2023 VHF Low Band Logs

[KF4ZTO]

AM modulation in 2022? I wonder what kit they are running.

almost certainly either modified CB equipment (there are “channel kits” or “expansion kits” for most popular CB models, most of them add 80 channels (40 channels below channel 1, or the “low band” and 40 channels above channel 40, or the “high band”. Their channeling and band plan matches the export radioso-called “export radios” or “10
meter radios” that are actually geared towards the CB market.

The Chinese are cranking radios out like crazy but companies like Ranger have made radios for this since the 1980s. So many of them are out in the wild that there’s a de facto standard band plan. Standard frequency coverages include:

25.615 MHz - 28.305 MHz
25.615 MHz - 30.105 MHz
26.515 MHz - 27.855 MHz

those are the most common. The cheaper radios are AM and FM mode only, 10 kHz channel steps, 40 channels + and band switch.

Most radios have 6 bands, with the legal CB band being “Band D”. 3-band radios have the legal CB band (26.965 - 27.405 MHz) as “mid band”.

Band A - 25.615 MHz - 26.055 MHz
Band B - 26.065 MHz - 26.505 MHz
Band C - 26.515 MHz - 26.955 MHz (low band)
Band D - 26.965 MHz - 27.405 MHz (CB band, mid band)
Band E - 27.415 MHz - 27.855 MHz (high band)
Band F - 27.865 MHz - 28.305 MHz



90% of comms in the 11 meter band takes place within 26.515 and 27.855 (since many CB channel expansion kits expand coverage to 26.515-27.855 and if those radios are AM only…then the taxi company uses AM.

there are thousands of users of these frequencies, often they are simply looking for a clear frequency. That’s why they’re running AM mode. There are a lot of taxi dispatchers down in the high 25 MHz and low part of 26 MHz (Band A, Band B). These frequencies are extremely popular with hunters, trucking companies, farmers, and lots of other users.

A utilitarian 240 channel (25.615 - 28.305 MHz) AM/FM mobile rig (25-50w output) cost about $200 or so. Check out the Connex 3300, Superstar 121, Mirage MX36 and General HP40W. The Chinese now sell tiny radios that do more like 4-5w AM/FM and cover the 25.615 - 30.105 MHz band. Do a Google search for AnyTone Smart.

the band was open again today. Heard the Asian fishery radio chatter on

30.5500 MHz FM CSQ
30.7750 MHz FM CSQ
30.8000 MHz FM CSQ
30.9000 MHz FM CSQ
30.9750 MHz FM CSQ
31.1000 MHz FM CSQ
32.0000 MHz FM CSQ
32.2000 MHz FM CSQ

30.0200 MHz and 30.2200 MHz active with paging signal bursts (Ca hospital pagers).

31.2000 MHz FM [203.5 Hz] also very busy.
Caught a few transmissions on 30.4500 MHz FM [150.0 Hz / 151.4 Hz] Fort Hood Range Control.

 

[kb7wox]

2348z 13 Jan /23
33.86MHz CT 77.0
Fire/EMS Dispatch - Washington Co MD

 

[Kitn1mcc]

Some of us still use Low Band in some applications.

Oh i know i was talking about low low band.

 

[Dispatrick]

MORE fishermen chatter on 31.1000 today!

 

[KF4ZTO]

MORE fishermen chatter on 31.1000 today!

31.1000 MHz FM seems to be the busiest and most consistently busy of the Asian fishery radio frequencies, at least for me (in Richmond VA). Since the band seems to be open daily,

I’ve been able to walk outside, switch a handheld scanner/receiver (with a telescopic 27 MHz CB antenna) on, tune it to 31.100 MHz, open the squelch and hear Asian fishing fleet chatter, daily.

 

[marvinsuggs]

I've not heard the POCSAG on 29.7500 (FM) here in west central Ohio, but I have heard someone talking occasionally, but it sounds like it might be someone who is hauling vehicles. I hear them if I turn off TSQ on my radios, and their transmissions have no tone on them. I suspect they may be running I-75 from FL to MI as there have been references to locations along that route, all of which to the south. (ie: "I'm going to pull off at the 'Northbound I 75 Rest Area' at Athens and call dispatch.") Another transmission talked about the mess at I-75 and I-70 at Dayton OH.

I see a License for 29.75 out of Lima,Oh for a trucking/ construction company.

 

[W8HDU]

I see a License for 29.75 out of Lima,Oh for a trucking/ construction company.

That be me.

The Op that I refer to in post about I-75 is not me. Someone else running I-75. We're construction.

 

[KF4ZTO]

There ya go. There are still plenty of business users of the 29.71-29.79 MHz frequencies as well as the sub-bands within 30-50 MHz designated for business radio land mobile.
Part 90 bands (business and public safety)

30.58 MHz - 31.98 MHz
33.02 MHz - 33.98 MHz
35.02 MHz - 35.98 MHz
37.02 MHz - 37.98 MHz
39.02 MHz - 39.98 MHz
42.00 MHz - 46.58 MHz
47.02 MHz - 49.58 MHz

 

[KF4ZTO]

Business / Industrial Radio Pool

25.02 MHz - 25.32 MHz
27.43 MHz - 27.53 MHz
29.71 MHz - 29.79 MHz
30.58 MHz - 31.98 MHz
33.12 MHz - 33.40 MHz
35.02 MHz - 35.98 MHz
37.44 MHz - 37.88 MHz
42.96 MHz - 44.60 MHz
47.44 MHz - 47.68 MHz (40 kHz steps)
47.70 MHz - 49.58 MHz

27.49 MHz, 35.04 MHz and 43.04 MHz are designated for itinerant use only.

The 27.430 MHz to 27.530 MHz frequencies are still used by a handful of businesses, but they are largely abandoned due to age of equipment and the heavy use of that spectrum for (unlicensed) CB-like communications, land mobile services in other countries, etc.

The following frequencies are restricted to very low power levels (2 watts - unless otherwise indicated) and mobile use only:

27.510 MHz
27.530 MHz
30.840 MHz
33.120 MHz
33.140 MHz
33.400 MHz - 1 watt power limit
42.980 MHz
Some frequencies in the 35 MHz and 43 MHz bands are Part 22 paging frequencies, and the old MTS / IMTS mobile radiotelephone pairs. Most of these are either vacant or used for land mobile under a Part 22 license. There are still a handful of 35 MHz and 43 MHz paging systems in operation. Most of these are on-site hospital paging systems.

Some frequencies in the 43 MHz / 44 MHz band are shared with the old analog cordless phones. 44.580 MHz is used by BNSF railroad and 44.100 MHz is shared with meteor burst systems

30.86 MHz, 30.90 MHz, 30.94 MHz, 30.98 MHz, 31.02 MHz, 31.06 MHz, 31.10 MHz and 31.14 MHz are shared with public safety licensed systems.

Frequencies 36.25 MHz and 41.71 MHz are designated for oil spill cleanup use only. They are assigned within federal government sub-bands and may be subject to interference from federal government or military stations.


The 25 MHz frequencies are shared with numerous other services, including marine HF mobile service. They are often used for marine oil spill cleanup purposes (25.04 MHz and 25.08 MHz are actually designated “primarily for oil spill response use” in the FCC rules), but there are licensed land mobile business users of these as well.

The 37 MHz frequencies are assigned to water/power companies, same with frequencies in the 47 MHz, 48 MHz and 49 MHz bands.

47.460 MHz, 47.500 MHz, 47.540 MHz, 47.580 MHz, 47.620 MHz and 47.660 MHz are public safety frequencies only. Usually these frequencies are used by the American Red Cross as secondary or alternate frequencies as part of their nationwide 47.42 MHz blanket license.

The entire 30 MHz - 50 MHz band may be used by military users on a secondary basis (or on a primary basis within the federal/military sub-bands). Military FM tactical radio covers 30.000 MHz to 87.975 MHz in 25 kHz steps.

Military and Federal government primary allocation bands are listed below. Non-military land mobile and fixed services usually follow a 20 kHz channel spacing but on the “odds” (40.31 MHz, 40.37 MHz, 40.53 MHz, etc.) Military use a 25 kHz channel step (so the frequency will end in either 00, 25, 50 or 75.) Military users refer to this spectrum as “FM” or “Fox Mike”. So a reference to “38.50 FM” or “38.50 Fox Mike” is 38.500 MHz FM. “32.175 FM” is 32.175 MHz. The military use a 150 Hz tone squelch system.

Federal government / military primary bands:

30.000 MHz - 30.550 MHz
32.000 MHz - 33.000 MHz
34.000 MHz - 35.000 MHz
36.000 MHz - 37.000 MHz
38.000 MHz - 39.000 MHz
40.000 MHz - 42.000 MHz
46.600 MHz - 47.000 MHz
49.600 MHz - 50.000 MHz

Since 150Hz is not a standard land mobile radio CTCSS tone (PL tone), most scanners and receivers with CTCSS/DCS decode capability will show tone 151.4 Hz. 151.4Hz is the closest standard land mobile radio tone to 150.0 Hz. Government land mobile users of these frequencies will use standard land mobile radio tones. A good example of this is the Tennessee Valley Authority VHF low band system on the 40 MHz band. TVA use 20 kHz steps and both 203.5 Hz and 250.3 Hz tones on their 40MHz wide area radio system.

 

[marvinsuggs]

That be me.

The Op that I refer to in post about I-75 is not me. Someone else running I-75. We're construction.

That's very cool. What kind of set up do you have?

 

[GMB951]

Log for 2022/01/15
N.W. Arkansas
Uniden BCT15X with Comet GP-15 Tri-Band Antenna

Momentary Military skip heard in the afternoon hours:
38.90 MHz Range Control (Medivac in the air overhead)
46.75 MHz Range Control

Fort Bragg,NC

 

[W8HDU]

That's very cool. What kind of set up do you have?

Right now just mobiles. I'm waiting for the F.C.C. to clear the base license, which the coordinator says could take up to 3 months!

I hope it a shorter time since good weather means making money time. Right now, it's 33-degrees outside and a little tough to work. If I'm too cold, I ain't asking someone else to work, so winter is our prep and indoor building time. I have (5) mobiles right now, (3) frequencies 29.7300, 29.7500, and 29.7700 w/ctcss. Typically on 29.7500, but use .7300 or .7700 if the marauding hordes of freebanders are present. Transmissions are mostly staging, or equipment coordination. New license as of last year. Previously used itinerant frequencies, but had issues with what I believe was Canadian maritime operations.

 

[KF4ZTO]

That's very cool. What kind of set up do you have?

I’ve noticed that Motorola, GE, Kenwood, Vertex (Yaesu) and Midland (Maxon) VHF low band gear is now super inexpensive on eBay. Radios like the FTL1011 I believe is the model number but there are channel, 2-channel Motorola CDM750 rigs, Maxtrac, many others 29-36 MHz, 36-42 MHz and 42-50 MHz “split”, Kenwood rigs doing 37-50 MHz or 29-37 MHz bands - there are lots of other bands available…45/50 watt, 100/110 watt mobiles).

Given the availability of high power mobile radios, VHF low band offers an inexpensive business radio option.

 

[W8HDU]

I’ve noticed that Motorola, GE, Kenwood, Vertex (Yaesu) and Midland (Maxon) VHF low band gear is now super inexpensive on eBay

Not only plated gold, but the sellers don't know what they have, and try to pass off radios which will not work on some band-splits. I wouldn't mind buying extra radios, but not if the seller misrepresents them and then refuses a refund because they are listed "as is".

 

[KF4ZTO]

Right now just mobiles. I'm waiting for the F.C.C. to clear the base license, which the coordinator says could take up to 3 months!

I hope it a shorter time since good weather means making money time. Right now, it's 33-degrees outside and a little tough to work. If I'm too cold, I ain't asking someone else to work, so winter is our prep and indoor building time. I have (5) mobiles right now, (3) frequencies 29.7300, 29.7500, and 29.7700 w/ctcss. Typically on 29.7500, but use .7300 or .7700 if the marauding hordes of freebanders are present. Transmissions are mostly staging, or equipment coordination. New license as of last year. Previously used itinerant frequencies, but had issues with what I believe was Canadian maritime operations.

VHF low band itinerants? I presume 35.040 MHz and/or 43.040 MHz?

27.490 MHz would be problematic even with CTCSS during these crazy band openings we’ve had lately.

43.04 MHz is pretty popular for all sorts of users, even in my area where low band use isn’t as common as in some parts of the country, but construction, paving companies and ready mix concrete trucks use it (often in conjunction with other 43 MHz business frequencies, 43.0000, 43.1000, 43.2600, 43.2800, 43.3200 and 44.0400 MHz are active - plus 43.0400 obviously).

As far as the band goes, I checked at 8:30 this morning (Eastern US time) for about 10 minutes and noted activity on the UK FM CB channels - especially 27.78125 MHz FM (UK FM CB Channel 19) but also 27.65125 MHz FM (UK FM CB Channel 6), 27.84125 MHz FM (UK FM CB Channel 25), 27.96125 MHz FM (UK FM CB Channel 37) and 27.99125 MHz FM (UK FM CB Channel 40). The usual Latin American signals were also already screaming in. Some weak paging signals on 26.650, 26.695, 26.700, 26.745, 26.750, 26.950 and other 26MHz freqs.

31.750 MHz had some POCSAG bursts on it too (31.725, 31.750, 31.775 are UK hospital paging freqs). I checked 31.325, 31.6875 and 31.975 and didn’t hear anything but it was so cold I headed back inside after that.

I plan on heading back out to check 11m and VHF low in the next 30 minutes or so.

 

[W8HDU]

VHF low band itinerants? I presume 35.040 MHz and/or 43.040 MHz?

Like I said in the message you quoted, 29.7300, 29.7500, & 29.7700 simplex.

Typically on 29.7500 since I've not had too many issues with freebanders. 29.73 & 29.77 are backups. I've not had problems with freebanders, or if I have, they have not been detected as I use CTCSS.

I did use 30.8400 (itinerant) for a while, but Canadian maritime has given us headaches a few times. Sounds like some type of doc operations.

 

[Dispatrick]

Picked up French traffic signal control data on
31.9750
31.3250
FIRST time ever receiving any low band from Europe!

 

[KF4ZTO]

Like I said in the message you quoted, 29.7300, 29.7500, & 29.7700 simplex.

Typically on 29.7500 since I've not had too many issues with freebanders. 29.73 & 29.77 are backups. I've not had problems with freebanders, or if I have, they have not been detected as I use CTCSS.

I did use 30.8400 (itinerant) for a while, but Canadian maritime has given us headaches a few times. Sounds like some type of doc operations.

Right - and the freebanders, for the most part, stay below 28 MHz. For the most part anyway. I’ve actually only heard a handful of freebander activity in the “sliver” between 29.700 and 30.000 MHz, and that was French language chatter (very well could have been French Canadian) on 29.825 MHz AM, 29.875 MHz AM, 29.885 MHz AM, 29.905 MHz AM and 29.915 MHz AM.

From a practical standpoint, it makes sense that most freeband chatter is in the 26-28 MHz range. You’d have to re-tune your antenna (in the case of most CB/11m antennas anyway) to operate above 29.7, and you’d then be forced to stay up there, vs. being able to go back down to the regular CB band.

Picked up French traffic signal control data on
31.9750
31.3250
FIRST time ever receiving any low band from Europe!

Awesome catch. The traffic signal control data signals can’t be running too much power, as has been mentioned.

For my part, the band was alive today with a lot of CHP signals coming in on 39 MHz. At points it almost seemed like every 20 kHz there was traffic. I captured most of the 39 MHz activity on video, I haven’t gotten around to writing all the freqs and tones down yet. Some activity on 42 MHz as well.

40.670 MHz and 40.530 MHz both very busy with basically non-stop data bursts. Some very strong ISM signals on 40.66-40.70 MHz mixing in. 11m and CB were, of course, super wide open. Lots of AM and FM activity on 10m too.

 

[W8HDU]

You'll also find some survivalists, mostly NBFM, but some packet, in the 25.100 to 26.500 spectrum.

Transmissions are short, direct, and then they are gone. They also appear to use packet as means to transmit lists and messages.

The image is from a printout of a transmission received at 10:22A Eastern time, Friday, April 10, 2020, on the frequency of 26.312500 MHz, narrow band FM.

They seem to stay off direct frequencies like 26.21, 26.31, 26.41, and opt for something a tad off the mark. I assume that they know there are still a few broadcast facilities which use the 26 MHz channels for RPU.

Another thing I've found is that if they are on 26.312500 today, there's a good chance they won't be on it anytime soon. But I've not figured out their algorithm for selecting frequencies by the day. They have to have a plan of some sort, unless they are scanning 50 or so channels.

 

[KF4ZTO]

^ interesting. I know packet, ROS, FT8 and other digital modes are popular in Europe on 11m. Frequencies include

26.735 MHz
27.635 MHz
and the legal CB frequencies of
27.235 MHz - CB Channel 24
27.245 MHz - CB Channel 25
27.255 MHz - CB Channel 23

that’s right, FT8 on 27.255 MHz (USB)!

Here are my logs for today



Full list of tones and frequencies logged log in description below


39.140 MHz 162.2 Hz
39.220 MHz 192.8 Hz
39.260 MHz 118.8 Hz
39.340 MHz 162.2 Hz
39.400 MHz 162.2 Hz
39.400 MHz 186.2 Hz
39.680 MHz 118.8 Hz
39.800 MHz 162.2 Hz
39.860 MHz 118.8 Hz
39.880 MHz 118.8 Hz
42.120 MHz 131.8 Hz
42.140 MHz 186.2 Hz
42.160 MHz 131.8 Hz
42.300 MHz 146.2 Hz
42.300 MHz 162.2 Hz
42.400 MHz 131.8 Hz
42.540 MHz 167.9 Hz