Life Star.

Status
Not open for further replies.

snowscout

Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2010
Messages
99
Location
Southeastern CT
Good Morning!

Life Star was used last night in Groton. I thought I had their call out frequency, but I don't. Does anybody know what it is? Thank You in advance!
 

ecps92

Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2002
Messages
14,366
Location
Taxachusetts

cg

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 13, 2000
Messages
4,579
Location
Connecticut
The VHF is simplex from a good tower at decent power so it has good coverage but is only broadcast from one location. The 461.3875 is both Hartford and Norwich. The 452.3375 is only Meriden.

Westfield, MA is not in service yet. In progress, but not there yet.
 

izzyj4

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
1,079
Location
Ova here
Also, when Lifestar is landing in a town / city, they switch over to the local fire frequency to co-ordinate the landing area. Usually they will operate on the department's main frequency, though they have been heard on a fire ground / simplex operations frequency for the department.
 

sefrischling

Public Information Officer
Joined
Sep 18, 2003
Messages
1,831
Location
New London, CT
Life Star was used last night in Groton. I thought I had their call out frequency, but I don't. Does anybody know what it is? Thank You in advance!

On scene you will usually hear Life Star on 155.3850, PL 82.5 for their communications back to their base.

I was on scene was Life Star landed and departed in Groton the other night and they were primarily operating on GFA Fireground 5 for the approach and departure, before flipping back over to their own VHF channel.

If you're near Backus you can hear crews pick their their two-tone alert with 330.5 - 433.7
 
Last edited:

izzyj4

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
1,079
Location
Ova here
They contact security dispatch on their uhf freq. and give them their E.T.A. to the helipad.

Medically, they patch in on med frequencies, Med-6 I believe.

Manny



When C-MED New Haven was still around, it was one-stop shopping. They came up on MED 10 and depending where they were coming in on we would hook them up on the appropriate med channel, usually 6 or 7. They talk to the ER and gave them the ETA to the helipad or if it was out of service the old parking lot where Rite Aid is now.

Any additional resources needed such as an LZ if necessary and AMR for that purpose went through us.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 

snowscout

Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2010
Messages
99
Location
Southeastern CT
On scene you will usually hear Life Star on 155.3850, PL 82.5 for their communications back to their base.

I was on scene was Life Star landed and departed in Groton the other night and they were primarily operating on GFA Fireground 5 for the approach and departure, before flipping back over to their own VHF channel.

If you're near Backus you can hear crews pick their their two-tone alert with 330.5 - 433.7

Funny thing is that I didn't hear them on Fireground 5. I heard them on 125.6 the local air frequency for Groton airport when they entered Groton airspace and I did not hear them communicate with Groton Fire dispatch until they were taking off and heading to Hartford. BTW they had hovered over my house and my neighbors' house before making the turn and heading for RT 184. I should have heard them calling on FG 5 but there was a lot of traffic between the police and fire units.
 

sefrischling

Public Information Officer
Joined
Sep 18, 2003
Messages
1,831
Location
New London, CT
I should have heard them calling on FG 5 but there was a lot of traffic between the police and fire units.

I was maybe 30 yards from the LZ when she landed, and at the LZ when she departed, I only heard her F/G 5, then on the Life Star VHF. I know it was Life Star VHF as the XTS 3000 is only VHF. There was however a lot of chatter, so you could have easily missed it.
 

leadjammer

Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2011
Messages
225
Location
Hamden, CT
Lifestar

Do you guys actually hear Lifestar on 155.3850? I live in Hamden and haven't heard them in a very long time.
 

firebuff17

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 21, 2008
Messages
160
Location
CT
I get them sporadically and I live in Meriden. If I go further north up 91 I can get them a lot more clear.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

leadjammer

Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2011
Messages
225
Location
Hamden, CT
Lifestar

Something has changed because I used to hear their transmissions all the time but recently even with an outside antenna I get nothing. Ditto on the old CMED days. Heard them all the time on MED 10 and Usually MED 6 for the patches.
 

HamRFinCT

Completely Banned for the Greater Good
Banned
Joined
Feb 11, 2017
Messages
32
Something has changed because I used to hear their transmissions all the time but recently even with an outside antenna I get nothing. Ditto on the old CMED days. Heard them all the time on MED 10 and Usually MED 6 for the patches.

Check the PL. They changed it a few years ago.
 

MFCJR

Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2013
Messages
321
I'm in the Hartford area and they are not as strong as they use to be.
 

leadjammer

Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2011
Messages
225
Location
Hamden, CT
Lifestar

Thanks so much for the PL change info. Never knew there was a change and I still had the old PL. I fixed it so now I hope to start hearing Lifestar again. Appreciate the info. Thanks again.
 

PJH

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Aug 23, 2002
Messages
3,620
Years ago the FCC stated that power as well as height must be taken into consideration. The meant that a 100 watt radio on a 300ft tower is no longer valid. That 100 watt radio may be turned down to 15as the effective power at that height is 100 watts.

Lifestar's radio at the time almost had statewide coverage - you could hear that radio EVERYWHERE it seemed like.

When incoming and operating at the LZ, Lifestar has preprogrammed - via what the local department wants to use - the channel in their radio stack. They do have the ability to program on the fly channels that are not preprogrammed, but it is usually limited distant callouts or special calls that are not within their normal scope of operations.
 

cg

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 13, 2000
Messages
4,579
Location
Connecticut
Departments need to remember to update Lifestar Center when they change frequencies, PLs, or go digital (Lifestar aircraft currently have no digital capabilities). Using a common interoperability frequency such as Intercity, VTAC, UTAC, etc, is a good option. But preplanning what is going to be used rather than having a dispatcher try to figure out frequencies and PLs during a call is much better.
I heard a transfer call to a local hospital where they couldn't talk to security at the facility. The hospital had changed to a DMR system and never planned for needing to talk to anyone else.

chris
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top