Not too long ago I remember hearing old cordless phone bases and what sounded like fire department or ambulance dispatchers near 46 MHz. Are there any scanner or DX enthusiasts here who know what kind of transmissions one might find on this band today?

In a quick scan of the band I heard:

44.500 Random pulses

46.420 Dispatcher...unknown*

49.850 Baby monitor

Update:

* = "station 5" (whatever that is)

46.610 Cordless Phone

As of 2007, several State Police agencies were still using 42Mhz. equipment. The closest being California Highway Patrol.

43 MHz is licensed for paging.

45 MHz Remote control toys, medical imaging catheters

I think that the 46.420 MHz "station 5" dispatcher is what I was hearing a couple of winters ago. I will have to do some more listening. A few nights ago, when I was doing a bandscan on the 7H820, I tried the 45 MHz band, and it was like a ghost town.

Ah yes. I remember when I got " My First Radio Controlled Catheter " when I was just 6 years old.

I should sell it on eBay. It's a classic. So very retro now.

My old (2002) call book lists 46.420 as KGP693 and WNNB423 Yamhill County and McMinnville fire, covering Mac, Sheridan and Newberg. I just heard a fire engine dispatch and a medical dispatch, so I suspect this frequency is still in use in that area and can be easily received in Hillsboro. Other than that, the band *seems* to be pretty dead.

Yamhill County has moved to a new 460 MHz radio system for police and fire, but the McMinnville Fire Dept still tones out volunteer fire calls on 46.42.

Red Cross: 47.420; 47.460; 47.480 locally, there are a few more in the Seattle area.
ODOT: 47.04; 47.06; 47.12; 47.16
There are some rural school districts that use the low band frequencies as well.

In my area VHF low band is still used as well but about all I hear is security personnel from a logging site on 42.060 from Winlock, just across the highway from here. I have heard the California Highway Patrol through E-skip but that and the local logging crew is it.