Frequency Allocation Reference
Reception of the frequencies covered by your scanner is mainly "line of sight". That means you usually cannot hear stations that are beyond the horizon. During the summer months you may be able to hear stations in the 30-50 MHz range located several hundred or even thousand of miles away. This is because of summer atmospheric conditions. This type of reception is unpredictable but often very interesting!
ATTENTION: Your scanner may not be able to receive all frequencies and/or modes of reception that are contained within this document. For complete information of your scanner's capabilities, be sure to read your owner's manual completely. Mobile use of scanners may be unlawful in some areas or may require a permit-check with local authorities.
A NOTE ON IMAGE RECEPTION
Radios work by simple mathematics. For example, most tune to a frequency by mixing that frequency with another (local oscillator) frequency which is slightly different. This mixing process primarily gives us the two original frequencies, their sum, and their difference. Well, the radio's Intermediate Frequency (I.F.) filter normally passes either the sum or difference frequency, and this is then processed into the sound we hear. Because nothing is perfect, certain "harmonics" will also get through if they are strong enough. For example, if a radio's I.F. is 10.7 MHz, we might be able to tune to a frequency 21.4 MHz (2 x I.F.) above (or below, depending on the radio's design) a strong signal and hear it! This is more evident in a double-conversion radio than a triple-conversion radio, because the triple-conversion radio's 1st intermediate frequency is quite high. This causes the image to be so far off frequency that it is easy to effectively filter it out.
So remember that just because a radio doesn't receive something which another does is not necessarily an indication of a problem. The one radio may simply not be "tricked" into picking up an image! This rejection of undesired signals is one reason that a triple-conversion receiver costs more than a similar dual-conversion model.
You might be interested in finding more out about radio. One good location to start looking is your local public library. You might also wish to contact the A.R.R.L., as they are an excellent source of informative texts on the subject.
Contact:
Amateur Radio Relay League
225 Main St., Newington,
CT 06111-1494 USA
BANDS
High Frequency (HF) 3.0 - 30.0 MHz Very High Frequency (VHF) 30.00 - 300.0 MHz Ultra High Frequency (UHF) 300 MHz - 3 GHz
FREQUENCY CONVERSION
The tuning of a station can be expressed in frequency (kHz or MHz) or in wavelength (meters). The following information can help you make the necessary conversions:
1 MHz (million)=1,000 kHz (thousand)
To convert MHz to kHz, multiply by 1,000:
9.62 MHz x 1000 = 9620 kHz
To convert from kHz to MHz, divide by 1,000
2780 kHz / 1000 = 2.780 MHz
To convert MHz to meters, divide 300 by the number of megahertz
300 / 7.1 MHz = 42.25 meters
BAND ALLOCATION
To help you decide which frequency ranges to search, use the following listing of the typical services that use the frequencies your scanner receives. These frequencies are subject to change, and might vary from area to area.
NATIONAL WEATHER FREQUENCIES
(01) 161.650 (02) 161.775 (03) 162.400 (04) 162.425 (05) 162.440 (06) 162.450 (07) 162.475 (08) 162.500 (09) 162.525 (10) 162.550 (11) 163.275
HAM RADIO FREQUENCIES
Ham operators often transmit emergency information when other communication methods break down.
The following chart shows some of the frequencies that Hams use:
10-meter 28.000-29.700 6-meter 50.000-54.000 2-meter 144.000-148.000 70-cm 420.000-450.000
CITIZENS BAND FREQUENCIES
(01) 26.965 (02) 26.975 (03) 26.985 (04) 27.005 (05) 27.015 (06) 27.025 (07) 27.035 (08) 27.055 (09) 27.065 (10) 27.075 (11) 27.085 (12) 27.105 (13) 27.115 (14) 27.125 (15) 27.135 (16) 27.155 (17) 27.165 (18) 27.175 (19) 27.185 (20) 27.205 (21) 27.215 (22) 27.225 (23) 27.255 (24) 27.235 (25) 27.245 (26) 27.265 (27) 27.275 (28) 27.285 (29) 27.295 (30) 27.305 (31) 27.315 (32) 27.325 (33) 27.335 (34) 27.345 (35) 27.355 (36) 27.365 (37) 27.375 (38) 27.385 (39) 27.395 (40) 27.405
TYPICAL BAND USAGE
VHF Band
6-Meter Amateur 50.00 - 54.00 MHz FM-TV Audio Broadcast, Wide Band 54.00 - 72.00 MHz FM Radio Broadcast, Wide band 88.00 - 108.00 MHz Aircraft 108.00 - 136.00 MHz U.S. Government 138.00 - 144.00 MHz 2-Meter Amateur 144.00 - 148.00 MHz High Range 148.00 - 174.00 MHz New Mobile Narrow Band 220.00 - 222.00 MHz 1.3-Meter Amateur 222.00 - 225.00 MHz Military Aircraft 225.00 - 287.80 MHz
UHF Band
Military Aircraft 311.00 - 384.00 MHz U.S. Government 406.00 - 470.00 MHz 0.6-Meter Amateur 420.00 - 450.00 MHz Land-Mobile Paired Frequencies 450.000-470.000 MHz Base Stations 451.025-454.950 MHz Mobile Units 456.025-459.950 MHz Relay Repeater Units 460.025-464.975 MHz Remote Control Stations 465.025-469.975 MHz FM-TV Audio Broadcast, Wide Band 470.00 - 806.00 MHz Conventional Systems 851.00 - 856.00 MHz Conventional/Trunked Systems 856.00 - 861.00 MHz Public Safety 866.00 - 869.00 MHz Common Carrier 869.00 - 894.00 MHz Private Trunked 935.00 - 940.00 MHz General Trunked 940.00 - 941.00 MHz
ACTIVE FREQUENCIES
As a general rule, most of the radio activity is concentrated on the following frequencies:
High Frequency High Band - (25.00 - 27.36 MHz)
Industrial Services 25.020 - 25.320 MHz Radio/TV Remote Broadcast Pickup 25.870 - 26.470 MHz Civil Air Patrol 26.62 MHz Citizens Band 26.966 - 27.405 MHz Business 27.430 - 27.630 MHz
10-Meter Amateur Band
Amateur (HAM) Radio 28.000 - 29.700 MHz
VHF Low Band
Industrial Services 29.700 - 29.790 MHz Federal Government/Military 29.900 - 30.550 MHz Industrial/Public Services 30.580 - 31.980 MHz Federal Government/Military 32.000 - 32.990 MHz Industrial/Public Services/Business 33.020 - 33.980 MHz Federal Government/Military 34.010 - 34.990 MHz Industrial/Public Services/Business 35.020 - 35.980 MHz Federal Government/Military 36.000 - 36.230 MHz Oil spill clean up 36.250 MHz Federal Government/Military 36.270 - 36.990 MHz Industrial/Public Services 37.020 - 37.980 MHz Federal Government/Military 38.000 - 39.000 MHz Public Services 39.020 - 39.980 MHz Federal Government/Military/Maritime 40.000 - 42.000 MHz Police Department 42.020 - 42.940 MHz Industrial Services 42.960 - 43.180 MHz Tele. Maint./Industrial/Public Services 43.220 - 43.680 MHz Transportation Services 43.700 - 44.600 MHz Police Department/Public Services 44.620 - 46.580 MHz Federal Government/Cordless Phones 46.600 - 46.990 MHz Public Services 47.020 - 47.400 MHz American Red Cross 47.420 MHz Industrial/Public Services 47.440 - 49.580 MHz Military/Cordless Phones 49.610 - 49.990 MHz
6-METER Amateur Band
Amateur (HAM) Radio 50.00 - 54.00 MHz
FM-TV Audio Broadcast, Wide Band
(TV 2) 59.750 MHz (TV 3) 65.750 MHz (TV 4) 71.750 MHz (TV 5) 81.750 MHz (TV 6) 87.750 MHz
Aircraft Band
AIR 108.000 - 121.490 MHz AIR emergency 121.500 MHz AIR 136.000 MHz
U.S. GOVERNMENT BAND
Federal Government/Military 137.000 - 144.000 MHz
VHF Band
Government, Police, and Fire 153.785-155.980 MHz Emergency 158.730-159.460 MHz Railroad 160.000-161.900 MHz
VHF-Hi Band
Military/Civil Air Patrol/MARS 148.050 - 150.345 MHz Emergency/Medical Services 150.775 - 150.790 MHz Tow Trucks 150.815 - 150.965 MHz Oil spill clean up 150.980 MHz Road Maintenance 150.995 - 151.130 MHz Police Departments 151.145 - 151.475 MHz Industrial Services/Business 151.490-151-955 MHz Telephone Maint. 151.985 MHz Mobile Telephones 152.030 - 152.240 MHz Industrial Services/Taxi 152.270 - 152.465 MHz Business 152.480 MHz Mobile Telephones 152.510 -152.840 MHz Industrial/Motion Picture Industry 152.870 - 153.020 MHz Industrial/Oil Industry/Power & Water 153.035 - 153.175 MHz Public Services/Fire Departments 153.740 - 154.445 MHz Industrial Services/Business 154.490 - 154.570 MHz Oil spill clean up 154.585 MHz Business 154.600 - 154.625 MHz Medical/Road Maint./Police/Public ser. 154.665 - 156.240 MHz Oil/Petroleum Industry 165.255 MHz Maritime Limited Class 156.275 - 157.425 MHz Emergency/Medical Services 157.450 MHz Tow Trucks 157.470 - 157.515 MHz Industrial Services/Taxi 157.530 - 157.725 MHz Business 157.740 MHz Mobile Telephones 157.770 - 158.100 MHz Business/Industrial/Oil/Tele/Utilities 158.130 - 158.460 MHz Mobile Telephones 158.490 - 158.700 MHz Police Department/Public Services 158.730 - 159.465 MHz Oil/Petroleum Industry 159.480 MHz Transportation Services 159.495 - 161.565 MHz Oil/Petroleum Industry 161.580 MHz Maritime/Radio-TV Remote Broadcast 161.600 - 162.000 MHz Federal Government/Military/Classified 162.0125 - 162.35 MHz Weather 162.400 - 162.550 MHz Federal Government/Military/Classified 162.5625 - 162.6375 MHz Emergency/Medical Services 162.6625 MHz Federal Government/Military/Classified 162.6875 - 163.225 MHz Emergency/Medical Services 163.250 MHz Federal Government/Military/Classified 163.275 - 166.225 MHz Govt/Radio-TV Remote/Fire 166.250 MHz Federal Government/Interagency Fire 166.275 - 169.400 MHz Wireless Mikes 169.445 MHz Federal Government 169.500 MHz Wireless Mikes 169.505 MHz Federal Government/Military/Classified 169.55 - 169.9875 MHz Boise (ID) Interagency Fire Cache 170.000 MHz Government/Radio-TV Remote/Fire 170.025 - 170.150 MHz Federal Government 170.175 - 170.225 MHz Wireless Mikes 170.245 - 170.305 MHz Federal Government/Military 170.350 - 170.400 MHz Boise (ID) Interagency Fire Cache 170.425 - 170.450 MHz Public Services 170.475 MHz Government/Public/Wireless Mikes 170.4875 - 173.175 MHz Motion Picture Industry/Relay Press/Util. 173.225 - 173.375 MHz Military 173.3875 - 178.5375 MHz Military/ Medical/Crash Crews 173.5625 - 173.5875 MHz Federal Government 173.60 - 173.9875 MHz
FM-TV Audio Broadcast, VHF Wide Band
(TV 7) 179.750 MHz (TV 8) 185.750 MHz (TV 9) 191.750 MHz (TV 10) 197.750 MHz (TV 11) 203.750 MHz (TV 12) 209.750 MHz (TV 13) 215.750 MHz
New Mobil Narrow Band
New Mobil Narrow Band 220.000 - 222.000 MHz
1.3-Meter Amateur Band
HAM 222.000 - 225.000 MHz
Military Aircraft Band
Coast Guard Search & Rescue 237.900 MHz FAA Weather 239.800 MHz ARMY 241.000 MHz EMERGENCY 243.000 MHz FAA FLIGHT SERVICE 255.400 MHz CIVILIAN TOWERS 257.800 MHz Coast Guard Air/Sea Rescue 287.800 MHz
Ultra High Frequency (UHF)
Military Aircraft Band
FAA Traffic Control 319.100 MHz Air Force 321.000 - 336.600 MHz FAA Weather 342.500 - 344.600 MHz Air Force Traffic Control 346.400 - 364.200 MHz Coast Guard 381.800 - 383.900 MHz
U.S. Government Band
Federal Government/Military/Classified 406.125 - 419.975 MHz
70-cm Amateur Band
Amateur (HAM) Radio 420.000 - 450.000 MHz
Low Band
Radio-TV Remote Broadcast Pickup 450.050 - 450.925 MHz Industrial/Oil/Tele. Maint./Utilities 451.025 - 452.025 MHz Industrial/Taxi/Trans/Towing/Relay 452.0375 - 453.00 MHz Public Services 453.0125 - 453.9875 MHz Oil/Petroleum Industry 454.000 MHz Mobile Telephones 454.025 - 454.975 MHz Radio-TV Remote Broadcast Pickup 455.050 - 455.925 MHz Business 457.525 - 457.600 MHz Emergency/Medical Services 458.025 - 458.175 MHz Fire/Police/Public Services 460.0125 - 460.6375 MHz Business 460.650 - 462.175 MHz Business/Industrial Services 462.1875 - 462.450 MHz Industrial/Oil/Tele. Maint./Utilities 462.4625 - 462.525 MHz General Mobile Radio 462.550 - 462.725 MHz Business 462.750 - 462.925 MHz Emergency/Medical Services 462.9375 - 463.1875 MHz Business 463.200 - 467.925 MHz
FM-TV Audio Broadcast, UHF Wide Band
(CHANNELS 14-69 IN 6 MHz STEPS)
Channel 14 475.750 MHz
Channel 15 481.750 MHz
Channel 16 487.750 MHz
..
..
..
..
..
Channel 69 805.750 MHzNote: Some cities use the 470-512 MHz band for land/mobile service.
Studio-to-Transmitter Broadcast Links (944.00-952.00 MHz)
Private Fixed Services, Paging (952.00-960.00 MHz)
Specified Intervals
Frequencies in different bands are accessible only at specific intervals.
For example: VHF, HAM, and Government 5.0 kHz steps
All Others 12.5 kHz steps
Aircraft 25.0 kHz stepsNOTE: The scanner automatically rounds the entered frequency down to the closest valid frequency. For example, if you try to enter a frequency of 151.473, the scanner accepts it as 151.470.
United States Broadcast Bands
In the United States, there are several broadcast bands. The standard AM and FM bands are probably the most well known. There are also four television audio broadcast bands-the lower three transmit on the VHF band and the fourth transmits on the UHF band.Frequency Range Allocation
54.0 - 72.0 MHz VHF Television
76.0 - 88.0 MHz VHF Television
88.0 - 108.0 MHz Standard FM
174.0 - 216.0 VHF Television
470.0 - 805.75 UHF Television
International Broadcast Bands
Several short-wave bands are allocated for international broadcasting because of the nature of propagation of high frequencies. The bands are sometimes identified according to the approximate wavelength of the signals in meters. Your scanner may receive the 11-meter band, from 25.6 - 26.10 MHz.