Mode Multitone Paging

Multitone Paging: tone and FFSK pagers for hospitals and sites, detector only (receive only).

Group	Pagers
Default frequency	446.475 MHz
Default sample rate	2 Msps
In the mode list	Pagers, tones and FFSK

Step-by-step: Tutorial-Multitone-Paging

What Multitone Paging is

Multitone Electronics is a UK maker of pagers used in hospitals and industrial sites. The air interface is narrowband FM with FFSK; the message layout is not public, so this mode is a detector.

Frequencies and settings

Multitone Electronics (UK) pagers, hospitals and industrial sites, 25 - 470 MHz, narrowband FM / FFSK. Detector only: the format is not public.

Setting	Value
Start frequency	446.475 MHz
Tuning range of the mode table	25 to 480 MHz
Sample rate asked	2 Msps
Lowest working rate	250 ksps
Channel width	25 kHz

OnAir takes any frequency you type; the numbers above are the mode's starting point and the range its table describes. In the app the shortcut label is Pagers, tones and FFSK.

What OnAir shows

Per transmission: carrier, deviation, steady tones and spectral lines of the audio; for FSK data the measured baud rate, the bit stream in hex and the 32-bit words that pass the POCSAG BCH(31,21) check, POCSAG sync flagged. Audio FFSK found in real recordings (tones f / 2f, 585 baud, the 0x605A frame word); the address and message fields are not worked out, so everything is unverified and no message text is shown; receive only, pager messages are private (see docs/multitone-research.md).

The mode's own tab has these screens: Transmissions, FSK data, Tones. The other tabs (Overview, Receiver, Scan, History) are described on the Main window page.

Tips and caveats

• The audio FFSK was found in real recordings, but the address and message fields are not worked out: everything is unverified and no message text is shown.
• Which radio: Usually yes for narrowband signals: an RTL-SDR tunes roughly 24 MHz to 1.7 GHz at up to about 2.4 Msps. Wide signals such as TV channels need a faster radio, and OnAir says next to the source what the selected radio can do.
• Try it without a radio: most modes include a built-in synthetic test signal, so you can open the screen and try the controls first.
• Receiving and the law: Pager messages can contain private information, and some countries restrict listening to them. Check the rules where you live before you use this mode. See Legal.

Related pages

• All modes, Pagers
• Supported radios, Troubleshooting, FAQ
• More in Pagers: POCSAG, FLEX