Pro-60 (200-0309) Frequency Guide Faxback Doc. # 15355 National Weather Frequencies 161.650 162.425 162.500 162.550 161.775 162.450 162.525 163.275 162.400 162.475 Birdie Frequencies Birdie are operating frequencies generated and used inside the scanner's receiver. These operating frequencies could interfere with broadcasts on the same frequencies and make them difficult or impossible to receive. If you program one of these frequencies, you hear only noise on that frequency. If the interference is not severe, you might be able to turn SQUELCH clockwise to cut out the birdie. The most common birdies to watch for are: 44.5450 178.1800 267.2750 473.3000 781.2000 84.8800 190.0000 284.1750 474.9000 801.8000 89.1000 214.1400 311.8125 486.1000 908.6250 102.9000 215.2000 317.2000 487.7000 910.6250 127.7500 222.725 356.3625 495.7500 912.6250 128.5500 225.900 400.9000 497.3500 133.6500 244.800 445.4500 504.3000 151.0250 259.075 460.5000 505.9000 158.2500 267.2625 462.1000 512.0000 To find your specific scanner's birdies, begin by disconnecting the antenna and moving it away from the receiver. Make sure that no other nearby radio or TV sets are tuned on. Use the search function and scan every frequency band from its lowest frequency to the highest. Occasionally, the searching will stop as if it has found a signal, often without any sound. That is a birdie. Make a list of all the birdies in your particular scanner for future reference. GUIDE TO THE ACTION BANDS 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 broadcasts bands - the lower three transmit on the VHF band and the fourth transmits on the UHF band. Typical Band Usage VHF Band (30.0-300.0 MHz) Low Range 30.00-50.00 MHz 6-Meter Amateur 50.00-54.00 MHz FM-TV 54.00-72.00 MHz Land Mobile 72.00-76.00 MHz FM-TV 76.00-88.00 MHz FM Radio 88.00-108.00 MHz Aircraft 108.00-136.975 MHz U. S. Government 137.00-144.000 MHz 2-Meter Amateur 144.00-148.000 MHz High Range 148.00-174.000 MHz FM-TV, VHF Wide 174.00-216.000 MHz New Mobile, 1 1/4 Meter Amateur 216.00-224.000 MHz UHF Band (300.00 MHz-3.0 GHz) Military Aircraft 319.00-384.000 MHz U. S. Government 406.00-420.000 MHz 70 cm Amateur 450.00-470.000 MHz Low Range 450.00-470.000 MHz FM-TV Audio Broadcast, Wide Band 470.00-512.000 MHz 800 Band Law Enforcement 806.00-824.000 MHz Conventional Systems 851.00-856.000 MHz Trunked Systems 856.00-866.000 MHz Public Safety 866.00-869.000 MHz Trunked Private/General 894.00-999.9875 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 450.000-470.000 MHz Frequencies Base Station 451.025-459.950 MHz Mobile Units 456.025-459.950 MHz Relay/Repeater Units 460.025-464.975 MHz Remote/Control Station 465.025-469.975 MHz NOTE: Base stations and repeater units operate at 5 MHz lower than their associated mobile units and control stations. Specified Intervals Frequencies in different bands are accessible only at specific intervals. For example: Band Type Specified Interval VHF (Lo and Hi), HAM, and Government 5.0 or 50.0 kHz steps All Others 12.5 kHz steps Aircraft 25.0 kHz steps FM Broadcast 50.0 kHz steps NOTE: Your scanner rounds down the entered frequency to the nearest valid frequency. For example, if you try to enter 151.473, the scanner accepts it as 151.470. Band Allocation To help decide 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 Guide Including Fire and Emergency Services," available at your local Radio Shack store. Abbreviations AIR............................................................Aircraft BIFC.............................................Boise (ID) Interagency Fire Cache BUS............................................................Business CAP....................................................Civil Air Patrol CB........................................................Citizens Band CSB................................................Conventional Systems CTSB........................................Conventional/Trunked System FIRE....................................................Fire Department HAM.................................................Amateur (Ham) Radio GOVT.................................................Federal Government GMR................................................General Mobile Radio GTR.....................................................General Trunked IND.................................................Industrial Services (Manufacturing, Constructions, 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 Conservation 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, Landline Companies TELC....................................................Cordless Phones TELM..............................................Telephone Maintenance TOW..........................................................Tow Trucks TRAN............................................Transportation Services (Trucks, Tow Trucks, Buses, Railroad, Other) TSB.....................................................Trunked Systems TV................................................FM-TV Audio Broadcast USXX..............................................Government Classified UTIL............................................Power & Water Utilities WTHR............................................................Weather Very High Frequency (VHF)- (30 MHz-300 MHz) Low Band - (30-50 MHz - in 5 kHz steps) 30.000-30.550..................................................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, ELM 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- (50-54 MHz) 50.00-54.00..........................................................HAM Aircraft Band (108-136 MHz) 108.000-121.490......................................................AIR 121.500....................................................Air Emergency 121.510-136.975......................................................AIR U.S. Government Band (137-144 MHz) 137.000-144.000................................................GOVT, MIL 2-Meter Amateur Band (144-148 MHz) 144.000-148.000......................................................HAM VHF-Hi BAND (148-174 MHz) 148.050-150.345............................................CAP, MAR, MIL 150.775-150.790......................................................MED 150.815-150.965......................................................TOW 150.980................................................Oil Spill Cleanup 150.995-151.130.....................................................ROAD 151.145-151.475......................................................POL 151.490-151.955.................................................IND, BUS 151.985.............................................................TELM 152.0075.............................................................MED 152.030-152.240.....................................................TELB 152.270-152.465................................................IND. TAXI 152.480..............................................................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 154.600-154.624......................................................BUS 154.655-156.240................................................MED, ROAD POL, PUB 156.255..............................................................OIL 156.275-157.425.....................................................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..............................................................OIL 161.600-162.000................................................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, USXXS 166.250..................................................GOVT, RTV, FIRE 166.275-169.400...............................................GOVT, BIFC 169.445...................................................Wireless Mikes 169.500.............................................................GOVT 169.505...................................................Wireless Mikes 169.55-169.9875...............................................GOVT, RTV, USXX 170.000.............................................................BIFC 170.025-170.150...............................................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 173.225-173.375...............................................MOV, NEWS, UTIL 173.3875-173.5375....................................................MIL 173.5625-173.5875....................................................MIL Medical/Crash Crews 173.60-173.9875.....................................................GOVT Ultra High Frequency (UHF)- (300 MHz-3 GHz) Military Aircraft Band (319.1-383.9 MHz) 380.000-383.900..............................................Coast Guard U.S. Government Band (406-450 MHz) 406.125-419.975...............................................GOVT, USXX 70-cm Amateur Band (420-450 MHz) 420.000 - 450.000....................................................HAM Low Band (450-470 MHz) 450.050-450.925......................................................RTV 451.025-452.025.................................................IND, OIL TELM, UTIL 452.0375-453.00............................................ ...IND, TAXI TRAN TOW, NEWS 453.0125-453.9875....................................................PUB 454.000..............................................................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 462.550-462.725......................................................GMR 462.750-462.925......................................................BUS 462.9375-463.1875....................................................MED 463.200-467.925......................................................BUS FM-TV Audio Broadcast, UHF Wide Band (470-512 MHz) (Channels 14 through 69 MHz steps) 475.750......................................................Channels 14 481.750......................................................Channels 15 487.750......................................................Channels 16 493.750......................................................Channels 17 499.750......................................................Channels 18 505.750......................................................Channels 19 511.750......................................................Channels 20 NOTE: Some cities use the 470-512 MHz band for land/mobil service. Conventional Systems Band- Locally Assigned 806.0000-855.9875....................................................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 Private Trunked 894.0000-934.9875....................................................PTR 935.0000-939.9875....................................................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 by 1,000: 30.62 MHz x 1000 = 30620 kHz To convert from kHz to MHz, divide by 1,000. 127,800 kHz ─────────── = 127.8 MHz 1000 To convert MHz to meters, divide 300 by the number of megahertz. 300 ───── = 1.75 meter 171 MHz (LB/all-05/24/95)