MAIN TERMS & DEFINITIONS |
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Alphanumeric |
Messages comprised
of both letters and numbers. |
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Coverage Area |
Geographical area in which
pagers or mobile phones can receive messages. |
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Digital |
A digital signal
is composed only of electrical pulses representing either
zero or one. Because digital signals are made up only
of binary streams, less information is needed to transmit
a message. Digital encoding therefore increases the capacity
of a given radio frequency. Furthermore, only digitized
information can be transported through a noisy channel
without degradation. Even if corruption occurs, as long
as the one zero pattern is recognizable, the original
information content can be perfectly replicated at the
receiving end. |
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Frequency |
Assigned channel
space within the spectrum. |
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Numeric |
Messages comprised
simply of numbers and no letters. The character set used
by "numeric pagers". This character set includes the numbers
'0' to '9', punctuation such as a space(' '), hyphen('-'),
and sometimes other symbols, such as "$." |
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Paging |
To deliver a message to someone
when their location is unknown through a wireless device
usually known as a pager. |
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PCS |
Narrowband Personal Communications
Services - A new generation of digital, two-way, low powered
wireless services in the 800 to 900 MHz bands that will
support a wide range of services including confirmed delivery
of message, full two-way data transfer, voice messaging
and connectivity via the internet. |
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PET |
Paging protocol
that preceeded TAP |
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ReFlex |
New 2-way wireless
protocol developed Motorola. |
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SNPP |
Simple network paging protocol
allows for messages to be sent through the Internet to
pagers and cell phones. |
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TAP |
Telelocator alaphanumeric protocol
allows for messages to be sent through modem to the paging
terminal in a format that the paging terminal understands. |
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Terminal |
The device on the
tower that accepts messages in and controls the base station
prior to the broadcasting of the message. In paging, this
is a computer controlled switching system that accepts
calls form the telephone network and controls the base
stations used to signal pagers. The software in the terminal
dictates many capabilities of the paging system. |
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Transmitter |
Email setting to deliver to
the carrier using SMTP protocol, this transmission is
the least reliable of all of the accepted protocols. |
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UCP |
Protocol common in Scandanavian
countries; similar to TAP. |
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WCTP |
Wireless communication transfer
protocol allows for messages to be sent through the Internet
to pagers and cell phones. |
ADDITIONAL GENERIC TERMS & DEFINITIONS |
A |
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Alphanumeric Pagers |
a term used to denote a pager
equipped to receive both numeric and text messages. |
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Amplification |
process of increasing the
strength of a signal, current, voltage or power |
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Analog |
refers to a type of measurement
in which the "line of measure" is continuous as compared
to one which is discretely incremented. |
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Analog Transmission |
transmission of a continuously
variable signal as compared to a discrete (digital) one. |
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Antenna |
device which radiates and/or
receives radio signals. |
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ASCII |
acode
that represents letters, numerals, punctuation marks and
control signals as seven bit groups. It is used as a standard
code by the transmission of data. The values range from
hex value 00 to hex value 7F. |
B |
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Band |
range of radio frequencies
between two defined limits which are used for a specific
purpose. |
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Bandwith |
portion of the frequency spectrum
required to transmit desired information. Each radio channel
has a center frequency and additional frequencies above
and below this carrier frequency which is used to carry
the transmitted information. The range of frequencies
from the lowest to the highest used is called the bandwidth.
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Baseband |
transmission of a digital
or analog signal signaling at its original frequencies.
The signal is in its original form, not changed by modulation.
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Baud Rate |
The number of discrete signal
events per second that occur on a communications channel.
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Binary |
Refers to the base-two number
system. The system contains only two numbers, 0 and 1.
In computer-like circuits, the presence of a voltage,
current or other such signal indicates a "1" whereas the
absence of the same signal indicates "0". |
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Bit |
Contraction of binary digit.
It is the smallest unit of information in a binary system.
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Bits Per Second |
(bps) - Rate at which bits
of information are transmitted. |
C |
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Cap Code |
Every functioning
pager within a paging system is assigned a unique cap
code. A pager identifies which messages are intended for
it by it's unique cap code. |
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Carrier |
Continuous frequency capable
of being modulated or impressed with a second signal.
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Carrier Frequency |
Radio wave, current or voltage used for transmitting
intelligence, usually the frequency of a radio channel
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Codeword |
A contiguous set of bits that
together form a piece of information. The codewords used
in digital paging codes include redundant bits that allow
a receiver to reconstruct the information if some of the
bits were received incorrectly. |
D |
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Decryption |
Process of "unscrambling"
an encrypted or coded message. |
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Digital Signal |
Transmission signal that carries
information in a discontinuous stream of on/off pulses.
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E |
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Encoder |
Converter used
to create a specific addressed message. |
F |
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FCC |
Federal Communications Commission
- The FCC has the authority to regulate all interstate
communications originating in the United States. |
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FEC |
Forward Error Correction
- A method of increasing the reliability of data communication.
In one-way communication channels, a receiver does not
have the option to request a re-transmission if an error
was detected. Forward Error Correction is a method of
sending redundant information with the data in order to
allow the receiver to reconstruct the data if there was
an error in transmission. |
G |
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GHz |
GigaHertz - One
GigaHertz is equal to on billion hertz. |
H |
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Hertz |
A measurement of frequency
in cycles per second. One Hertz is one cycle per second.
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I |
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Interface |
Method or piece
of equipment for interconnecting units or systems which
may not be directly compatible. |
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Interference |
Effects that occur
when undesired signals inhibits or degrades the reception
of a desired signal. |
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ISO |
International Standards Organization
- A body that sets standards and promotes their use throughout
several industries around the world. Sometimes the ISO
and CCITT standards overlap, as in the case of some networking
protocols. In this case, protocols will often have two
names, one under ISO and the other under CCITT |
J |
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K |
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KHz |
KiloHertz - One kHz is equal
to 1,000 Hertz. |
L |
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LCD |
Liquid Crystal Display |
M |
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MCD |
Mobile Computing Device -
The ultimate recipient of the data entered from the MED.
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MED |
Message Entry Device - A device
which sends information into a paging network using TDP.
This may be any type of device from a hand-held type of
unit to a host computer |
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MHS |
Message Handling System -
This is a general-purpose system used for receiving, storing,
and sending messages with a consistent set of protocols
to connect to external devices |
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MHz |
Megahertz - One MHz is equal
to one million Hertz. |
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Modem |
Interface device usually connected
between a computer and telephone lines or a radio system.
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Modulate |
Vary the amplitude, frequency
or phase of a radio signal in order to transmit intelligence.
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Modulation |
Information on a carrier signal
by varying one or more of the signal's basic characteristics
- frequency, amplitude and phase. Different modulation
carries the information as the change from the immediately
preceding state rather than the absolute state. |
N |
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Nationwide
Paging |
Method of national
or regional paging in which a single frequency is used
throughout the nation (region) for sending messages to
a paging system subscriber. |
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Numeric Paging |
Numeric Paging is the most
widely used type of paging. The caller simply calls your
pager phone number and enters the number where you can
reach them. (see also digital) |
O |
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OSI |
OSI
- Open Systems Interconnect - An industry wide protocol
standard consisting of seven well defined layers. TDP
is modeled after this standard. A sub group of the
ISO that defines communication protocols for inter-computer
networking. |
P |
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Parity |
A simple error detection scheme.
The method usually involves counting the '1' bits in a
codeword and then setting an additional bit to either
'1' or '0' depending on whether the original number of
'1' bits was even or odd. |
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PCMCIA |
Personal Computer Memory Card
International Association - A standardized technology
used to develop a expansion for portable devices (i.e..
notebooks) In paging these credit card sized devices support
wireless connectivity. |
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PER |
Packed Encoding Rules - A
set of rules that specifies how ASN.1 defined information
is encoded when transmitted, and how it is decoded when
received. PER is a successor to the Basic Encoding Rules
(BER). It is more efficient in terms of the number of
bytes transmitted and the size of the generated encoder
and decoder. |
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PMP |
Paging Message Processor -
A Radio Paging Terminal or equivalent message processing
system. |
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POCSAG |
Post Office Code Standard
Advisory Group - This was a group formed by the British
Post Office to design a non-proprietary digital paging
code. The code that they designed is now implemented by
most pager manufacturers and is the most widely used code
to date. The POCSAG code, also known as RPC1 (a CCIR standard
taken directly from POCSAG) can be operated at three speeds,
512, 1200, and 2400 bits per second. POCSAG is gradually
being replaced by FLEX. |
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Protocol |
The rules of order by which a communications network
is operated.
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Q |
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R |
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Receiver |
Device on the transmission
line that converts a signal to whatever type of signal
is needed to complete the transmission |
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ReFlex |
New two-way paging protocols
developed by Motorola for enhanced paging services. ReFLEX
25 supports outbound transfer rates of up to 6,400 bits
per second in a 25 kHz channel and 12,800 bits per second
in a 50 kHz channel. |
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RF |
Radio Frequency |
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RRD |
RF Receiving Device
- The radio receiving device which receives over the air
data and forwards it to the mobile computer |
S |
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Signal |
Form of a radio wave in relation
to the frequency serving to convey intelligence in communication.
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Silent Alert |
Non-audible signal
in a beeper. That discretely notifies individuals of incoming
pages, typically by vibration. |
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Simulcast |
Broadcasting a message over
multiple transmitters throughout a geographical region
at precisely the same time. |
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SMS |
Short Messaging Service |
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Sub Network |
A way of denoting a group of network layers that appears
as one to a higher protocol layer.
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T |
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TCP |
Telelocator Conversion Processor
- A front end processor which executes the TFC process.
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TDP |
Telelocator Data Protocol -
A suite of protocols used for sending messages from a
computer, through a paging system, to a mobile receiving
computer. Together, these protocols define the flow of
messages from input devices through several processing
steps until the entire message is received by an RF linked
computer. The set is compromised of several protocols,
including TME, TRT, and TMC. |
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Telecommunications |
Communication process that
allows the transmission of information from a sender to
a receiver by means of an electromagnetic or light wave
medium. |
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TFC |
Telelocator Format Conversion
- Describes how binary data messages may be forwarded
to RF linked computers through the use of TAP protocol.
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TNPP |
A protocol used for moving
pages from one paging system to another over the standard
lines. |
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Transparency |
A method for hiding "control"
characters from a protocol processor in order to allow
their inclusion inside a data message being carried by
that protocol. |
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TRT |
Telelocator Radio Transport protocol
- The protocol that describes the format of data which
is forwarded to RF receivers. This transport style protocol
allows a receiver to collect several separate message
inside different pages and then piece them together into
one proper message. The manner in which this data is inserted
into any particular radio pager encoding format is specific
to the particular manufacturer's radio receiver. |
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Two-Way |
Communications that occur
between communications radio stations, each having a transmitter
and receiver. The stations may be in fixed locations,
mobile or portable, in any combination. |
U |
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V |
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Volt |
Basic unit of electrical potential.
One volt is the force required to send one ampere of electrical
current through a resistance of one ohm |
W |
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WAP |
Wireless Application Protocol
(WAP) is an open, global specification that empowers mobile
users with wireless devices to easily access and interact
with information and services instantly. |
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Watt |
Basic unit of power. Equal
to the voltage multiplied by the current. |
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WMF |
Wireless Message Format -
A standard format for presenting data received through
a paging system to mobile computers. The application at
the MED uses this format to encode binary data and control
information to be sent to a remote device. This information
is received completely intact by the MCD. |
X
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Y
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Z
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