What's new
By:
Filters

Aircraft radio for emergency?

roundhouse

roundhouse

Red Skull Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2020
Member Number
2622
Messages
33
Watching the videos from the devastated western North Carolina areas , and the one of the trapped people signaling Greg Biffles helicopter with a bathroom mirror

Makes me wonder if In a situation like that the best communication for help
Would be a low powered aircraft radio .
So you could call for help to nearby helicopters or planes

Either that or a satellite phone

A ham radio might work IF you knew enough about it to know what frequency to contact someone on that wasn’t using a repeater tower that’s been blown away or no longer has electricity to operate

It’s wild and sad , that in 2024 , in the wealthiest nation on earth , people are using mirrors to signal for help .

And sad that our government has the ability to send highly trained people anywhere in thw word within hours to kill people , but it takes 6 days to get a govt helicopter to western NC to help people


And how sad it is that a freaking nascar driver has done more to help than the ficking fedgov .



Was also watching these videos and thinking that the helicopter could toss out a cheap GMRS or MURS handheld in thirteen layers of bubble wrap with a small parachute
Down to the people and communicate that way

I’m assuming none of the helicopters or small planes are monitoring any freq except the normal one they all talk to each other on ?
 
Got a few of them, a PRC113 and a PRC77 and a URC 200.

PRC-77

www.cryptomuseum.com www.cryptomuseum.com

URC-200 (V2) Line of Sight Transceiver - General Dynamics Mission Systems

The URC-200 (V2) Line of Sight Transceiver makes radio communications easier and more effective – without compromising privacy.
gdmissionsystems.com gdmissionsystems.com

Drawback is they run on 24vdc but better than nothin right ?

The aircraft frequency from memory is centered right at 118 mhz
 
Last edited:
Out here you just need the Calcoord frequency on any radio for air to ground.

If you have a HAM you’re golden.

I don’t and won’t wait for the govt for anything I’m good two weeks in place easy.

Everybody should be.
 
SomeGuyFromOlympia said:
what are you going to do?
call an aircraft in ?
there is enough happening on those radios, they don't need another uneducated panicked person messing up the chat

just be prepared to take care of you
Click to expand...
This guy called an aircraft in with a mirror

And that’s why I’d want a low powered radio so only the aircraft you can see would be hearing it .

 
I've got all the local airport towers programmed in to my shortwave radio. As well as the local pd, fd, rescue. Easily moveable into a few different vehicles. Need to get the bus set up to accept it in case we're bugging out in that.
 
Slander said:
121.5 is the emergency freq in the air. I'm sure they were monitoring that, thats what you would make your mayday calls on if your going down.
Click to expand...

That is the emergency freq, but ho one monitors it flying. Most times a pilot will be monitoring the last freq he was using. (Place he took off) Some times they will assign a freq for a disaster area, but you wouldn’t know what it was.

I think a strobe light would be best. That or boobs. I spot them pretty quick.
 
No, sorta. The rule is any means necessary with immediate threat of loss of life or limb with no other options available. I've been listening to the Mitchell Mountain repeater, emergency net operators have done a very good job, info has gotten through and they haven't given a fuck whether anyone is licensed or not.

Get the $30 radio, learn how repeaters work, program in all the local ones, repeaterbook.com and the mobile app are great, a technician license is easy to get, and you shouldn't have to fuck with aircraft. Aircraft in that scenario are probably relaying your mirror signal to whoever is coordinating them, not that they wouldn't land if they could.
 
What's with the hate for the mirror signal? Pretty effective

I guess the fedgov could've sent people to kill everybody, if that's what you are advocating :flipoff2:
 
I was very glad to have Starlink when this shit hit. AT&T was working on lines out my road today and I stopped to chat and offer water. He asked me if I had AT&T Internet and I said I used to but switched to Starlink. He just chuckled and said "I don't blame you. I think everybody in this area is gonna have Starlink after this."
 
Starlink setup for 12vdc operation. I almost never monitor 121.5 anymore when I’m flying, maybe in emergency locating you would. Garmin InReach is my SOS device, but I assume that system would be so overwhelmed it would only let them know someone at that location activated it. Hoping all the guv bs outta this will get some people to think about who they are voting for this time around.
 
No what's sad is te wealthiest nation and most prepared in some regards has such a stupid, uneducated, and unprepared general population. Horrible situation for anyone in that area.

And nothing wrong with a mirror. A radio isn't a horrible idea but there are plenty of issues with them that can pop up. interferance, correct channel, not screaming when talking into it (amazing how many people you can't undersntad when they are using it in an emergency). You can't hardly screw up a mirror.
 
cervelorod said:
Hoping all the guv bs outta this will get some people to think about who they are voting for this time around.
Click to expand...

Any other administrative term my email and phone with be blowing up with standby alerts and zilch this go around. Not even a prep your bags headups. Compeltly worthless leaders.
 
Last edited:
Keeping a smoky fire going outside would be about the other best thing behind a mirror in some situation like this.

Might not be the easiest thing though.
 
roundhouse said:
This guy called an aircraft in with a mirror

And that’s why I’d want a low powered radio so only the aircraft you can see would be hearing it .

Click to expand...

it is easy to call in an aircraft that has their camera out looking for you
 
Almost every airliner is monitoring 121.5 as part of our SOP.

SomeGuyFromOlympia said:
meeeooooow
Click to expand...
Screenshot_20241003-235406_Gallery.jpg
 
KarlVP said:
DO NOT FUCK with that frequency.

Trust me, just don't do it. If they find you, and they will you will be in deep shit.
Click to expand...

I had an emergency transmitter on a helicopter we were hauling on a trailer get triggered by a pot hole. It took them about six hours to find me. (On the phone) I went and shut it off and that was that. They told me this happens all the time.

Provience said:
What's with the hate for the mirror signal? Pretty effective

I guess the fedgov could've sent people to kill everybody, if that's what you are advocating :flipoff2:
Click to expand...

I have flown over tons of stuff that sparkled. I guess if I was over a disaster site and you could hit me enough times, I would investigate, but a rhythmic strobe light would definitely get my attention.

Provience said:
Keeping a smoky fire going outside would be about the other best thing behind a mirror in some situation like this.

Might not be the easiest thing though.
Click to expand...

Yea, a fire is good unless there’s tons of fires. I often meet people on the ground that say how could you have not seen me? I have to tell them “looking up, I’m the only thing there and I’m making noise”, “looking down, there’s tons of shit and I can’t hear a thing”

On the 121.5 thing. Some radios have a setup where they always monitor that freq in the background no matter what freq they have dialed in. So it could work, but nobody is dialed into that except satellites and official search planes. I guess Pylett is listening. Do you know if that is true for all airlines? If you heard something, would you report gps to center?
 
What about a Garmin inreach? You can text via satellite and send your coordinates and status to family or put out an SOS signal.

I carry one when wheeling in remote places and it seems to work good. Plus you can activate the service when a storm is coming in or just leave it activated year round.

That seems more targeted than seeing some random aircraft and trying to radio it. A cheap mirror and strobe would be a good backup.
 
Every pilots survival jacket or pouch I was issued had a signal mirror in.
We carried EPIRBs which functioned as emergency radios but broadcasting your position in enemy territory was not a good idea. We were trained to watch for flashes of light when conducting SandR. We also carried strobes for times the sun was not shining.
 
Get yourself a Technicians licence and a VHF radio equipped with APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System). The APRS thingy can squak a message (SOS or whatever you want to say) that other APRS radios receive. Stupid easy to locate someone using these radios.

Checkout the website "aprs.fi" .:smokin::smokin::smokin::smokin:
 
Pyleit said:
Almost every airliner is monitoring 121.5 as part of our SOP.

Screenshot_20241003-235406_Gallery.jpg
Click to expand...
We're always monitoring at my employer. I've made a habit of it when cruising cross country in my bird as well.

KarlVP said:
DO NOT FUCK with that frequency.

Trust me, just don't do it. If they find you, and they will you will be in deep shit.
Click to expand...
This may be true on paper, but I doubt it happens much. Cruising all over you hear guys screwing around, never heard of anyone getting dinged in my 20 years in the biz.

SomeGuyFromOlympia said:
meeeooooow
Click to expand...
This...so much of this. I find it hilarious, but I'm kind of immature. I used to work for the carrier that as far as I know is credited with starting this. God we used to laugh a lot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Back Refresh