list of common buisness band frequencies?

I was wondering if anyone knows of a list of the most often used frequencies in the business band, excluding FRS/GMRS and MURS. Mainly interested in the ones used in the Midwest, and Missouri mainly.

I hear a LOT of unlicensed people in the UHF bands around here, and only a few have licenses, which doesn't surprise me, as it seems you could easily get away with using them unlicensed as long as you didn't cause trouble. But that seems to have been covered extensively already, and I wouldn't recommend it so...

Some people may scoff at monitoring these type of frequencies, and I'd agree 99% of the time it's pretty boring, but I've heard some interesting things discussed on the biz bands while scanning.

Mainly interested in VHF and UHF, but the seemingly less common ones below 50MHz wouldn't be ruled out.

Mods, I didn't know where to put this, so if it needs moved,feel free to do so.

If you're talking about the simplex freqs used by stores and other itinerant users, I made a bank in my scanner with all these: Common Itinerant and Business - The RadioReference Wiki

Also, for businesses who use repeaters, I search through:
150-160
451-453
460.7-465

Still others businesses use a local TRS and they can be hard to identify, just as unlicensed users are. A lot of business users in my area have gone TRBO.

Not all are unlicensed. You might find them, with a Nationwide license at the Corp HQ location, vs searching your own states records, then again YMMV

telxonmaster said:

I was wondering if anyone knows of a list of the most often used frequencies in the business band, excluding FRS/GMRS and MURS. Mainly interested in the ones used in the Midwest, and Missouri mainly.

I hear a LOT of unlicensed people in the UHF bands around here, and only a few have licenses, which doesn't surprise me, as it seems you could easily get away with using them unlicensed as long as you didn't cause trouble. But that seems to have been covered extensively already, and I wouldn't recommend it so...

Some people may scoff at monitoring these type of frequencies, and I'd agree 99% of the time it's pretty boring, but I've heard some interesting things discussed on the biz bands while scanning.

Mainly interested in VHF and UHF, but the seemingly less common ones below 50MHz wouldn't be ruled out.

Mods, I didn't know where to put this, so if it needs moved,feel free to do so.

Click to expand...

that's what I'm looking for! What I mean by a lot seem to be unlicensed is I rarely hear callsigns being given, except for a few places like the local mall security and maybe one or two others. Are business users not required to use their callsigns at certain intervals like us hams are?

I hear quite a few people on the GMRS frequencies, including road maintenance, kids, stores, private security, events, etc. From what I understand, this service is only for individuals. MURS is used a lot by Walmart and a few other stores, but obviously it's an unlicensed service.

telxonmaster said:

that's what I'm looking for! What I mean by a lot seem to be unlicensed is I rarely hear callsigns being given, except for a few places like the local mall security and maybe one or two others. Are business users not required to use their callsigns at certain intervals like us hams are?

Click to expand...

In theory and by FCC rule, Anyone using a licensed channel they hold a license for is supposed to announce their call or they can use a CWID if on a repeater but as you have found out, it is very rarely done. I hear more GMRS users use calls over any business users than anything. That's excluding amateurs of course as most of them are very good about announcing their call.
It is very rare to hear a call announced by a business user though unless the holder of the business users license is also a ham, then he/she may require that all users use the call, or else.

Some business users that have repeaters do use automated CWIDs if their radio shop set it up for them.

I guess the FCC does not really enforce this unless someone complains loud enough.

There is no prohibition against business use in either the GMRS or the FRS rules. The GMRS can be used by businesses, provided that every employee is individually licensed. The FRS can also be used for business communications.

However, due to the availability of the 22 channel hybrid FRS/GMRS bubblepack radios that you can buy at the big box stores, home improvement stores, sporting goods stores, et al, and people not paying attention to the fine print that states you must have a license to use channels 1-7 and 15-22 on these radios, you may hear a lot of unlicensed users on those channels.
You can use channels 1-7 on FRS-only 14 channel radios without a need for a GMRS license. The difference is the power output/ERP of the 22 channel radios is higher on channels 1-7 than the power output/ERP of the 14 channel radios on channels 1-7.

If a business is using a repeater, the repeater may be set up to automatically ID via CW, and the CW ID may not be heard if it transmits in CSQ, and the users are using a CTCSS/DCS that you have programmed into your scanner. But, I'm sure there are business users that don't ID like they're supposed to.

John
Peoria, AZ

Ok, both of those explanations make sense. As a ham myself, I sometimes "over ID" a bit, but usually just do it when the repeater ID's, or if I'm on HF I go by the clock.

so the businesses can't get a GMRS license, but individuals can and use it for business?

and I don't blame the people who don't get licenses for GMRS, it's too expensive, not enforced, and the radios are easily had. I think ham is much better, even if you just stick with tech, study up, pay the $15 for the test, and you can not only talk to way more people but offer help after disasters, not to mention you meet a lot of cool people, and there's less troublemakers (usually).

Yes, individual employees can get licensed, and use the GMRS for business needs, as long as they follow all the other rules as well, of course.

The GMRS license fee is set to go down, according to a recent post in the GMRS forum, so it's going to soon become less of an excuse.

And there's nothing prohibiting a community service minded group from getting licensed in and using the GMRS the same way they use the ARS. Or CB. Or MURS. I've read about REACT teams using every available radio service they could legally use to provide communications, to include having a Part 90 business/industrial license. There's probably an ARES, RACES, Skywarn or similar group out there somewhere doing it as well. (One group could wear the many different hats of ARES, RACES, REACT and Skywarn, and just change hats, and grab a different radio, as needs dictate.)

John
GMRS WPXJ-598
Peoria, AZ

Having licenses on several services would be a good idea for preparedness, doesn't surprise me there are groups that use several services.

Then again, any of those services can be used by anyone in an actual emergency if it is likely that service will get your message through better than anything else that may be available.

telxonmaster said:

I was wondering if anyone knows of a list of the most often used frequencies in the business band, excluding FRS/GMRS and MURS. Mainly interested in the ones used in the Midwest, and Missouri mainly.

I hear a LOT of unlicensed people in the UHF bands around here, and only a few have licenses, which doesn't surprise me, as it seems you could easily get away with using them unlicensed as long as you didn't cause trouble. But that seems to have been covered extensively already, and I wouldn't recommend it so...

Some people may scoff at monitoring these type of frequencies, and I'd agree 99% of the time it's pretty boring, but I've heard some interesting things discussed on the biz bands while scanning.

Mainly interested in VHF and UHF, but the seemingly less common ones below 50MHz wouldn't be ruled out.

Mods, I didn't know where to put this, so if it needs moved,feel free to do so.

Click to expand...

There are hundreds of frequencies for businesses. To make a list would be exhaustive at best. Some of the reasons that a business might appear to be unlicensed is also FB6 licenses, or trunking system licenses. The local (or not so local) radio shop owns the repeaters and the license, but the users can operate without getting their own license.

There are also a number of frequency allotments that are sold at auction, and the purchaser can allow users anywhere in the geographical region that their purchasers license covers.

And yes, some are just unlicensed.

iamhere300 said:

There are hundreds of frequencies for businesses. To make a list would be exhaustive at best. Some of the reasons that a business might appear to be unlicensed is also FB6 licenses, or trunking system licenses. The local (or not so local) radio shop owns the repeaters and the license, but the users can operate without getting their own license.

There are also a number of frequency allotments that are sold at auction, and the purchaser can allow users anywhere in the geographical region that their purchasers license covers.

And yes, some are just unlicensed.

Click to expand...

I know there are hundreds of them, my scanner books list them all, I was asking for the most commonly used ones, and I now have a good idea.

There are at least 2 radio shops here that have trunked systems they lease out to customers, and the customers are ones like a rock quarry, construction, limos, etc.

I also know of quite a few places that have done nothing more than go out and buy radios to use and give no second thought to licensing, one of them has been operating for years like that.