Dear friends of Wireless Messaging and Paging,

Most people don't know that back in 1912, Hellmann's mayonnaise was manufactured in England. In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York. This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever delivered to Mexico.

But as we know, the great ship did not make it to New York. The ship hit an iceberg and sank, and the cargo was forever lost. The people of Mexico, who were crazy about mayonnaise, and were eagerly awaiting its delivery, were disconsolate at the loss. Their anguish was so great, that they declared a National Day of Mourning which they still observe to this day.

The National Day of Mourning occurs each year on May 5th, and is known, of course, as "Sinko de Mayo."

Sorry the joke is a week late.

In the news this week are the first-quarter financial reports from Arch and Metrocall. They are in the process of merging, so this might be the last time they report separately. It will be interesting to see what their new corporate name will be.

There are a couple of important items from the FCC, and a great addition to the Paging Family Tree, with information about the Pacific Northwest paging companies. If you would like to contribute to paging history, your addition to the tree would be welcome.

I have posted the agenda for the SCA Wireless Forum to be held in Myrtle Beach, SC next month. You still have time to register at a reduced rate. I will be moderating an open forum on The Final Merger of Paging. I hope to see you there. By the way, the SCA is really the only pure paging show left and they could use the support of all the manufacturers and vendors of paging equipment. Many of you reading this newsletter still have time to get involved in this year's show. If you are interested, please give me a call and I will put you in touch with the right people at the SCA. Let's all support this important paging event.

Now on to the news and views.

Promoting Wireless Messaging, Telemetry, and Paging.

A new issue of The Wireless Messaging Newsletter gets posted on the web each week. A notification goes out by e-mail to subscribers on most Fridays around noon Eastern US time. The notification message has a link to the actual newsletter on the Internet. That way it doesn't fill up your incoming e-mail account.

There is no charge for subscription and there are no membership restrictions. Readers are a very select group of wireless industry professionals, and include the senior managers of many of the world's major paging and wireless data companies. There is an even mix of operations managers, marketing people, and engineers, so I try to include items of interest to all three groups. It's all about staying up-to-date with business trends and technology.

I regularly get reader's comments, so this newsletter has become a community forum for the paging, and wireless data communities. You are welcome to contribute your ideas and opinions. Unless otherwise requested, all correspondence addressed to me is subject to publication in the newsletter and on my website.

NOTE: This newsletter is best viewed at screen resolutions of 800x600 (good) or 1024x768 (better). Any current revision of web browser should work fine. Please notify me of any problems with viewing. This site is compliant with XHTML 1.0 transitional coding for easy access from wireless devices. (XML 1.0/ISO 8859-1.)

Metrocall Reports First Quarter 2004 Operating Results

10-May-2004

Quarterly Revenues Increase $3.6 Million to $90.7 Million

Alexandria, VA, Monday, May 10, 2004—Metrocall Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: MTOH), a leading provider of paging and wireless messaging services, today announced total revenues for the first quarter of 2004 of $90.7 million and net income available to common shareholders of $7.5 million for the quarter compared to revenues of $87.1 million and net income available to common shareholders of $2.0 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2003. The Company reported basic and diluted earnings per share available to common stockholders of $1.38 and $1.31 respectively compared to basic and diluted earnings per share of $0.39 and $0.37 per share, respectively for the quarter ended December 31, 2003.

Total revenues increased $3.6 million from the fourth quarter of 2003 and included both a full quarter’s revenue impact from the November 18, 2003 WebLink acquisition as well as approximately $579,000 of revenues generated from the Company’s consolidated investment in GTES, LLC. GTES, established in February 2004 to provide infrastructure support to the paging industry, is a venture that is 51% owned by Metrocall Ventures, Inc., a Metrocall Holdings subsidiary, and 49% by former management and employees of the paging infrastructure operations of Glenayre, Inc.

Metrocall Holdings President & CEO Vincent D. Kelly stated, “Metrocall remains focused on servicing and retaining our core direct subscriber base. However, the paging and wireless messaging sector continues to face significant competitive pressures from existing paging suppliers and competing mobile communications technologies.”

Total revenues were $90.7 million and were comprised of revenues from Metrocall’s “legacy” operations of $72.1 million, revenues associated with the operations of the assets acquired from WebLink Wireless in November 2003 of $18.0 million and GTES LLC revenues of $0.6 million. These compared to pro forma fourth quarter 2003 total revenues of $97.5 million assuming that the WebLink transaction had occurred on October 1, 2003.

Kelly further stated, “Our operating results were also influenced by three strategic activities in addition to our ongoing sales and customer service initiatives, yet are each important to our business plan: the integration of the major assets of WebLink Wireless; the expenses incurred related to the preparation of the proposed Metrocall/Arch Wireless Merger agreement and our investment in GTES.”

Total operating expenses including, cost of products sold, service, rent and maintenance, selling and marketing and general and administrative expenses for the first quarter of 2004 totaled approximately $65.9 million, an increase of approximately $5.7 million from reported fourth quarter operating expenses, but a pro-forma decrease of $4.3 million from the fourth quarter of 2003 had WebLink’s operating results been included for the full quarter. Metrocall also continued to expense merger related deal costs as incurred. Operating expenses included approximately $1.2 million in general and administrative expenses related to legal and other expenses associated with the proposed merger between Metrocall and Arch Wireless, Inc. and $421,000 related to the operations of GTES.

Kelly continued, “Metrocall has been able to exceed our first quarter cost containment and integration targets with respect to the WebLink Wireless acquisition. We expect to realize further recurring cost savings as the integration continues during throughout 2004.” Metrocall reported a decline of 239,522 units in service during the first quarter to 3,225,422. This reduction was comprised of 221,811 traditional paging units and 17,711 advanced (two-way) messaging units. Of the subscriber unit reduction, approximately 37.9% and 62.1% were from direct and indirect distribution channels, respectively. Average revenue per direct and indirect unit in service was $7.24 for traditional and $18.69 for advanced messaging, representing an increase of $0.15 and a decrease of $3.48 per unit, respectively from the three months ended December 31, 2003. The reduction in advanced ARPU reflects a full quarter of operations and contribution from the WebLink carrier services unit. This unit provides traditional and advanced messaging services on a wholesale basis to other telecommunications and paging carriers and generates lower average revenue per unit statistics because the Company is not required to invoice or provide customer service to the end user receiving the service.

As of March 31, 2004, Metrocall had cash and cash equivalents of $14.7 million, no long-term debt securities and $6.7 million aggregate liquidation value of redeemable series A preferred outstanding, all which will be redeemed on May 17, 2004. Upon the completion of the May 17th redemption, Metrocall will be debt free, having fully redeemed $140 million of original principal in debt and preferred stock in just over a year and a half since emerging from its restructuring. On March 29, 2004, Metrocall announced the execution of a definitive merger agreement with Arch Wireless, Inc. ("Arch"). Under terms of the agreement, Metrocall shareholders will receive $150 million in cash for 2 million shares of Metrocall common stock and a new holding company will be formed to own both Arch and Metrocall of which Arch and Metrocall shareholders will own approximately 72.5% and 27.5%, respectively. The merger is subject to shareholder and various regulatory approvals. Arch and Metrocall have made various applications for these approvals and are currently developing a joint proxy/registration statement to obtain shareholder approvals. Arch and Metrocall anticipate the merger to be completed in the second half of 2004.

About Metrocall Wireless, Inc.
Metrocall Wireless, Inc., headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, is a leading provider of paging products and other wireless services to the business, government and healthcare communities. In addition to its reliable, nationwide one-way networks, Metrocall’s two-way network has the largest high-powered terrestrial ReFLEX footprint in the United States with roaming partners in Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Metrocall Wireless is the preferred ReFLEX wireless data network provider for many of the largest telecommunication companies in the United States that source network services and resell under their own brand names. In addition to traditional numeric, one-way text and two-way paging, Metrocall also offers wireless e-mail solutions, as well as mobile voice and data services through AT&T Wireless and Nextel. Also, Metrocall offers Integrated Resource Management Systems with wireless connectivity solutions for medical, business, government and other campus environments. Metrocall focuses on the business-to-business marketplace and supports organizations of all sizes. On March 29, 2004, Metrocall and Arch Wireless, Inc. announced a merger agreement that would result in a combination of the two businesses. That transaction is subject to several conditions, including shareholder and regulatory approvals. For more information on Metrocall please visit our Web site and online store at www.metrocall.com or call 800-800-2337.

Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
This press release includes "forward-looking statements," within the meaning of the federal securities laws, that involve uncertainties and risks. These include statements regarding events or developments that Metrocall Holdings expects or anticipates will occur in the future. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause actual results, events, and developments to differ from expectations. Please refer to Metrocall's most recent annual report on Form 10-K, and any subsequently filed reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K, as well as its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, for a complete discussion of these and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected by these forward-looking statements.

Source: Metrocall Press Release

Arch Wireless Reports First Quarter Operating Results

WESTBOROUGH, Mass., May 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/—Arch Wireless, Inc. (Nasdaq: AWIN; BSE: AWL), a leading wireless messaging and mobile information company, today announced consolidated net income of $4.9 million, or $0.24 per share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2004, compared to consolidated net income of $6.1 million, or $0.30 per share, for the first quarter of 2003. Consolidated revenues for the first quarter of 2004 were $124 million, compared to $165 million for the first quarter of 2003.

"While the wireless messaging industry remains competitive, we continued to make steady improvements to our network operations, business processes and customer service, resulting in a 24% decline in total operating expenses from the same quarter a year earlier," said C. Edward Baker, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer. Baker added that Arch's units in service disconnect rate continued to improve during the quarter.

Arch reported a net decline of 259,000 messaging units in service during the first quarter of 2004, comprised of 246,000 one-way messaging units and 13,000 two-way messaging units. Messaging units in service totaled 4,178,000 at March 31, 2004, with 3,516,000 direct units in service and 662,000 indirect units in service. During the first quarter, average revenue per direct unit in service was $10.35 compared to $3.70 per indirect unit in service.

J. Roy Pottle, executive vice president and chief financial officer, said Arch continued to strengthen its financial position during the first quarter through the reduction of operating expenses and repayment of debt. Pottle noted that the company's wholly owned subsidiary, Arch Wireless Holdings, Inc. (AWHI), completed optional redemptions totaling $20 million of its 12% Subordinated Secured Compounding Notes due 2009. "With the completion of an additional optional redemption of $20 million compounded value of 12% Notes on April 30, 2004," he added, "AWHI has redeemed $40 million compounded value of the 12% Notes since January 1, 2004 and, as of today, there is $20 million in aggregate compounded value of the notes outstanding."

Pottle also noted: "On April 28, 2004, AWHI announced its intention to redeem the final portion of its 12% Notes on May 28, 2004. Upon completion of the May 28 redemption, Arch will be debt free, having fully redeemed $300 million of original principal within two years of emerging from its restructuring."

On March 29, 2004, Arch announced the execution of a definitive merger agreement with Metrocall Holdings, Inc. ("Metrocall"). Under terms of the agreement, a new holding company will be formed to own both Arch and Metrocall of which Arch and Metrocall shareholders will own approximately 72.5% and 27.5%, respectively. The merger is subject to shareholder and various regulatory approvals. Arch and Metrocall have made various applications for these approvals and are currently developing a joint proxy/registration statement to obtain shareholder approvals. Arch and Metrocall anticipate the merger to be completed in the second half of 2004.

Arch Wireless, Inc., headquartered in Westborough, Mass., is a leading wireless messaging and mobile information company with operations throughout the United States. It offers a full range of wireless messaging and wireless e-mail services, including mobile data solutions for the enterprise, to business and retail customers nationwide. Arch provides services to customers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and in the Caribbean principally through a nationwide direct sales force, as well as through indirect resellers, retailers and other strategic partners. Additional information on Arch is available on the Internet at http://www.arch.com.

Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act: Statements contained herein or in prior press releases which are not historical fact, such as statements regarding Arch's expectations for future operating performance and completion of its pending merger with Metrocall, are forward- looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause Arch's actual results to be materially different from the future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expectations include, but are not limited to, declining demand for its paging products and services, Arch's ability to continue to reduce operating expenses and maintain operating margins, Arch's future capital needs, competitive pricing pressures, competition from both traditional paging services and other wireless communications services, government regulation, reliance upon third party providers for certain equipment and services, as well as other risks described from time to time in Arch's periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although Arch believes the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be attained. Arch disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward- looking statements.

Source: Arch Wireless News Release

Brad,

I enjoyed looking at your paging family tree and appreciate the amount of work that went into it. As a former regional technical manager of AirSignal (everything east of the Mississippi, including Kansas City, Dallas and Minneapolis/St Paul) I have special interest in roots and branches.

The breakup of AirSignal was very complicated since MCI parted it out. It was not sold whole to McCaw. Philadelphia and East Florida were sold to Contact which I believe was then bought by MobileMedia. Minneapolis was not sold to McCaw either. There was nothing left of the Florida operation by the time I was bought by MobileMedia (I was at MobileComm at this time) in 1996. There were parts of Philadelphia left including one of the technicians, Malcolm Hunter. Malcolm is still in Philadelphia some 25 years later. To further complicate the issue, McCaw parted out its various pieces of AirSignal. The west coast of Florida went to Dial Page of Charlotte, which then went to MobileMedia. Atlanta, Cleveland, Dallas, Houston, Pittsburgh, Washington, New York and Boston went to MCCA in '86. Complicated? You bet!

After 26 years in paging (I started with AirSignal July 1st, 1978 and ended with Arch Jan 9th, 2004), I have seen the growth and death of an industry. I have no regrets. I knew paging was doomed some time ago. When it became easier to get a hold of the technicians in the field by calling them on their cell phones, I knew the gig was up.

I know that a lot of ex-paging people claim that the industry could have done things differently and the outcome would have been different, but the reality is technology is Darwinistic. I was watching the Senate hearings on revising the Communications Act of 1996 on C-Span last night. The Chairman of Verizon made the statement that he would not bet on the future of wireline telephone. He asked the Senators why should Verizon invest any money into a technology that is outdated and has such a limited future. On the same note, BellSouth just told Georgia it was abandoning all pay phones in the state that it wasn't contractually obligated to maintain, and those they are going to pay someone else to maintain until the contract expires. So paging is not the only communications medium with a limited life. Yes, paging will remain as a niche and there will still be millions of pagers for some time and some companies will continue to make money, but it is going to be a tough row to hoe.

Campbell
J. Campbell O'Keeffe
cokeeffe@bellsouth.net
770-663-4136

An excellent opportunity for wireless carriers big and small, suppliers, and network providers in the competitive wireless industry to network and learn from one another at the newest resort in Myrtle Beach!

Join us for SCA's Wireless Forum 2004, June 2-4, at the NEW MARRIOTT RESORT AND GRANDE DUNES. The resort has more amenities than any other destination in the Carolinas. Activities include:

• Championship Golf
• Tennis
• Fitness Center
• Tropical Beachfront Pool with Waterslide
• European Spa with Indoor Pool

. . . or the simple but priceless pleasure of sitting on a pristine beach and soaking up the South Carolina sun. Combine these first-class accommodations and excellent conference facilities with the premier wireless and paging conference on the East Coast and make your plans now to attend!

Sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities are available. Contact linda@scawireless.com or call 910-452-0006.

DON'T MISS THIS CHANCE TO EXPAND YOUR OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIRELESS MESSAGING WORLD!

SCA AGENDA

Building on its long success story in 1-way paging, Advantra International has become the expert in designing and manufacturing the most advanced and lowest cost ReFLEX™ radio modems for 2-way data-communication. The company also focuses on offering total telemetry solutions.

Advantra thanks its solid reputation to its world-renowned development team, state-of-the-art manufacturing, excellent customer service and its proven track-record.

USED MOTOROLA PAGING EQUIPMENT AND INSTALLATION ACCESORIES
(931 MHZ)

Nucleus - Unipage - ASC Controllers - Antennas - Filters - Power Supplies - Connectors - Pagers - etc.

Arturo@ubicar.com.ar

Quintron / Glenayre QT-7795 any vintage parts or chassis Universal exciters and freq. TXC-TCC controllers. UHF link receivers

Angie: 1-800-842-1950

Ext: 6411

Motorola Introduces Two New Pagers Ideal for Health Care, Hospitality, Manufacturing, and Utilities Markets

Motorola's newest one-way pagers—the Advisor II pager and the LS355 pager—are ideal for users in demanding business environments who need a convenient and cost effective way to stay in touch.

Both the Advisor II pager and the LS355 pager were developed for use in hospitals and medical facilities, manufacturing environments, utilities, hospitality applications, campus settings, and for businesses that own and operate their own paging systems.

The Advisor II pager's alphanumeric four-line display and expanded functionality incorporate many of the most advanced paging features available. A major advantage of the Advisor II pager is that it is synthesized which enables the user to program the pager to a specific frequency in the field. Other features of the Advisor II pager include:

• Displays up to four lines of text and 80 characters per line
• Zooms in on two lines for larger view
• Optimax® EL Electra Light for optimum readability
• 52 message slots for storing multiple pages
• Two notebook areas, including a personal notebook and a mail drop notebook

The LS355 numeric pager enables users to receive a "call-back" number that can be returned at the user's convenience. This pager has a one-button design for ease of use. Features of the new LS355 pager include:

• 16 message slots for storing multiple pages
• Six individual addresses to allow the user to receive individual or group pages
• 4 icons including Message Preview, Unread Message Indication, Alert Mode, and Out of Range Indication
• Saves messages when off or when the battery is being changed and offers the time and date when on standby
• RS232 programmable to allow for programming changes in the field

Both the Advisor II pager and the LS355 pager are available in POCSAG, UHF or VHF models and ship with a one-year standard warranty. As part of the continued support of these pagers, Motorola offers a two-year Express Service Plus program. This feature provides hardware repair coverage for two years beyond the standard one-year warranty for a total of three years of pager repair coverage. Both pagers are available through Motorola Authorized Resellers.

MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2003.

Complete Technical Services For The
Communications and Electronics Industries
Design • Installation • Maintenance • Training

Ira Wiesenfeld, P.E.
Consulting Engineer
Registered Professional Engineer

Advertise Here

Your company's logo and product promotion can appear right here for 6 months. It only costs $500 for a full-size ad in 26 issues—that's $19.23 an issue. (6 month minimum run.)

Details about the various advertising plans can be read here.  CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

Authentium's COMMAND Antivirus™
COMMAND Antivirus™ is used by leading education institutions, Fortune 500 companies and government agencies for one simple reason—it works. Based on the proven F-Prot engine and developed continuously over a period of more than ten years, COMMAND Antivirus™ deploys more easily, detects more viruses (and potential viruses), handles more file extensions, and returns fewer false positives than competing antivirus products.

Authentium's representative in Mexico:

Enrique Llaca
Llacom, SA de CV
Mexico City
Telephone: 011 52 55 53734241

Enrique Llaca CLICK HERE TO E-MAIL

two tone pager
QUATTRINO RE529

• Reliable operation
• Flexible programming
• Weather resistant

A fast and reliable alarming system is an indisputable prerequisite for emergency fire and rescue services to respond successfully and efficiently. State-of-the-art paging enables groups as well as individuals to be alerted.

The Quattrino Voice and Memo two tone pagers are suitable for everyone, even for those working in an emergency during severe weather conditions. Continual further development of previous popular models has resulted in a practical, reliable and user-friendly device, innovatively housed with ergonomic operating controls. Design elements include a very long standby function and weather proofing to the European IP54 specifications.

I am an authorized Manufacturer Representative for Swissphone. Please contact me directly for any additional information. CLICK

CALL CENTER

Please click on the image above for more information.

WANTED

900 MHz PageThru™

From Antenna Specialists/Andrew or equivalent model from another company. Please e-mail Brad Dye if you have one for sale. I have a customer who needs one ASAP.

Wireless Telemetry

Data Communications	Level 1	A basic ReFLEX transceiver, sending and receiving serial RS-232 ASCII data.
Telemetry Remote Monitoring and Control	Level 2	An enhanced ReFLEX transceiver, monitoring alarms from a remote site, and sending commands to the remote site.
Asset or Fleet Tracking	Level 3	An enhanced ReFLEX transceiver, with the addition of a GPS module for the reporting of accurate locations to enable tracking.
Field Force Automation	Level 4	An enhanced ReFLEX transceiver, with the addition of a GPS module and a handheld computer terminal for full automation of field service activities all the way from the customer's location back to the service company's back office.
We can generally turn a specification into a prototype in two to four weeks. If you have an interesting application in mind, please give me a call so we can talk about it. ()

Thank you to all of Brad's readers who provided equipment and leads for my last want list. I continue to search out and recreate early wireless e-mail systems from the 80s and 90s and am looking to acquire the following:

• CE Software's QuickMail Server from, or prior to 1995 on any OS c/w documentation.
• MobileVision server plug-in for QuickMail server c/w documentation.
• Working MOTOROLA MARCO with MobileVision client c/w user guide documentation.
• Motorola AirMobile software. Both client and server apps.
• Working NEC D4 or D7 alphas on any band. RS232/Printer interface. Any user manuals or brochures.
• Early Motorola ADVISOR PrintPals c/w Version 1.0 PC software and documentation for reading the Advisor.
• Complete IBM KDT based DCS terminals, documentation, user manuals, anything associated with the IBM KDT based DCS system.
• MOTOROLA PAGER CARD the PCMCIA pager card from Motorola on any frequency. Also looking for any documentation and software for the pager card.

If you have any of the above or a lead on same please contact us.

Cassel & Associates
E-mail: paul@ve3sy.com
Phone: 519-634-5139

AAPC’s Mission Statement Defines Purpose

• Identifying issues of common concern to its members
• Providing an effective forum for the discussion and progression of issues relating to the industry
• Monitoring and addressing regulatory and legal matters as a unified organization
• Providing research into and development of our industry and its current and prospective markets
• Providing education and resources to address the challenges and trends affecting our operating environments
• Encouraging and maintaining high standards of ethics and services
• Championing the industry and representing paging carriers with a positive voice

Our industry must move forward together or we will perish individually. If you want to get involved, please click here. Come and join us! The AAPC "newsroom" is a great source of information. The AAPC also hosts the Paging Technical Committee site. There is a lot of good paging industry information here.

Click on the logo above to get a membership application.

Zetron Simulcast System

High-speed simulcast paging with protocols such as POCSAG and FLEX™ requires microsecond accuracy to synchronize the transmission of digital paging signals.

Zetron's Simulcast System uses GPS timing information to ensure that the broadcasted transmissions between the nodes of the Simulcast System and associated transmitters are synchronized to very tight tolerances.

This system is ideal for public or private paging system operators that use multiple transmitters and wish to create new paging systems or to build out existing systems into new regions. For more information about Zetron's High Speed Simulcast Paging System, the Model 600 and Model 620, go to:

www.zetron.com/paging. CLICK HERE

CONTACT

Zetron, Inc. P.O. Box 97004 Redmond, WA 98073-9704 USA

Tel: 425-820-6363 Fax: 425-820-7031 E-mail: zetron@zetron.com CLICK

Prism Message Gateway Systems
Modular and Configurable

Your Choice of Options

• Radio Paging Terminals
• Voicemail Systems
• Email and Network Text Messaging Systems
• Digital Trunk Switching Systems
• Digital Trunk and Voicemail Concentrators
• Remote Network Encoders
• TNPP Network Routers

Popular Choice for Domestic and International

• Commercial Paging Carriers
• Private Paging Systems
• Hospitals
• Public Safety
• Federal, State and Local Government
• Industrial Paging
• Energy Companies – Load Management

Logical Choice

• Replace Outdated, UNLICENSED Paging Terminals
• Eliminate Outrageously High Support Costs
• Add New Paging System with ALL THE FEATURES
• Provide Your Customers With Features They Want
• Designed and Supported by Industry Experts

Go ahead… be choosy… choose Prism Systems International

MAXPage
It's like a Motorola PeopleFinder™ on Steroids!

More information

Commtech Wireless introduces MAXPage, a desktop paging terminal packed with features.

Alpha, Numeric, Tone, & Voice
MAXPage, from Commtech Wireless, is the ideal replacement for the Motorola PeopleFinder™. With its advanced features, it can be used with Alphanumeric, Numeric, Tone only, Coaster pagers as well as 2-tone voice pagers in countless applications.

Serial Interface
With the inclusion of a serial interface, MAXPage can interface with Comp, TAP, Scope™, Waveware & Tekk systems as well as Commtech's Wireless Callpoints.

Telephone Interface
Anyone can be given easy access to the MAXPage system through its telephone interface. Once the system is connected to a telephone port, anyone can pick up a telephone, dial the MAXPage unit and use the keypad on their phone to send messages to pagers. The telephone can also be used to transmit voice messages to 2-tone voice pagers.

Alarm Inputs
A powerful feature of MAXPage is its onboard alarms. The four, dry contact closure, onboard alarm inputs will automatically dispatch messages to pagers or groups when activated. Alarms not cleared within a configured time frame can activate a repeat message (escalation) to either the same pager/group or to an alternative pager/group.

Features*

• 1000 Pager capacity
• Selectable 2 or 4 watt transmitter
• Reminder messages
• Dual mode function keys - one touch messaging
• 2-tone voice paging - from on-board mic or telephone
• 4 alarm inputs
• Voice prompted telephone paging
• QWERTY keyboard interface (PS2)
• Windows® interface for advanced features
• Serial interface for Comp/TAP/Scope™/Waveware/Tekk
• Coaster paging management system

*Some of the features listed are optional and are not supplied as standard

For more information, simply fill out the feedback form or contact us on the details below.

Download Mr. Mercer's resumé. CLICK HERE

The Hark SAFe is a hardware firewall with SPAM and virus blocking designed to protect email servers, corporate intranets, and unified messaging systems like the Hark Omega Messaging and IPT products. System includes a Linux based operating system with Web-based configuration (no keyboard and monitor needed!). Price is $995.00 including hardware!

Firewall protects your Internet enabled paging system:

• Provides a firewall to protect your paging system and internal network.
• Protect company workstations by giving them internal IP addresses.
• Can redirect external IP addresses and ports to specific internal computers.

SPAM blocker eliminates un-wanted email:

• Uses the latest techniques to identify and block SPAM
• Supports new techniques as they become available

Virus blocker:

• Prevents emails with viruses from being accepted.
• Automatically downloads virus signature updates each night.

CONTACT

Hark Systems, Inc. 2675 Lake Park Drive N. Charleston, SC 29406

Tel: +1 800-367-4275 or 843-764-1560 ext. 8104 Fax: +1 843-764-3692 E-mail: leanne@harksystems.com CLICK Web: http://www.harksystems.com CLICK

SECOND TERM SUPPORTER

• ISO 9001 - 2000 certified manufacturing facility.
• THE High-Quality RF design and Contract Manufacturer of choice.
• Do you have a product or product component that you would like to have manufactured?
• Would you like to have us design and manufacture a product just for you?
• Would you like to know firsthand that your contract manufacturer is one of the leading providers of service with the highest degree of quality in mind?

Daviscomms USA Inc. is your direct connection to Daviscomms (S) Pte Ltd., the leading pager manufacturer in the world with many years experience in Engineering, Design, and Manufacturing of highly-reliable, premium-quality FLEX and POCSAG Alphanumeric and Numeric pagers. Daviscomms offers unparalleled quality, features and functions. We perform our own stringent quality testing as well as certification by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to meet all of their standards. All of our paging products meet FCC and IC Standards for use in the USA and Canada.

Our manufacturing facility, located in Malaysia, is a 40,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility. Customers, globally, choose Daviscomms for our QUALITY, RELIABILITY, ON-TIME DELIVERY, COMPETITIVE PRICING and our TOTAL COMMITMENT to providing the best value for their needs.

Br501plus Numeric	We offer full product support (ODM/OEM) for our worldwide customers, including a complete design center, research facilities, proto-typing, field services, contract manufacturing, commodity sourcing, and distribution.
In addition to both Numeric and Alphanumeric pagers, we have designed, engineered and manufactured 1-way Telemetry devices, paging receivers, 2-way paging (ReFLEX) telemetry devices, DECT phones/devices and PDA accessories.	Bravo 800 Alphanumeric

At Daviscomms, we are proud to provide our customers with end-to-end manufacturing solutions while delivering superior quality and support. Daviscomms is at the forefront of the industry with its commitment to leading-edge technology, cost-effective manufacturing and the highest degree of customer service.

Daviscomms delivers low cost, high volume manufacturing solutions to our customers. We help maximize time-to-market objectives while minimizing procurement, materials management, and manufacturing costs.

For information about our contract manufacturing services or our Bravo-branded line of numeric and alphanumeric pagers, please call Bob Popow, our Director of Operations for the Americas, 480-515-2344. (Scottsdale, Arizona) or visit our website www.daviscommsusa.com.

Programming Concepts, Inc. Since 1979

RTS Wireless ADVX System
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Programming Concepts, Inc. provides authorized RTS ADVX Wireless Gateway Support & Enhancements. Our RTS lab includes source code control, development tools, and test beds for all deployed RTS systems. Call now to sign-up for our first class support of your aging RTS system. More info ...

PCI (www.programmingconcepts.com) has been in business for 24 years providing custom application programming for medium to large businesses. PCI's primary business segments include web enabled application development, financial industry systems, telephony (IVR, CTI, and Wireless), Secure Enterprise Instant Messaging System, Microsoft Customer Relationship Management (MS-CRM) Applications, and a wide variety of commercial applications.

Contact Sales sales@programmingconcepts.com
or 631-563-3800 x220.

DX Radio Systems, Inc. manufactures high quality, high specification type communications products. The following is a list of products that DX Radio Systems, Inc. manufactures or supplies as a single supplied product and can be included as part of a turnkey system:

• Repeaters
• Repeater Systems
• Paging Transmitters
• Paging Systems
• LTR & MPT1327 Trunking Systems
• MPT1327 Trunking Repeaters
• SmarTrunk II Trunking Repeaters
• Complete Trunking Systems
• Airport Ground to Air Base Radios
• Airport Ground to Air Systems
• Rural Radiotelephone Link Systems
• Antenna Systems
• Combining Systems
• Complete Turnkey Systems
• Engineering & Installation of All Systems

Performance that is tough to find anywhere at a price you can afford.

CONTACT

DX Radio Systems, Inc. 10941 Pendleton Street Sun Valley, California 91352-1522 USA

Telephone: 818-252-6700 Fax: 818-252-6711 E-mail: Info@DXRadioSystems.com CLICK Web: www.dxradiosystems.com CLICK

1) Telecomm Systems, Inc. (TSI) was owned by Les Smith in Eugene, Oregon. He operated paging, telephone answering service, and RCC mobile phone service in most of the state, with offices in several cities. TSI began in 1953, but paging came later.

2) Another company, headquartered in Portland, built a statewide paging system. The name of the parent company was Port Services, Inc. (not shown). The owner was Al Herman. His primary business involved services to ships at the Port of Portland. The paging companies were something of a hobby. The statewide paging system that Port Services operated had local names in each region:

Bend-Redmond Paging in Bend, Oregon
Rogue Valley Paging in Medford, Oregon
Emerald Paging in Eugene, Oregon
Capital Paging in Salem, Oregon
Portland Paging in Portland, Oregon
Vancouver Paging in Vancouver, Washington
(immediately across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon)
Oregon Paging in various other small towns

3) Telecomm Systems, Inc. purchased this family of paging companies from Port Services in 1985. At the time, Rich Pierce managed the paging operations for Port Services. TSI kept Rich Pierce and promoted him to President and General Manager of the combined company. I was with TSI when it purchased the paging companies from Port Services in 1985, and moved from Eugene to Portland to oversee the integration and expansion of the two systems as the Regional Technical Manager (it was a funny title—I was the Technical Manager of the entire operation, both old and new—there was no other region). I reported directly to Rich.

4) Under Rich's leadership, TSI continued to grow:

a) Acquired the assets of another paging company called Mobile Radio Communications Services (MRCS)
b) Expanded coverage into Washington, Idaho, Utah, and Northern California under the name Page West.

5) Meanwhile, US West had been operating paging in all 14 states where it offered telephone service. US West decided to discontinue its paging operation, and sold it to a newly formed company called Westlink. The principals at Westlink (at least some of them) had been running the paging operation for US West Paging. I can't recall their names.

6) The owners of TSI sold the company to Westlink in 1995. As the sale was nearing completion, I resigned from TSI to assume responsibilities as Director of Technical Services for another paging company, called Tele-Waves, headquartered in Yakima, Washington.

7) Westlink sold its entire operation to Arch Paging shortly thereafter—either 1996 or 1997.

8) Tele-Waves is still in existence. I left the company in 2002.

This information was prepared for Brad Dye's Paging Family Tree by:

Bob Young, President
Peripheral Vision Communications, Inc.
Telecom & Wireless
Consulting & Technical Services
23410 SE 242nd Street
Maple Valley, WA 98038
425-432-9196 Business & Fax
206-465-2422 Mobile
peripheral.vision@comcast.net
http://peripheral.vision.home.comcast.net

The Paging Family Tree continues to grow, thanks to many helpful messages from readers. Can you help?

ITA, AMTA to coordinate paging, special-emergency frequencies

May 07, 2004 12:35 PM EST

WASHINGTON—The FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau said Thursday it had certified the Industrial Telecommunications Association and the American Mobile Telecommunications Association as frequency coordinators in the 929-930 MHz paging frequencies and the special-emergency frequencies below 512 MHz.

“After careful consideration of the information before us, we are persuaded that ITA has the qualifications necessary to follow the rules and regulations in performing frequency coordination in the 929-930 MHz paging and special-emergency categories. We therefore grant ITA’s request for certification to provide frequency coordination,” said D’wana Terry, chief of the public safety and critical-infrastructure division of the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, and Roger Noel chief of the WTB mobility division. “Since AMTA has already requested certification for these categories in the context of this proceeding, we hereby certify AMTA to coordinate frequencies in these two categories.”

ITA filed its request June 27, 2002. In comments, AMTA did not oppose ITA’s request but asked that it too be certified. Both entities are currently frequency coordinators for other private-wireless bands.

A frequency coordinator is a private-sector entity that recommends which channels should be used in an area taking into consideration other users and interference concerns. The Federal Communications Commission began certifying multiple coordinators in 1997.

Because many different organizations may believe that a certain channel is available for use, frequency coordinators are required to communicate on a daily business which frequencies they intend to assign and to whom.

“To encourage and facilitate the cooperation between in-category coordinators, we will require that each coordinator communicate at least once each business day with each other in-category coordinator. Even on days that there is no coordination, communication between coordinators is required,” said Terry and Noel.

Prior to the wireless bureau’s decision, the Personal Communications Industry Association was the only certified frequency coordination in the 900 MHz paging frequencies, and PCIA and the International Municipal Signal Association/International Association of Fire Chiefs were the only certified frequency coordinators for the special-emergency frequencies.

Source: RCR Wireless News

For the complete FCC order in "pdf" format click here.

FCC PROPOSES RULES TO FACILITATE WIRELESS BROADBAND
SERVICES USING VACANT TV CHANNELS

Washington, D.C. —In an initiative to increase the use of radio spectrum to provide greater service to the American public, the Commission today proposed to allow unlicensed devices to operate in the broadcast television spectrum at locations where the spectrum is not in use by television stations. In order to ensure that no interference is caused to TV stations and their viewers, the Commission proposed to require unlicensed devices to incorporate “smart radio” features to identify unused TV channels.

These proposals advanced by the Commission are intended to allow the development of new and innovative types of unlicensed broadband devices and services for businesses and consumers by utilizing vacant spectrum that is particularly well suited for these purposes. Due to the physics of signal propagation, transmissions in the TV band can travel farther and can better penetrate into buildings than transmissions in the spectrum where existing unlicensed wireless broadband operations are permitted. As a result, allowing unlicensed operations in the TV bands could benefit wireless internet service customers by extending the service range of current providers’ (WISPs) existing operations, particularly in rural and underserved areas. The Commission believes that by carefully tailoring this initiative to protect incumbent television service, it provides a balanced proposal for the American public, for WISPs and for television station operators. These proposals also have the potential to provide benefits to broadcasters as well, as they may facilitate the provision of interactive TV services.

Part 15 of the Commission’s rules permits the operation of unlicensed radio transmitters on a non-harmful interference basis to authorized services. Accordingly, any such uses would have to be on a strict non-harmful interference basis, and the Commission proposed specific technical requirements to ensure that TV reception is not impaired. The Commission’s Part 15 rules have enabled the development of a large number and variety of devices including wireless computer networking cards, wireless connections to printers and keyboards, and wireless headsets and computer connections for cellular and PCS phones. Many of these devices currently operate in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.

In the Notice, the Commission proposed to classify the unlicensed broadband devices that could be used in the TV bands into two general functional categories. The first category would consist of lower power “personal/portable” unlicensed devices, such as Wi-Fi like cards in laptop computers or wireless in-home local area networks. The second category would consist of higher power “fixed/access” unlicensed devices that are generally operated from a fixed location and may be used to provide a commercial service such as wireless broadband internet access. The Commission proposed to allow both of these types of operations in the TV spectrum, provided appropriate measures are taken to ensure that operations are limited to unused TV channels. Different interference avoidance requirements are proposed for these two different types of unlicensed broadband applications. These proposals should provide flexibility to permit a wide range of unlicensed broadband uses and applications and ensure that the most appropriate and effective mechanisms are in place to limit such unlicensed use to only unused TV channels.

Action by the Commission May 13, 2004, by Notice of Proposed Rule Making (FCC 04-113). Chairman Powell, Commissioners Abernathy, Copps, and Adelstein, with Commissioner Martin Concurring. Separate statements issued by Chairman Powell, Commissioners Copps, Martin, and Adelstein.

Office of Engineering and Technology contact: Mr. Hugh L. Van Tuyl, (202) 418-7506, e-mail Hugh.VanTuyl@fcc.gov.

ET Docket Nos. 04-186 and 02-380.

_ FCC_

Source: FCC News Release

GL3000 Cards

• RAM Cards, CPU’s, LCC, UOE, QVSB’s, T1s, DIDs, SIO, Drives, Almost any card you need—priced right.
• TOWERS (NEW) Self supporting, Guyed, Monopoles, with all the hardware
• Antenna Line Hanging kits, and misc hardware.

Transmitters

• (12) Motorola Nucleus, 350W, VHF, Advanced Control
• (2) Glenayre QT5994, 45W, 900 MHz Link TX, w/ Hot Standby
• (1) Glenayre QT6994, 150W, 900 MHz Link TX.
• (3) Glenayre QT4201, 25W Midband Link TX.
• (15) Glenayre RL70XC, Midband Link RX.
• (10) Glenayre GLT5340, 125W UHF TX.
• (75) Motorola PURC 5000, UHF, 110W, ACB
• (12) Glenayre GLT85/8600, 250/500W, 900 MHz w/C2000
• (5) Micor PURC UHF, 250W Complete – (Make Offer)

Motorola PURC UHF RF Trays & UHF 110W PAs, tested and ready to ship. Motorola PURC Advanced Control Units, tested and ready to ship.

TOO MUCH TO LIST • CALL OR E-MAIL

Rick McMichael 888-429-4171 rmcm@preferredwireless.com CLICK

Mark Dawson 972-467-8188 markd@preferredwireless.com CLICK

SECOND TERM SUPPORTER

GTES is the only Glenayre authorized software support provider to the paging industry.

The GTES team consists of highly qualified and seasoned associates who were formerly a part of Glenayre's paging infrastructure support and engineering operations. We are poised and ready to "Partner" with you to ensure the viability of your network, reduce your long-term cost of ownership, and to provide future solutions for profitability. GTES will offer product sales, maintenance services, software development and product development to the wireless industry.

GTES SUITE OF PRODUCTS

GTES Partner Program
Software and/or Hardware Support Programs

Product Sales
Software and Hardware Sales

On-Site Services
Upgrades, Relocations, Repairs, Consolidations

Software Development
New features, application development

Product Training
GL3000, GL3100, GL3200, GL3300, N2000, C2000

CALL US TODAY FOR YOUR SUPPORT NEEDS

Intelligent Paging & Mobile Data Hardware & Software

Selective is a developer and manufacturer of highly innovative paging receiver/decoders and mobile data equipment. The PDT2000 Paging Data Terminal is THE MOST INTELLIGENT PAGING RECEIVER IN THE MARKET. The PDT2000 is a large display pager designed for desktop or in-vehicle mounting and is widely used by emergency services and in onsite paging systems for forklift dispatch etc. All of the following capabilities are standard features of the PDT2000 and of our other paging data receivers:

• FLEX and POCSAG decoding
• POCSAG encoding and transmitter control
• Parallel printer output
• Serial inputs & outputs
• Relay control (1-256 or more)
• PC interfacing and message management
• Message interception & logging
• Remote control
• Cross band repeating & paging coverage infill
• LED sign control
• Remote printing etc.

Our mobile data equipment includes a range of Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) which may be interfaced to a variety of wireless networks including trunked and conventional radio, GPRS & CDMA cellular, Mobitex etc. Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and GPS solutions, Dispatch & Messaging software.   We offer mobile communications dealers and systems integrators a "fast to market" job dispatch and job management capability.

Specialised local area paging systems, paging interception and message reprocessing software, field force automation and mobile dispatch solutions. We export worldwide.

CONTACT
Postal Address:	Selective Communications Group PO Box 8798 Symonds St. Auckland, New Zealand
Street Address:	3/2 Haultain St. Eden Tce Auckland, New Zealand
Web site: E-mail:	www.selective.co.nz CLICK info@selective.co.nz CLICK
Phone: Fax:	+64-9-3021142 +64-9-3021148
SECOND TERM SUPPORTER

I am an authorized Manufacturer Representative for Selective Communications. Please contact me directly for any additional information. CLICK HERE

Specially designed course for sales, marketing, and administration personnel. Engineers will only be admitted with a note signed by their mothers, promising that they will just listen and not disrupt the class. (This is supposed to be funny!)

This is a one-day training course on paging that can be conducted at your place of business. Please take a look at the course outline to see if you think this might be beneficial in your employees: Paging training course outline. I would be happy to customize the content to meet your specific requirements.

Although it touches on several "technical" topics, it is definitely not a technical course. I used to teach the sales and marketing people at Motorola Paging and they appreciated an atmosphere where they could ask technical questions without being made to feel like a dummy and without getting a long convoluted overly-technical answer that left them more confused than before. A good learning environment is one that is non-threatening.

Let me know if you would like to receive a quotation, or if you would like to have any additional information. CLICK

Satellite Uplinking Service
Affordable and Reliable

• Own and operate our own satellite uplink
• Provide the same reliable services to several other paging carriers with room for more
• Lower than average industry costs
• Completely redundant hardware
• Access to knowledgeable technical staff 24/7

Glenayre Technical Support
Paging Terminals & Transmitters

• Paging terminal upgrades, relocations, troubleshooting, emergency repair & training
• Transmitter installation & maintenance
• Experienced industry technicians and engineers
• Satisfaction Guaranteed

Call or write today to learn more Alan Carle, Dir of Engineering 888-854-2697 ext. 272 or

acarle@ucom.com

If you see someone in the field (like salespeople, technicians, and delivery people) using paper forms, their company could probably save a pile of money, and get much better timeliness, accuracy and efficiency, by using converting to Outr.Net's Wireless Forms. Custom applications for as little as $995, delivered in just a few days.Outr.Net has a web page on Wireless Forms for Timeports at: http://www.outr.net/overnight_pw.htm Their latest newsletter is: "Business Development in Mobile Data"

Please call me so we can discuss your need or your idea. Or contact me by e-mail for additional information. CLICK

Wi-Fi Roundup

May 12, 2004

Wi-Fi continues to be a hot topic in the wireless industry. Several companies have announced deals and deployments recently; here's a glimpse of what has been happening in the sector.

• Concourse Communications' Wi-Fi coverage has landed at New York's JFK International Airport. The company will cover the airport's Terminal 8 and 9. Wi-Fi coverage already is provided by Concourse at select locations at New York's LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International. Concourse is under contract with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and will continue to expand wireless coverage throughout many of their other transportation venues over the next twelve months, the company says.
• Scalable Network Technologies has released its wireless local area network (WLAN) simulation tool, QualNet WiFi. 'The QualNet WiFi library incorporates IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g capabilities, and development is under way for an 802.11e model. QualNet WiFi allows modelers to rapidly analyze different protocols, accelerating the design and implementation process of wireless networks and devices,' the company's CEO Rajive Bagrodia said in a statement. Scalable also offers QualNet Developer and QualNet Parallel Developer.
• Telco Systems introduced a secure WiFi VDSL (very high data rate DSL) Internet access solution, which provides broadband backhaul Ethernet connectivity from a Wi-Fi hot spot to a service provider's backbone network over existing copper-pair infrastructure. The system, according to the company, was developed for Wi-Fi hot spot deployments at hotels, airports, multi-dwelling units, multi-tenant units and other public locations.
• Airimba Wireless announced plans this week to expand its Wi-Fi business for multi-dwelling units into five new markets. The five markets are located in Athens, Ga.; Gainesville, Fla.; Chapel Hill/Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Greenville, N.C.; and Wilmington, N.C. In the beginning of the year, the company launched services in Clemson, S.C., and Austin, Texas. As part of the market expansion announcement, Airimba also said it plans to work to beef up its presence in these two initial markets as well.

Source: Wireless Week

I have been working on a fairly extensive consulting project for a couple of weeks. It dawned on me that this is a unique time in the history of paging when many of the "true experts" are available to help on a project of this scope and importance. You can hire lots of consultants who will tell you what they think about issues, but if you want the facts, or even estimates that have a good chance of being close to reality, you have to find people who really know. I was able to pull together a small team of such people for this project. Some great guys who are retired but available once-in-a-while to do consulting work. I think when we finish this project, it will be as good as, or better than, anyone else could do. It gives me a good feeling.

With best regards,	Brad Dye WIRELESS DATA CONSULTANT		WIRELESS DATA
	Voice:
	Fax:
	E–mail:	brad@braddye.com
	Web:	Consulting and Job search page MAY I HELP YOU?
	I can forgive, but I cannot forget, is only another way of saying, I will not forgive. Forgiveness ought to be like a cancelled note—torn in two, and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one. —Henry Ward Beecher Forgiveness is is not forgetting, it is remembering and letting go. —Anon.
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