What are your thoughts on the UHF med-channel system?

[Grog]

What are your thoughts on the UHF med-channel system?


The state is still building-out the UHF med-channel system to cover the state, yet I don't see a lot of EMS/rescue units using UHF in North Carolina. Do any of you have any thoughts on it?


Yes, I am bored and this was the only interesting NC radio thing I can come up with





P.S. a statewide 440mhz amateur radio network like the SC HEARTS would be nice as well, but it seems NC is behind SC once again on a statewide radio network. Ok, I know it's easier with their size. I mean SC only has five counties, right?

 

[yardbird]

My opinion!

I liked the UHF Med Channels.

It was one of the best and most reliable forms of communications between ambulance and hospital encoding.

You had 10 channels and 8 different PL tones and that made it easier to keep track of without having to look for and dial up a particular hospital that you were transporting to.

I recall every county that had Med channels would have Med 10 and that was the only way to contact them for a patch to the hospital.

I still have a Micor Med radio, it is the heavy rascal with the repeater attached to the back of the radio and all the different systems 90 cards that went with it.

I wish the state would make it mandatory for all EMS systems to reinstall or install Med channels. They are a lot better than 800 and 155.340 Mhz.

I can remember from years past when you had Buncombe, Haywood, Craven, Mecklenburg, Randolph and Yadkin all using Med 9 for dispatch. Now the only ones that use Med 9 for Dispatch is Mecklenburg, Haywood and Randolph.

I still have a 1985 dial codes book that list all the counties that had Med channels and there frequency and tone assignments.

Like I said, I think the state needs to bring back the Med Channels, because it was very reliable for of hospital communications.

David

 

[derekjmu]

http://www.metrolinatrauma.org/dp_NC_medical_network.asp

The UHF MED-8 and MED-10 system that is being built out today is meant to be more of a point-to-point communications system for coordination, mostly comm centers and hospitals. It's not perfect and def has room for improvement in a number of ways, mainly user knowledge due to it's very limited regular use.

An amateur UHF 440 voice network, to support emergency hospital comms in the Metrolina region is on the way! Initial coverage with all repeaters in the system linked will include Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Catawba, Rowan, Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, Union, Anson, Stanly, York SC and Lancaster SC Counties. This initial network will have linking capabilities to the Carolina 440 network (http://www.carolina440.net) which covers the triad, triangle and coastal areas quite well. More details when the system goes online, hopefully before the end of 2008. Two repeaters in the system are already online, but not linked yet. 444.825 in Mint Hill & 444.775 in Concord, both PL 110.9

 

[rocknrun]

I got out of EMS in 1998 but in the 12 years that I used the UHF Med system I found it worked very well. Didn't find that the APCORS worked so well thought, but I think a lot of the times it was because someone forgot to punch the rpt button on the console before getting out of the truck.

 

[BryanTheRed]

The North Carolina SMAT teams are using them for in state comms. I know we do weekly testing on Med 8 & 10. Tell me which repeater you want me to hit during the hours of 7am-7pm and I'll let you hear my voice. I also do sporatic testing for the state as to which hospitals and comm centers are actually monitoring their Zetrons. We do keep logs of that. Over all I think it is a good systems. It will be interesting to see what happens when the state implements the Viper Medical Network.