San Antonio - 155.340/110.9

[kkn50]

Recently began hearing what sounds like San Antonio State Hospital (SASH) using 155.340/110.9 as an operations channel. Here is sample audio:

San Antonio (155.340)

Isn't 155.340 normally restricted to communications between medics and hospitals?

With all of the frequencies available for operational use, why choose Texas Med 1?

 

[rattlerbb01]

Looks like under license KVF603, they are licensed 155.340 and 155.400 for voice, and 163.250 for paging. My guess is that if they had been using 155.340 for a long time, they would have been identified and stopped by now. But since they are a state agency (DSHS), chances are their radios have been programmed by the state. Perhaps their normal operations channel is 155.400, and 155.340 is now programmed with a 110.9 PL as a backup channel, since it shouldn't interfere with a 127.3 PL on Texas Med 1. Just a possibility...

 

[SCPD]

Recently began hearing what sounds like San Antonio State Hospital (SASH) using 155.340/110.9 as an operations channel. Here is sample audio:

San Antonio (155.340)

Isn't 155.340 normally restricted to communications between medics and hospitals?

With all of the frequencies available for operational use, why choose Texas Med 1?

No, Only when used with a 127.3 tone is it then Hospital/Medics. Anything else is open as long as it meets the criteria for the channel. Bonham Red River Regional Hospital uses 155.3400 CSQ for Hospital to Hospital communications Many others use it for local ops and Helicopter tone out. The same applies to Texas Fire-1 154.2800. Its only Texas fire-1 when used with the 127.3 tone anything else is fair game from fire ground to mobile to mobile gossip sessions.

Why? The ARRL says Hospitals using the "RACK" systems violates Amateur radio policy, MANY Hospitals used RACK on amateur frequencies for disaster events and training. Because of this Most hospitals in Texas now must find new ways to communicate with EOC's and each other. Here the Hospital now has access to SO primary but across the state many are just reverting to 155.3400 because it used to be for the Hospitals or they don't want to buy new licenses or spend big money on Trunking systems OR the radio people are not communicating to the Hospital people what everyone else is doing. (or planning to do).

 

[loumaag]

...The ARRL says Hospitals using the "RACK" systems violates Amateur radio policy, MANY Hospitals used RACK on amateur frequencies for disaster events and training...

"RACK"? I have been a ham for a pretty long time and served as Emergency Coordinator for a few years, I am not familiar with that acronym. Also a brief search of the ARRL web site did not come back with anything other than the Knoxville club, so if you could provide a link, it would be great.