May

Paging With the Zaurus

Got a modem...so, have you tried to send a page with Z-Pager yet? If you have, there is a good chance you experienced some frustration in getting it to work with your paging provider, or the provider of your associates. The one thing I found out real fast about Z-Pager was that it doesn't work...very well, that is...with most paging providers. The first problem is that there are just so many darn paging companies to begin with. The next problem is that they each have their own idea of what the standard for TAP (Telocater Alphanumeric Paging) protocol should be. TAP protocol is the common language that each paging terminal is supposed to speak. Unfortunately there are dozens of variations, and all are technically correct. So when someone (Sharp), not too experienced in writing paging software develops a paging package, it doesn't always work consistently with all providers. The net result for us is hit or miss. What's worse, the software does not allow for any adjustments to it's paging script and support from sharp is (as usual) none existent! So what's a poor Zaurus owner who wants to send a page to do... Read on.

Of course the easiest way to send a page with the Zaurus is to use Z-Pager. If you have the software (included with the 5700 and the 5800), and if you can get it to work, it's great! Here is how to set it up.

Another good alternative is to use the Terminal program in the Zaurus to send a page. Here is how to set it up.

Using Z-Pager to Send A Page

Launch Z-page and enter its setup field.

Touch "Paging Service" and under "Name" choose the paging company that the pager you want to page belongs to. (for more information see Paging Services)

Select the "Speed (bps)". (for more information see Baud Rate)

If the phone number is not already in the "Phone Number" area enter it now. (Be sure to include a "1" for long distance numbers and any other numbers you need to get an outside line.)

Next select the message limit. (This will be determined by the paging company and will at least be 80.)

Choose "OK" to enter this information into your Zaurus memory.

If you have not set up your modem information yet of set your preferences you can do it now.

The last step is to set up your Address book. (This works just like the Address book in Z-EM@il and most other Zaurus communication programs. However there is a field called "Paging Service Field" which complicates things a little. To use this field effectively you must first add a field to you Phone number database section that you plan on using for paging. If you have one of the 6 phone number databases free, you could consider using one exclusively as an address book for paging, however you still would have to include a field called "Paging Svs." I choose to add the line to all three of my Phone number databases called "Paging Svs." That way I did not have to change anything else, line for the pager numbers in them. With this line in place, go back to the Address Book section in the Z-Pager application and make sure the "Paging Service Field" corresponds with your "Paging Svs" field. Now your all set up and ready to page.)

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Using Terminal to Send A Page

Setup

This is a little more complicated than using Z-Pager but is much more reliable. Most paging companies give their customers the ability to log into the paging terminal and send pages manually. To do this all you need is the pager number of the person you want to page and the modem number of the local paging company. Once you have these two numbers here is what you do.

Go into your terminal dialing directory and choose "Setup" and then "Dial Settings"

On page 1 of the Dial Settings section select "Name" and "Number" for the paging company you plan on calling. (It may be a good idea to include the name of the person you are going to page with the name of the paging company under "Name".)

Enter the "Speed (bps)" of the modem, which you will be calling. (for more information see Baud Rate)

Set Parity to "Even", Set Data Bits to "7", Set stop Bits to "1", Emulation "TTY", Xon/Xoff "(X)" Local Echo "(X)" (note: If when you are connected you see two characters for every one you type go into setup and change Local Echo to ( ) off.)

No changes need to be made on page 2.

Page 3 is an Auto Log On. (For those of you who are familiar with scripting, I have created a sample paging script for automating the whole online paging process. This will help you develop your own for the paging company you are paging through.)

Check your modem settings and make sure they are correct. You are now ready to page on line.

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Paging on Line

OK, now comes the fun part. Make sure you have the person's pager number handy before you start. I also recommend putting the person's name right along with the paging company name in the terminal directory. This makes it easy to page with doing a lot of research first.

Touch the name of the person or the paging company you want. The Zaurus shows "Initializing Modem please wait"
The Zaurus then dials and shows "Now dialing"
The Zaurus then connects and shows "Connected!"
You then see on the screen "ID=" enter "M (carriage return)" be sure to use a capital M
You will see a greeting followed by "Enter Pager ID then RETURN" (this will vary depending on paging company) Enter the pagers number you want to page then (carriage return).

You will see "Enter the message, then RETURN" (this will vary depending on paging company.) Enter your message then (carriage return).

You will see "Disconnect or Enter another pager ID then RETURN" (this will vary depending on paging company) you may now log off or enter your next pager number. That is it!

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Paging Script

Once you have connected and copied the terminal responses you can write a small script to automate most of the paging sequence. Here is an example of a paging script. In this example "|" = (carriage return)

W9
W9
W9
RM|
SRETURN. (You will have to replace this with a word from the response of you local paging company. Be sure to leave the "S")
R6378400| (Replace this number with the pager number of the pager you want to reach. Be sure to leave the "R" and include "|")
SRETURN. (You will have to replace this with a word from the response of you local paging company. Be sure to leave the "S")
W9
RThis is a test message from the Zaurus 5800 to your pager. | (Replace this with your message. Be sure to leave the "R" and include "|")

This above script is the actual one used with Arch Communications-Columbus Ohio office . If you would like to try sending a page and you need a pager company's modem number and someone's pager number, feel free to use mine. In the above script the pager number 637-8400 is my actual pager number. Use 1-800-889-0341 as the Paging Company's modem number. Replace the text in the script with what ever you want to send (be sure to leave in the "R" at the beginning of the message). And your ready to send a page.

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Baud Rates

The baud rate is almost always 300, 1200 or in some rare cased 2400. If you are using a PC card however it may not function correctly at such a low speed. If you have trouble connecting, try using 4800 bps, the PC card modem should auto adjusts down to the correct rate once connected.

Paging Services

In most cases you will have to call the paging company to find out what the local modem number is that you will need to use to send alphanumeric pages to their pagers. I have included a list of a few paging companies and their modem numbers here for you to use. However if you do not see your companies local office listed, there usually is a reward sticker on the back of the pager with a number to the company, use this number to contact the local company and ask them what modem number you should use. It may also be a good idea to ask them how many characters they allow you to send at one time and what baud rate works best with their service.

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Here is some [Old Stuff] from previous articles.