Distress Freqs

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dtab55

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Im just trying to make a list of known distress frequencies. So far i have...

CB Channel 9/27.0150
Marine Channel 16/156.8000
FRS Channel 1/462.5625 (unofficial, red it somewhere)

Any other official or unofficials ones would be great. Thanks.
 

LEH

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Check the air bands, there are two frequencies (one VHF and one UHF) that I am aware of, but because I don't monitor aircraft as a norm, I don't recall the frequencies.

You might also check to see if there are any in the HF band or the amateur bands.

Last thing
dtab55 said:
red it somewhere

It is 'read'.

Sorry, I've been on a grammar kick here recently. I can't wait until I really mess up. There are a dozen fresh eggs in the fridge for my face on the occasion.
 

HenryDavid

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Distress/emergency frequencies

For the air bands, they are 121.5 VHF and 243.0 UHF

From time to time you will hear some non-emergency traffic on the VHF, which I think primarily happens over ocean airways.
 

ryangassxx

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I'm pretty sure that channel one on frs is not an emergency channel.. There is an frs channel that is used as an emergency channel, but one is not it..
 

scannersnstuff

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while not strictly a distress channel. 123.100 am.support's many air and ground emergency's.police helicopter's have been known to use this frequency.
 

DickH

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... It is 'read'.

I think it should be redd to differentiate it from the color. And while we're at it, maybe it should be reed to differentiate it from redd -- or read -- or -- Oh S--t. LOL
 

chrismol1

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Ch 17 on GMRS is the emergency frequency, just published in about all the manuals
 

SCANdal

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Something to think about...

I'm pretty sure that channel one on frs is not an emergency channel.. There is an frs channel that is used as an emergency channel, but one is not it..
ryan,

Channel 1 is it, albeit informally. There was a campaign by Popular Communications magazine and Midland (a manufacturer of FRS radios) a number of years ago (when FRS started to take off) to declare FRS1 as an "emergency" channel of sorts (Midland 1 was the name of the program, if I recall correctly), but it fizzled.

Ch 17 on GMRS is the emergency frequency, just published in about all the manuals
chris,

If by channel 17 you are refering to 462.675, to accept the claims in all the manuals at face value is foolhardy. 462.675 (or any other GMRS frequency), FRS 1, and CB 9 (despite the claims made at http://www.ixradio.com/article.htm ) are not true "emergency" channels. If you key down your mic and put over a distress call, there is a good chance that you will not be answered - and end users should not be mislead to believe otherwise. Channels like Marine 16, 121.500 and 243.000, are true emergency frequencies - in their limited scope of use, for marine and aviation purposes respectively. Someone is being paid to monitor those frequenies somewhere (maybe not has a primary function in the case of 121.500, but there is a radio on somewhere in a room locked on that channel...). 9-1-1 is the average citizen's "emergency channel." Being a member here makes you a bit above average...and you'll likely know that 9-1-1 does not work everywhere all the time and have taken the steps necessary to insure that should an emergency arise, you know where and know to get help.

SCANdal
 
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ryangassxx

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ryan,

Channel 1 is it, albeit informally.

SCANdal


Well if two different people say so, then I guess I must be wrong,.. But logic tells me that making channel 1 an emergency channel seems pretty insane, seeing as it's the default channel people talk on for obvious reasons.. And there was a time when FRS radios only came with one channel, and that's channel 1.. There's still plenty of those out there I'm sure.. Who ever decided to use channel 1 as an emergency channel obviously put zero thought into it..
 

KF4ZTO

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And anyone who monitors FRS/GMRS in a larger city for any period of time knows that FRS 1 is nothing but congested insanity. Putting a call out on FRS 1 might get you a reply...but probably nothing useful...if you get a reply at all. GMRS675 (or "channel 17")...462.675 PL 141.3 is being pushed as a "calling" channel...much like what 146.520 and 446.000 are supposed to be for hams...I would put 146.520 in there as a calling frequency, not a distress frequency, same with 462.675 PL 141.3 if your radio can do PL decode and lock out other PLs.

I would say Marine 16 (156.800) and 121.5/243.0 are the REAL distress freqs. Put a call out on there and someone will actually come back to you. Where in the Northern Virginia area do you live? If you're close enough to DC and/or have a decent enough antenna, you'll hear USCG working boats and making broadcasts on channel 16 on a pretty regular basis.
 
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hill

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500 KHz distress frequency of the past. The USCG stopped monitoring this frequency many years ago and doesn't even training new radio personal in CW.

Link to information on 500 KHz
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/500_kHz

Most of the distress calls from commercial mariner is transmitted and received on Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS). The pleasure boaters distress call still using channel 16 in USA, but this will likely change now the Rescue 21 is being installed at CG Sector accross the Nation. Channel 70 on VHF-FM Marine Band is the Digital Selective Calling (DSC) channel.

Link to information on DSC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Maritime_Distress_Safety_System#Digital_Selective_Calling

Link to more information and online training on DSC from Boat US.
http://www.boatus.com/foundation/dsc/player.html

Link to information on GMDSS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Maritime_Distress_Safety_System

Larry
 

mciupa

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500 KHz distress frequency of the past
Larry

Even so , the OP wants to compile an official/unofficial list and I thought this freq. should be mentioned for completion.:cool:
 

dtab55

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Thanks for the responses guys. I just thought i would make a little list (mostly for my knowledge). Some of those I had never heard/thought of. I thought I "READ" :) the FRS 1 thing somplace. Thanks

Damon
 

kb2vxa

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"The pleasure boaters distress call still using channel 16 in USA, but this will likely change now the Rescue 21 is being installed at CG Sector across the Nation."

First of all radio watch on 16 is required for all vessels 25' or over while underway which would make it's use or even installation of a marine radio on most pleasure craft optional. Now how do you expect Rescue 21 to work if watch on 16 is not maintained? Now don't nit pick, the purpose of Rescue 21 is to RDF unknown distress calls, quite often inexperienced operators don't give their positions and/or don't know them. Then there are the false calls, usually kids playing with the radio that drive everybody nuts around here every summer.
 
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No emergency ch's on FRS/GMRS

Im just trying to make a list of known distress frequencies. So far i have...

CB Channel 9/27.0150
Marine Channel 16/156.8000
FRS Channel 1/462.5625 (unofficial, red it somewhere)

Any other official or unofficials ones would be great. Thanks.

The following is from the Personal Radio Assn's web page:

http://www.praweb.org/faq-certetal.html

Is Family Radio Channel One the national FRS distress channel?

No. The FCC was asked to write such a concept into the rules but it was rejected. We occasionally read about others perpetuating this myth. FRS has no call channel or emergency channel. We believe that it is not in the public interest, convenience, or necessity to create an emergency channel in a radio service where the operational behaviors of the unlicensed users and the physics of short range radio propagation preclude its usefulness in that regard. The idea persists among proponents that do not fully understand the physics of radio and how the service is used today.

Mic
 

hfxChris

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Whether it's official or not, you can't argue with the fact that a good number of people out there believe FRS 1 is a distress channel, and may very well use it as such if the need arose. So if you're in a position that you want to monitor various distress/emergency/calling channels, it might be a good idea to include FRS 1 anyway.
 
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