The USAlert WatchDog is a 2-Tone Voice pager specifically developed for the public safety market to alert firemen and other
emergency personnel monitoring or responding to time critical emergency situations. Operational in the
VHF or UHF frequency bands, the pager is fully synthesized and comes in both wideband and true narrowband
models. With separate receiver boards for wideband and narrowband operation, the pager is not only
narrowband capable, it is narrowband compliant. 15 individual addresses are available on each channel, 10
standard 2-Tone addresses and 5 long tone addresses.
The pager is designed for harsh and rugged environments, has a very loud and clear audio output,
and is easy to operate. Holding an IP66 certification, the highest IP rated pager on the market
today, the WatchDog is protected against dust and high pressure jets of water from all directions.
The WatchDog pager ships with “AAA” sized rechargeable NiMH batteries and a charger. Standard “AAA” Alkaline
batteries can also be used with this product if desired. A battery charger with an antenna to extend the
range of message reception is available as an option. All pagers come with a standard 2 year warranty, an
optional 5 year warranty and are built in the USA. A free 30 day demo unit is available upon request.
WATCHDOG PAGER CONTROLS AND FUNCTIONS
On / Off and Volume Control
The On / Off Volume Control is located on the top of the pager and allows turning the pager on or off. The
control also provides a continuous adjustment for the audio and alert levels, providing the alert is not
programmed for the maximum volume setting.
3-Position Function Switch
The 3-Position Function Switch is located on the top of the pager in the center. Each position can be
individually programmed for the desired channel and type of alerting. Scan is only selectable in switch
position two.
Reset Button
The Reset Button is located on the top of the pager and is typically used to reset the audio and put the pager
back into the standby mode. It can also be used to place the pager into the “quick monitor” or “audio lock on”
mode of operation. Depress the reset button and release in less than .75 seconds and the pager will return to
the standby mode. Press and hold for .75 but less than 1.5 seconds and the pager will enter monitor mode. Press
for more than 1.5 seconds and the audio will lock on and remain on continuously until reset.
LCD Display
The WatchDog pager incorporates a 16 character true alphanumeric front panel display. One display function
provides personalized start up screen text that can be customized in the WatchDog programmer. There is also
a provision to add standby screen text if desired.
Additionally, the WatchDog pager will display TEXT assigned to an address, date and time that an alert was
received, and the sequence number of the message.
The WatchDog also allows programming special text in the code plug programmer of up to 14 characters to be
displayed when that address has been alerted. The display will alternately show the pre-programmed text, then
the alert number with date and time stamp.
Front Control Buttons
There are three buttons located on the front of the pager. The far left button provides entry into the pagers
menu and controls advancing thru the menu in a forward direction. The center button also provides entry into
the pagers menu and controls advancing thru the menu in a reverse direction. The right button provides the
playback function for models with voice memory and the select function if any item needs to be changed as s
elected in the pagers menu.
Voice Memory Playback
WatchDog models with voice memory can dynamically record up to 4 minutes of messages. Messages can be played
back using the right button to initiate play back and then using the left and center buttons to select which
message to replay. If no messages are stored, the display will show “NO VOICE MESSAGE”.
Stored messages are retained in memory even if the pager is powered off or the batteries removed. Messages
can be deleted individually or all at one time. A message can also be protected from accidental removal by
using the “Protect Message” feature.
WatchDog Scan Operation
The WatchDog pager has three types of scan, “Priority Scan”, “Selective Call Scan”, and “Channel Scan”. To
enable any scanning feature, position 2 of the 3-Position Function Switch must be programmed to the “Scan” setting.
2-Channel WatchDog models can be setup to scan between frequency 1 (F1) and frequency 2 (F2). 5-Channel WatchDog
models can be setup to scan between frequency 1 (F1) and up to four other channels with the channel being
monitored designated as (F2). Enabling up to four channels for (F2) operation is performed in the WatchDog
programming software. Changing which channel is designated as (F1) and which is (F2) is accomplished through
the three front panel buttons of the pager and the menu items shown in the LCD display. With the latest version
of the WatchDog firmware, all enabled channels can be scanned, regardless of which channel is designated as (F2).
If “Priority Scan” is selected, the WatchDog pager will alternately search from (F1) to (F2) looking for the
presence of a carrier. Alerting can only occur on the priority channel (F1). If channel activity is detected
on (F2), the WatchDog pager will process voice on (F2) and periodically scan back to (F1) looking for the presence
of a carrier.
The “Selective Call Scan” mode allows the WatchDog to silently scan from channel to channel looking for address
tones. The pager will only open the audio path based on detection of an address and not just channel
activity. If a proper address is detected, the WatchDog will alert and open the audio path for messaging.
“Channel Scan” mode will alternately search from (F1) to (F2) looking for the presence of carrier. The primary
function of “Channel Scan” is to allow monitoring any activity on either channel. Only one channel can be
actively monitored at a time and no alerting can occur on either channel.