ambulance to Duluth hospital comms

[northscan23]

It seems like I have noticed sometimes when the ambulance is in route to either St. Lukes or St.Mary's that I can't hear paramedics transmitting(even if the squelch is on) but I will still hear the hospital talking to the amubulance. Are some of the ambulance companies in the Duluth area (like Gold Cross) encrypting their radio traffic or is it mostly reception issues?

 

[dwgelle]

They are operating on simplex. Base to mobile so you will most likely hear the base station almost all the time since it transmits from a higher elevation than a mobile antenna that is only about 9 feet high on the ambulance box. So you will only hear the ambulance if you are closer or have a higher elevation.
Simplex - The RadioReference Wiki

As compared to a duplex or repeater system that most sheriff and police departments use where the mobiles/portables transmit to the repeater on one frequency atop of a tower and then rebroadcasts the transmission on a different frequency.
Repeater - The RadioReference Wiki

I hope this helps.

 

[northscan23]

Thanks!! I figured it was related to the reception or the location of the ambulance.