Search and rescue operations usually take place in remote rural or coastal areas with patchy mobile phone coverage. Private PMR systems provide reliable communications to support more effective search and recovery operations.
Two-way communications enable team leaders to better coordinate searches when team members are spread out over a wide area in harsh terrain and challenging weather conditions.
Direct mode can be used by search and rescue teams within range of each other if they are in a coverage black spot or beyond main network range.
Hytera terminals offer advanced noise cancelling technology to provide clear, instant communications in noisy environments, so search and rescue teams can hear each other in bad weather.
DMR and PoC devices support text messaging, which can be useful for accurate transmission of information such as map coordinates, which might get mis-heard over the voice network.
Radios double-up as an extremely effective safety device to aid search and rescue teams operating in remote locations. If someone gets into trouble, the radios support several potentially lifesaving applications in addition to emergency voice calling.
Instant push-to-talk communications ensure transmissions get through fast to enable a swift response. Time is of the essence when searching for missing or injured persons.
Radios come with an emergency ‘panic’ button, which can be programmed to send an alarm to the command centre and to other radios, along with the person’s ID.
The Man Down alarm is triggered if a user has fallen over and the radio is horizontal. The Lone Worker alarm is sent if the radio is inactive beyond a set time.
The GPS location application in the radio is a key feature as it allows rescue coordinators to see where each team member is located across the search area.
Digital two-way radios solutions provide better connectivity especially at the edge of the cell than analogue solutions, along with the ability to create ad hoc networks in remote areas.
Some mountain rescue organisations install a PMR network to provide reliable coverage across their search area. Vehicle-mounted mobile radios/repeaters can be deployed to provide additional capacity and infill coverage.
Mobile PMR can be deployed using a Hytera RD965 man-portable outdoor repeater or man-portable E-packs can be used to create an ad hoc mesh network in signal black spots.
Radios support several levels of encryption, which may be needed especially when conducting searches of a sensitive nature, such as for missing persons.
Hytera offers military grade PMR and PoC terminals capable of operating in harsh environments. Devices are able to withstand drops, shock, vibration, extreme temperatures, dust, dirt and water ingress.