Gold Apollo AF-A27 / AL-A27![]() An obsolete pager can be converted into a single channel receiver for paging monitoring by adding a discriminator output. The Gold Apollo AF-A27 (FLEX) and AL-A27 (POCSAG) pagers contain a single chip paging receiver IC: the TA31149. The pins on this IC are separated only 0.65 mm. However, soldering to the IC is not necessary if you follow the instructions below. Be advised that the receiver IC has a built-in 2 level slicer. This modification only works for 2-level paging. Apollo AF-A27 ('Galaxy' in the Netherlands)
Each pager contains a battery saving mechanism. At regular intervals, the receiver is switched on briefly to check if there are messages. If not, the receiver will sleep until the next interval. To be able to use the pager as a monitoring receiver, this battery saving mechanism needs to be sdisabled to open the receiver continuously. Obviously, as a result battery life will decrease considerably. ![]() ![]() This pin..
..and this pin need to be cut or removed
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Follow the next steps to make a data output on the AF-A27 / AL-A27:
Three important spots
![]() ![]() Connecting points A and B enables continuous reception
The discriminator output at point C
As there is not enough clearance for a chassis socket, you can drill a hole and lead the shielded wire outside. You can use a tyrap as strain relief. The shielded wire can be terminated with a female 3.5 mm connector. This 'pigtail' enables using a 2 levelinterface or audio cable. You can also box the pager and add a 1.5 Volt power supply. You can find a description here. ![]() The result: pager with pigtail
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