of the pager. If your charge is like mine it has a extra battery charger in the back behind the pager charger other then that it's basic