Does Lifestar use 41.9 Mhz for Medcom? They were just giving report as they passed over my house, set off the Close call on 41.9 on the SDS200 and I confirmed it on a BC796. I would have expected to hear them on Med 5 463.1 if I recall correctly.
Lifestar
- Thread starter Mork
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Maybe just a spur or overload.
Lifestar may be using 41.9 MHz for ground to air comms, a radio link to the first responder unit(s) at the scene of the landing spot close to an accident for example. A ball field at a local school may be a likely target. But that landing field first must be cleared of people and that’s where the ground unit(s) come in. Ground units are usually a fire truck (for the obvious reasons should the helo experience problems) but at the minimum, someone with comms capability.
Lifestar circles the landing spot. When they circle, all eyes aboard the helo are identifying possible hazards to avoid at the landing field, both what they see and that which has been reported to them by ground units, such as antenna towers, power lines, etc. close to the designated landing field.
These med helos run special multi-band radios for this need and have complied a directory of most all towns/city’s designated “down-link” frequencies. Lifestar verifies with the ground units on any given call, the frequency to be used. Since the ground units use differing radio systems the helos must have the capability to communicate on a frequency the ground units have available. And that could be anywhere in the VHF Low Band, (30-50 MHz) VHF High Band, (in the 150 MHz range) UHF (in the 450 MHz range) or UUHF (700-800 MHz).
Back in the day when Lifestar first started, numerous drills with FD’s were conducted and instructions on what the helos expected from them were re… such as a minimum of 60 feet when choosing a landing spot and placing a strobe light for night landings and never shining spotlights on the helo due to the blinding effect it has on the pilots. (These directives may have changed-it’s been years since I was active with the local FD. At the time, we were even offered the opportunity for one person to ride with Lifestar to the hospital… you were responsible for your return transportation.)
I would check the RRDB for frequencies in use by the local FD in this case. And as FD radio equipment gets updated, the inclusion of regional mutual aid frequencies are used more and more.
For further info check LIFESTAR’s website.
Hope this helps…
Lifestar circles the landing spot. When they circle, all eyes aboard the helo are identifying possible hazards to avoid at the landing field, both what they see and that which has been reported to them by ground units, such as antenna towers, power lines, etc. close to the designated landing field.
These med helos run special multi-band radios for this need and have complied a directory of most all towns/city’s designated “down-link” frequencies. Lifestar verifies with the ground units on any given call, the frequency to be used. Since the ground units use differing radio systems the helos must have the capability to communicate on a frequency the ground units have available. And that could be anywhere in the VHF Low Band, (30-50 MHz) VHF High Band, (in the 150 MHz range) UHF (in the 450 MHz range) or UUHF (700-800 MHz).
Back in the day when Lifestar first started, numerous drills with FD’s were conducted and instructions on what the helos expected from them were re… such as a minimum of 60 feet when choosing a landing spot and placing a strobe light for night landings and never shining spotlights on the helo due to the blinding effect it has on the pilots. (These directives may have changed-it’s been years since I was active with the local FD. At the time, we were even offered the opportunity for one person to ride with Lifestar to the hospital… you were responsible for your return transportation.)
I would check the RRDB for frequencies in use by the local FD in this case. And as FD radio equipment gets updated, the inclusion of regional mutual aid frequencies are used more and more.
For further info check LIFESTAR’s website.
Hope this helps…
Not for a med patch, they would only use that VHF range for scene communications.
Image generated by the scanners for the UHF med channels is what you were hearing
Image generated by the scanners for the UHF med channels is what you were hearing
Are you sure it was Lifestar?
41.90 is used by National Guard helicopters in the Hartford area.
It is possible if they were doing a medical transport or drill.
As far as an image, I've never heard a 463 Mhz UHF transmission generating an image on anything in the 40Mhz range. +/- the IF freq or 1st harmonic but not 1/10th the frequency. This transmission was monitored on an SDR-based scanner (SDS200) and a older Superhet BCD796. My ADS-B has been showing UH-60's in the area.
As far as an image, I've never heard a 463 Mhz UHF transmission generating an image on anything in the 40Mhz range. +/- the IF freq or 1st harmonic but not 1/10th the frequency. This transmission was monitored on an SDR-based scanner (SDS200) and a older Superhet BCD796. My ADS-B has been showing UH-60's in the area.
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