I'm trying to implement a CL (Centerline) symbol on transitional duct.  Within the database , under Takeoff, CAD Settings, and then the Annotation tab, I currently have %%174 set for the centerline option under the offset text.  Using this setting with some of the arch text styles allows me to have the CL symbol on the transitions.  The problem is they don't look anything like the rest of the text we're using as a standard, which is arial.  

That's the backstory of what led me to where I am now.  I know way back when, in earlier versions of autocad you could use unicode for this setting.  I'm  trying to use it now, which I'm using Fabrication CADmep 2018, and I'm not able to get it to work.  When I put in \u+2104, which is supposed to work for several text styles, it simply places that exact phrase as my centerline symbol on my transition.

Is anyone aware of how to get unicode to work for the centerline annotation of the offset text?