The alpha numeric pager has the ability to receive messages. Their design is user friendly and their pagers are reliable. There are a variety of models offering various bells and whistles. The way the pager industry is set up is fairly simple. A company pays the Federal Communication Commission for the rights to a frequency, then erects a transmitter.
Most companies sell time directly to the public as well as to retail stores.
Though you can go directly through a company that owns its own transmitter, you may find a better deal in a local shop. With their contract they were permitted to place an antenna on the roof of the Ambulatory Care Center, which enables their pagers to reach every nook and cranny of the University. The antenna is supposed to guarantee that you will receive your page anywhere on campus, including the basement and Radiation department which, due to the abundance of radiation interference, blocks many pagers' signals. The voice mail can save 10 messages for up to 8 hours. They have several stores, the closest to campus being at 19th and Geary.