York Hospital

Status
Not open for further replies.

W3DMV

Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
663
Location
Gettysburg, Pa
Will post this info here in hopes some of you are interested.

155.205 pl 146.2 York hospital communications with in bound med choppers with trauma
reports. Communications here with Stat 13, Life Net 81, and Life Lion. On rare occasions
other outside the area choppers are heard.

My past several db submissions have been denied for various reasons. This time I'm being
told that this channel belongs to Hershey, who does have a license but does not use it.
The Hershey transmitters are located at the Med center at Hershey, and the big rig is
located on Ellendale Mountain in Dauphin County. The 155.205 operation identifies as
"York Hospital" and is very strong utilizing a hand held in the area of the hospital.

Have been unable to locate a license for this operation. This was one of the H.E.A.R.S.
system frequencies popular some years ago and still used in many areas. I notice that
in many areas the license is carried by various states and apparently used under the state
blanket by multiple users. .

Any of you experts have better info ?
 

chankel

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
May 17, 2004
Messages
266
Location
Ephrata, PA
Are you sure Hershey doesn't use it? I recall hearing LifeLion on both of their licensed channels back in the late 1990's when I was going to college at York, and they had a strong signal. The FCC DB doesn't list any licenses for 155.205 in York County. I don't believe 155.205 falls under the national interop channels either; it is not listed in NIFOG, although 155.34 and 155.3475 are.

Depending on your geographic position and hardware / software, a VHF directional antenna and RSSI (received signal strength indicator) readout might help determine where the strongest signal is coming from.

I know that BuTel software for the Uniden BCD996XT included RSSI as part of its data logging features, but I can't speak to other versions of their software as I haven't used those.
 

W3DMV

Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
663
Location
Gettysburg, Pa
Thanks for the reply. I was able to hear the base when I was in York several
times and it was very strong on a hand held w/rubber duck so I assumed it was
at the York Hospital, They were id'ing as "York Hospital". I can not hear the base
at home in Gettysburg, even with a 6db station master antenna and 1/2" hardline coax.
I was unable to find the license either, so perhaps I have it all wrong or their doing
the Stat Medevac route with no license.
A lot of our DB lists have fallen into disarray and are incorrect, especially in counties who have
installed trunking systems,
The only frequency in the Dauphin County DB has a listing for Hershey KNNV446
(155.565), which expired way back on 5/9/2001. The FCC lists 15 frequencies now
licensed, but none have been confirmed for the data base.
I'm a little too far away to fix the list, especially their UHF frequencies. Perhaps someone
more local who is active can give it a listen...

Take care...
 

HM1529

Pennsylvania DB Admin
Database Admin
Joined
Jul 16, 2003
Messages
3,087
Location
West of the Atlantic Ocean
Send the submission again. I'll work it. I did not look at the history to see who rejected it. Reference this doc in the submission. I'll try to get to it later today.

Not sure where their license is, but I'm not the FCC
 

ocguard

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Nov 9, 2002
Messages
1,288
Location
PA/MD
The frequency was initially licensed to Hershey Life Lion back when they were the only aeromedical game in town. It was used to allow Life Lion to contact YH during inbound transports. The base station in York Hospital's ED actually says "LIFE LION" on the display, but it is now licensed to WellSpan and is still used to allow ANY incoming air ambulance to contact the medical command physician or charge nurse directly. The frequency is also available in York Hospital's security officer portable radios for heli-pad coordination during disaster operations.

CORRECTION: Doesn't appear that this base station is licensed. Hmmm.
 

ocguard

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Nov 9, 2002
Messages
1,288
Location
PA/MD
I sent an email to my contact in the emergency department regarding the seemingly unlicensed base station, but I can confirm that it DOES exist and uses 155.205.
 

n3obl

Ø
Database Admin
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
1,817
Location
PA
They probably use the frequency under a MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) which allows facilities in lifelion service area to have the frequency in their radios to use as need be. However again since I believe this to be an aeromedical frequency and is properly listed on the statewide aeromed page.

Just because someone doesnt have an explict license means that the freq is unlicensed.


From the handbook pg 11.
frequencies that are used on a multiple county level should be listed on the state level page. Not individual county page.


Frank
 

n3obl

Ø
Database Admin
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
1,817
Location
PA
Also i noticed that york is a level one trauma which is why choppers fly in to there. I am from out west so not familiar with all the facilities out there. Also someone made a reference to the emmco list. Be advised that list is SEVERELY outdated from 2005.
 

ocguard

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Nov 9, 2002
Messages
1,288
Location
PA/MD
It's a fixed base, and Hershey's license for that frequency doesn't include a fixed base location for that frequency at York Hospital. Even if an MOU were in place, Hershey would have to include York Hospital's address as a location for a FB1 in their license.
 

HM1529

Pennsylvania DB Admin
Database Admin
Joined
Jul 16, 2003
Messages
3,087
Location
West of the Atlantic Ocean
Here's another question I have regarding the situation. For the locals in the Harrisburg metro area...do you hear other LifeLion specific traffic on the 155.205/146.2 PL frequency? I have it programmed in my Kenwood, but I am generally too far east to hear much from LifeLion. The times when I am west of Reading, I only ever hear LifeLion comms on their channel 1.
 
Joined
Dec 28, 2011
Messages
51
York Hospital has the capability to communicate with a number of different agencies. The only license we hold is for hospital security ops. We don't "hold" any other license. Ground to hospital comms for EMS / Fire units occur through county trunked systems. Air to hospital occurs through what ever frequency is licensed to that specific air service, i.e.: life lion, stat medevac, medevac, jeff stat, etc. We are capable as a level I trauma center of comms w almost any service.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top