home
Contact Us News What We Do Equipment Training/Education Join/Donate
We operate on public safety frequencies in several bands (VHF, UHF and 800 MHz), aircraft frequencies, and amateur radio frequencies -in short, on any frequency that is needed for a SAR mission or natural disaster. We have authorization to operate on public safety frequencies from most of the government agencies in the greater Portland area.
We have installed and maintain an antenna at Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood for the exclusive use of search and rescue, and have access to two networks of amateur radio repeaters, should the public safety radio systems become unavailable or overloaded.

Nextel has generously provided us with portable and mobile radios with phone service, which we use from our Relays to talk back to town, hospitals, and other agencies -as well as for dispatching and coordinating our response. The Nextel system is ideal for this purpose, offering both phone capability and group push-to-talk capability.
For use by the organizations and agencies we serve, we maintain a large cache of portable radios (VHF and UHF), a number of mobile repeaters and cross-band repeaters, as well as a number of magnetic mount mobile antennas and 4 portable tall mast systems.
We generally respond with our two vehicles, although we sometimes use personal vehicles as well. "Com1" is a 4x4 Chev Suburban (3/4 ton model) that has been extensively modified to support the needs of remote mobile relay. "Com2" is a former Ford ambulance, which has similar extensive modifications in to serve as a rolling dispatch center. And now, a guided tour of our two rigs...
Our original workhorse, Com1 is a heavily modified '89 chev suburban. We've added dual battery system, shorepower throughout, 70amp 12VDC power supply, brushbar and 9,000 lb winch (which we've unfortunately had to use more than once), warning lights, scene lights, custom Yakima rack mounting with spare tire carrier, and cabinetry throughout the rear. The rig will seat 5 searchers, with room for their packs in the back. Com1 is used as Mobile Relay and to establish LZs for helo operations.
The business end of Com1. A remote head for the main 100 watt VHF radio is visible, so personnel can stay in touch while setting up operations. The transportable repeaters are stored in the cabinet that is visible, along with one of the VHF radio caches for search personnel (we issue these to searchers at the scene) can be seen along the top. In the rack to the left are VHF and UHF antenna whips, with mag mounts, also available to be issued to other searchers -- we often find that transportation and containment 4x4s do not have compatible radios. Also in this area are the LZ marker panels and smoke for setting up LZs, and three different tripod mast systems. A collection of 800 MHz, cellular and UHF beams are stored here, as well as VHF omnidirectional equipment.
A close up of the "coffin" where personal backpacks are stored when transporting rescuers, and where our operator (only one fits!) can sleep at night. The cabinetry to the left holds tire chains, spare alternator, sleeping bags and pads, toolboxes, manuals, maps, and spares. Two "go bags" can be seen here, each holds batteries, antennas, and radios for VHF, UHF and Aircraft... to be used by our Tactical Relay teams.
The nerve center of the Mobile Relay, this is the console with the three VHF radios, UHF radio, airband radio, Nextel cradle, 800 MHz MTS2000 cradle, dualband amateur radio, and VHF convertacom for a portable. Speakers for each radio are spatially separated so the operator can tell without looking which radio has traffic to handle... we've found multiple radios to be more effective than scanning radios. Also invaluable is the tape recorder, which can tape directly from one of the VHF rigs.
The wire mesh screen keeps heavy gear from raining down on the heads of passengers during those panic stops, and radios in this area include the military PRC-41 air-to-ground radio we use with the Oregon Air Guard, and a backup Nextel unit.
The pilot position in Com1. Most radios can be reached from here, since Mobile Relay is sometimes handled solo.
Yes, the lettering is reversed so that other cars can see what we're about in their rearview mirrors! This started out as a '90 Ford ambulance, donated by American Medical Response here in Portland, Oregon.
The primary access to Com2 is via the side doors on the right (curbside) of the truck. The driver in the cab has their own radios, since there is no way to move from the cab to the rear dispatch compartment.
We find that dedicating a separate room, or this case, a vehicle, to radio dispatch improves the quality of our work. A private, quiet location to handle the complexity of many frequencies (we often operate on 5-6 frequencies simultaneously) makes life much better for our hard-working dispatchers. A long ways from the days of operating out of the front seat of a deputy's cruiser.
This is the heart of Com2 -- the two position dispatching tables. All radios are within reach of both operators, but each has their own flat-panel color PC and keyboard. Radios are flush-mounted with whiteboard material so that notes, labels and frequency assignments can be jotted anywhere the operators find useful. Radios shown here include primary and secondary radios for VHF and UHF, two Nextel cradles, an 800 MHz MTS2000 cradle, airband radio, scanner, and a (missing in this photo) dual-band amateur radio. Lighting is outstanding, as we were able to use the existing ambulance lighting with several power settings.
Each of these operators gets a padded, reclining chair rescued from a luxury camper. Complete with seatbelts, these swivel and then lock down facing the counter, or facing towards the front of the rig, which permits operation while enroute. In total, 5 people can travel in safe seats: two up front, two in these chairs, and one in the jump seat.
At the head-end of the sturdy counter (towards the ambulance cab), the jump seat permits a third operator. This person can use the flat-panel computer screen swiveled their way, or turn to use the radios installed in the bulkhead (see below). We also run a dedicated hardline telephone from this location to the operations/planning room or vehicle, giving them reliable and secure communications with the radio operators.
The bulkhead separating the cab from the dispatch area holds an HF radio, military air-ground UHF, and an 800 MHz trunking radio (used by several of the sheriffs we support). You can also see the charging racks for the 18 VHF portables we issue to other searchers (mostly empty in this image). Another cache of portables is stored in Com1.
This cache of UHF portables is dedicated for use by the ICS-trained command staff in the Base Camp area, either in simplex mode or via one of our portable repeaters. We have found it invaluable to adopt the USFS firecamp policy of a separate frequency for in the SAR Base area, distinct from the main dispatch channel.
We converted the oxygen bottle storage cabinet on the exterior of the left side of the ambulance into our power distribution center. We can plug into a variety of shoreline power here, with cables stored in the door, or operate off the vehicle's dual battery 12VDC system. Both 110VAC and 12VDC distribution throughout the vehicle have breakers here, with the 70amp 12VDC supply concealed beneath the jump seat adjacent to this wall.