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(200-0564)                 Guide to Action Bands      Faxback Doc. # 38257


United States Broadcast Bands

In the United States, there are several broadcast bands.  The standard AM
and FM bands are probably the most well know.  There are also four
television audio broadcast bands-the lower three transmit on the VHF
band and the fourth transmits on the UHF band.

Typical Band Usage

VHF Band

Low Range..................................................29.00-50.00 MHz

6-Meter Amateur.............................................50.00-5400 MHz

U.S. Government..........................................137.00-144.00 MHz

2-Meter Amateur..........................................144.00-148.00 MHz

High Range...............................................148.00-174.00 MHz

UHF Band

Military Aircraft........................................380.00-384.00 MHz

U.S. Government..........................................406.00-420.00 MHz

70-cm Amateur............................................420.00-450.00 MHz

Low Range................................................450.00-470.00 MHz

FM-TV Audio TV Audio Broadcast, Wide Band................470.00-512.00 MHz

800 Band Law Enforcement.................................806.00-824.00 MHz

Conventional Systems.....................................851.00-856.00 MHz

Conventional/Trunked Systems.............................856.00-866.00 MHz

Public Safety............................................866.00-869.00 MHz

Trunked Private/General..................................894.00-960.00 MHz

Primary Usage

As a general rule, most of the radio activity is concentrated on the
following frequencies:

VHF Band

Activities.....................................................Frequencies

Government, Police, and Fire...........................153.785-155.980 MHz

Emergency Services.....................................158.730-159.460 MHz

Railroad...............................................160.000-161.900 MHz

UHF Band

Activities.....................................................Frequencies

Land-Mobile "Paired" Frequencies.......................450.000-470.000 MHz

Base Stations..........................................451.025-454.950 MHz

Mobile Units...........................................456.025-459.950 MHz

Repeater Units.........................................460.025-464.975 MHz

Control Stations.......................................465.025-469.975 MHz

    Note:

    Remote control stations and mobile units operate at 5 MHz higher than
    their associated base stations and relay repeater units.

SPECIFIED INTERVALS

Frequencies in different bands are accessible only at specific intervals.
For example:

Frequency Range(s)......................................Specified Interval

29-54 and 137-174 MHz........................................5.0 kHz steps

380-512 MHz.................................................12.5 kHz steps

108-136.975 MHz...............................................25 kHz steps

BAND ALLOCATION

To help which frequency ranges to scan, 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.  For
a more complete listing, refer to the "Police Call Radio Guide including
Fire and Emergency Services, available at your local Radio Shack store.

Abbreviations.....................................................Services

AIR...............................................................Aircraft

BIFC.....................................Boise (ID) Interagency Fire Cache

BUS...............................................................Business

CAP.......................................................Civil Air Patrol

CB..........................................................Citdizens Band

CCA.........................................................Common Carrier

CSB...................................................Conventional Systems

CTSB..................................................Conventional Systems

FIRE.......................................................Fire Department

HAM....................................................Amateur (Ham) Radio

GOVT....................................................Federal Government

GMR...................................................General Mobile Radio

GTR........................................................General Trunked

IND....................................................Industrial Services
                   (Manufacturing, Construction, Farming, Forest Products)

MAR.................................................Military Amateur Radio

MARI................................................Maritime Limited Coast
        (Coast Guard, Marine Telephone, Shipboard Radio, Private Stations)

MARS.......................................Military Affiliate Radio System

MED.............................................Emergency/Medical Services

MIL..........................................................U.S. Military

MOV..........................................Motion Picture/Video Industry

NEW......................................................New Mobile Narrow

NEWS.....................................Relay Press (Newspaper Reporters)

OIL.................................................Oil/Petroleum Industry

POL......................................................Police Department

PUB........................................................Public Services
                  (Public Safety, Local Government, Forestry Conversation)

PSB..........................................................Public Safety

PTR........................................................Private Trunked

ROAD............................................Road & Highway Maintenance

RTV.......................................Radio/TV Remote Broadcast Pickup

TAXI.........................................................Taxi Services

TELB......................................................Mobile Telephone
                        (Aircraft, Radio Common Carrier, Landine Companies

TELC.......................................................Cordless Phones

TELM.................................................Telephone Maintenance

TOW.............................................................Tow Trucks

TRAN...............................................Transportation Services
                              (Trucks, Tow Trucks, Buses, Railroad, Other)

TSB........................................................Trunked Systems

TVn..................................................FM-TV Audio Broadcast

USXX.................................................Government Classified

UTIL...............................................Power & Water Utilities

WTHR...............................................................Weather

VERY HIGH FREQUENCY (VHF)

VHF Low Band-(In 5 kHz steps)

29.900-30.550................................................... GOVT, MIL

30.580-31.980.....................................................IND, PUB

32.000-32.990....................................................GOVT, MIL

33.020-33.980................................................BUS, IND, PUB

34.010-34.990....................................................GOVT, MIL

35.020-35.980..........................................BUS, PUB, IND, TELM

36.000-36.230....................................................GOVT, MIL

36.250...................................................Oil Spill Cleanup

36.270-36.990....................................................GOVT, MIL

37.020-37.980.....................................................PUB, IND

38.000-39.000....................................................GOVT, MIL

39.020-39.980..........................................................PUB

40.000-42.000..............................................GOVT, MIL, MARI

42.020-42.940..........................................................POL

42.960-43.180..........................................................IND

43.220-43.680...............................................TELM, IND, PUB

43.700-44.600.........................................................TRAN

44.620-46.580.....................................................POL, PUB

46.600-46.990...................................................GOVT, TELC

47.020-47.400..........................................................PUB

47.420..................................................American Red Cross

47.440-49.580.....................................................IND, PUB

49.610-49.990....................................................MIL, TELC

6-Meter Amateur Band

50.00-54.00............................................................HAM

U.S. Government Band

137.000-144.000..................................................GOVT, MIL

2-Meter Amateur

144.000-148.000........................................................HAM

VHF High Band

148.050-150.345..............................................CAP, MAR, MIL

150.775-150.790........................................................MED

150.815-150.980.....................................TOW, Oil Spill Cleanup

150.995-151.475..................................................ROAD, POL

151.490-151.955...................................................IND, BUS

151.985...............................................................TELM

152.0075...............................................................MED

152.030-152.240.......................................................TELB

152.270-152.480.............................................IND, TAXI, BUS

152.510-152.840.......................................................TELB

152.870-153.020...................................................IND. MOV

153.035-153.725.............................................IND, OIL, UTIL

153.740-154.445..................................................PUB, FIRE

154.490-154.570...................................................IND, BUS

154.585..................................................Oil Spill Cleanup

154.600-154.625........................................................BUS

154.655-156.240........................................MED, ROAD, POL, PUB

156.255-157.425..................................................OIL, MARI

157.450................................................................MED

157.470-157.515........................................................TOW

157.530-157.725..................................................IND, TAXI

157.740................................................................BUS

157.770-158.100.......................................................TELB

158.130-158.460..................................BUS, IND, OIL, TELM, UTIL

158.490-158.700.......................................................TELB

158.730-159.465.............................................POL, PUB, ROAD

159.480................................................................OIL

159.495-161.565.......................................................TRAN

161.580-162.000.............................................OIL, MARI, RTV

162.0125-162.35............................................GOVT, MIL, USXX

162.400-162.550.......................................................WTHR

162.5625-162.6375..........................................GOVT, MIL, USXX

162.6625...............................................................MED

162.6875-163.225...........................................GOVT, MIL. USXX

163.250................................................................MED

163.275-166.225............................................GOVT, MIL, USXX

166.250....................................................GOVT, RTV, FIRE

166.275-169.400.................................................GOVT, BIFC

169.445-169.505.......................................Wireless Mikes, GOVT

169.55-169.9875............................................GOVT, MIL, USXX

170.000-170.150......................................BIFC, GOVT, RTV, FIRE

170.175-170.225.......................................................GOVT

170.245-170.305.............................................Wireless Mikes

170-350-170.400..................................................GOVT, MIL

170-425-170.450.......................................................BIFC

170.475................................................................PUB

170.4875-173.175.................................GOVT, PUB, Wireless Mikes

173.225-173.5375......................................MOV, NEWS, UTIL, MIL

173.5625...........................................MIL Medical/Crash Crews

173.60-173.9875.......................................................GOVT

ULTRA HIGH FREQUENCY (UHF)

U.S. Government Band

406.125-419.975.................................................GOVT, USXX

70-cm Amateur Band

420.000-450.000........................................................HAM

Low Band

450.050-450.925........................................................RTV

451.025-452.025.......................................IND, OIL, TELM, UTIL

452.0375-453.00..................................IND, TAXI, TRAN TOW, NEWS

453.0125-454.000..................................................PUB, OIL

454.025-454.975.......................................................TELB

455.050-455.925........................................................RTV

457.525-457.600........................................................BUS

458.025-458-175........................................................MED

460.0125-460.6375...........................................FIRE, POL, PUB

460.650-462.175........................................................BUS

462.1875-462.450..................................................BUS. IND

462.4625-462.525......................................IND, OIL, TELM, UTIL

462.550-462.925...................................................GMR, BUS

462.9375-463.1875......................................................MED

463.200-467.925........................................................BUS

FM-TV Audio Broadcast, UHF Wide Band
(Channels 14 through 69 in 6 MHz steps)

475.750.........................................................Channel 14

481.750.........................................................Channel 15

487.750.........................................................Channel 16

511.750.........................................................Channel 20

    Note:

    Some cities use the 470-512 MHz band for land/mobile service

Conventional Systems Band - Locally Assigned

851.0125-855.9875......................................................CSB

Conventional/Trunked Systems Band - Locally Assigned

856.0125-860.9875.....................................................CTSB

Trunked Systems Band - Locally Assigned

861.0125-865.9875......................................................TSB

Public Safety Band - Locally Assigned

866.0125-868.9875......................................................PSB

33-Centimeter Amateur Band

902.0000-928.0000......................................................HAM

Private Trunked

935.0125-939.9875......................................................PTR

General Trunked

940.0125-940.9875......................................................GTR

FREQUENCY CONVERSION

The tuning location 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 the number of megahertz by 1,000:

    30.62 (MHz) x 1000 = 30,620 kHz

To convert from kHz to MHz, divide the number of kilohertz by 1,000:

    127,800 (kHz) + 1000 = 127.8 MHz

To convert MHz to meters, divide 300 by the number of megahertz:

    300 / 50 MHz = 6 meters

(br/km-03/06/1997)

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