Hello all. Our hospital in El Dorado has partnered with Survival Flight and now has a helicopter based here. It is survival flight 17. Anyone know how I can find the frequency for the helicopter? I’ve searched but have been unsuccessful. It has been here less than a week. Any help is appreciated. Thanks
Survival Flight 17 El Dorado Ar
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I’m in the Batesville area and Batesville is the headquarters and training area. Locally they lease a repeater from the local radio shop. So, you might check for repeaters around there that are owned by radio service providers. Here they are 461.500.
They do also use satellite radio communications but often are on the “Batesville Tower” which is analog NFM with IP link to their ops/dispatch which is still in Arizona (rumor is it will move here eventually).
They do also use satellite radio communications but often are on the “Batesville Tower” which is analog NFM with IP link to their ops/dispatch which is still in Arizona (rumor is it will move here eventually).
canthonysmith
Member
Does anyone know how they are “paged” at other locations/hospitals they are based out of? Such as two tone or via phone?
No, that is handled all by phone. The radio traffic I hear is of the following nature (each bullet is a different 'conversation'):
- "Survival 4 has lifted, 3 souls on board, 780 on fuel, ETE 18 minutes to scene."
- "Survival Ops, Survival 4", "Go for Survival 4", "Updated coordinates for your scene are.../ground contact is.../you've been canceled.../etc"
- "Survival 4 is on final for ___ [hospital]"
- "Survival 4 is en route to the fuel farm/has lifted from the fuel farm and en route back to base/moving from base to the hangar/etc., 3 souls on board, # on fuel, flight time 3 minutes."
In other words, you don't hear any dispatch of them - that is all by phone. The local crew has a house about a block from the hospital that they stay in and drive a 5 seat side-by-side from the house to the pad at the hospital when they have a flight.
I only ever know they are going to be going somewhere if they are requested, via county radio, by local law enforcement or medical personnel which is then phoned in to their ops/dispatch center by the county dispatch or ambulance service.
Both Survival Flight and Air Evac (perhaps others, too?) often can be heard coordinating with EMS / first responders on the ground using 155.340, often referred to as "statewide". Also don't forget the helicopter air-to-air frequency of 123.025 AM mode.
Also here we use 155.205
When and if they ever do get a proper dispatch center set up in AR, then you will hear tones, and the typical, "Survival Ops to Survival XX, weather check for flight." then a go/no go for flight. If its a go, you will get the basic details of what the flight is for, contact info if its not a transfer flight, and patient data if transfer flight such as, "Transfer from University, to XXX. Patient weight XX Kilos....XYZ equipment." And then so on. That is again, when and if they do set up a proper dispatch center. Most of this is pretty standard for most medevac helo systems. In many states, 155.3400 is called Statewide, or State ER Net. Its usually the main HEAR freq used, with 155.2050, or 155.2800 as the secondary. Also expect them to get AWIN radios and use them if they do not already have them.
When and if they ever do get a proper dispatch center set up in AR, then you will hear tones, and the typical, "Survival Ops to Survival XX, weather check for flight." then a go/no go for flight. If its a go, you will get the basic details of what the flight is for, contact info if its not a transfer flight, and patient data if transfer flight such as, "Transfer from University, to XXX. Patient weight XX Kilos....XYZ equipment." And then so on. That is again, when and if they do set up a proper dispatch center. Most of this is pretty standard for most medevac helo systems. In many states, 155.3400 is called Statewide, or State ER Net. Its usually the main HEAR freq used, with 155.2050, or 155.2800 as the secondary. Also expect them to get AWIN radios and use them if they do not already have them.
You can always drive to the Aircraft Base and ASK.
Angel One (the medivac for Arkansas Children's Hospital) uses AWIN. I don't know why Air Evac and Life Flight don't.
I'm not meaning to sound like I'm arguing with milf here as that's not my intent, but I do not expect Survival Flight helicopter crews to be "paged out" on any system that can be monitored by us. They are called up by phone, not over the radio, as I described earlier and my understanding is that won't change if/when the dispatch center is moved to Batesville (their HQ offices are under 1/2 mile from my house and their hangars 1 mile).
They're called by phone and flight information is transmitted to their iPad where the pilot can have a flight plan and get airborne. I've watched them come out of the crew house by the hospital, get in the side by side UTV, drive to the pad, get out and prep the helicopter for take off, and depart - first radio transmission to their dispatch was after they were in the air (obviously they transmit on the local unicom air traffic channel to say they are lifting and which way they're headed first).
My understanding is this will not change regardless of where the dispatch center is. Of course, anything can happen but this is my understanding from people connected with SF. Time will tell, I guess.
They're called by phone and flight information is transmitted to their iPad where the pilot can have a flight plan and get airborne. I've watched them come out of the crew house by the hospital, get in the side by side UTV, drive to the pad, get out and prep the helicopter for take off, and depart - first radio transmission to their dispatch was after they were in the air (obviously they transmit on the local unicom air traffic channel to say they are lifting and which way they're headed first).
My understanding is this will not change regardless of where the dispatch center is. Of course, anything can happen but this is my understanding from people connected with SF. Time will tell, I guess.
I have heard AEL on Trauma Com calling in to Little Rock last year so they do use at least the AWIN for that. AWIN is actively trying to get every EMS agency to use ATC, and from my understanding they are having pretty good success in that. Kinda rare that MS beats AR to something lol.
cajunjerry
Member
Here in Webster parish, I hear angel one on trauma comm a lot..I remember several years ago I heard them trying to call springhill medical center on 155.34 and I got on the radio and told them that they would have to land at the airport. The helipad was too small n
Air Evac and Survival do use AWIN Trauma Com. They can be heard on truama com channel 5. I have heard them several times but as far as dispatch goes, not sure on that
Aren't all ambulances and air ambulances required to communicate with the trauma center on trauma comm when transporting a patient that meets a certain level of severity? I was thinking that was the case.
Regardless, that isn't what the OP was asking about necessarily - I took it as wanting to know about dispatch communications.
Regardless, that isn't what the OP was asking about necessarily - I took it as wanting to know about dispatch communications.
zenomorf
Member
some med-hellicopters use AWIN.
zenomorf
Member
most airports in ar. have awin radios for interop. they do radio checks every wedsday morning from 9:00-am to 9:30-am.
What talkgroup?
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