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The Military VHF/UHF Spectrum

from July Service Search column

By Larry Van Horn, Monitoring Times Assistant Editor



            Military communications activity can be found in the VHF-Low Band (30-50 MHz) in the following frequency ranges:

30.00-30.55

32.00-32.99

34.00-34.99

36.00-36.99

40.00-41.99

49.61-49.99

            Military communications can also be found in the following government bands mixed in with various govenment agencies communications: 162.00-173.9875 and 406.00-420.00 MHz

 

VHF-High Band Bandplans

 

            The primary military-only bands in the VHF high band are 138.00-144.00 and 148.00-150.775. Basic spacing between channel is 25 kHz (USN/USAF). The Army uses 12.5 kHz spacing in their segments of the band. The primary communications mode is narrowband FM, but some AM is used by air units of the various services for tactical air-to-air comms.

 

Air Force

138.000-138.500

138.875-138.925

139.600-140.000

140.375-140.425

141.525-151.925

142.125-142.300

143.425-143.475

143.750-143.925

148.050-148.250

148.450-148.550

149.150-149.325

149.475-149.550

149.925-150.050

150.150-150.350

 

Navy

138.525-138.850

138.950-138.875

139.475-139.575

140.025-140.350

140.450-141.000

141.950-142.100

142.500-142.850

143.500-143.725

148.275-148.425

148.950-149.125

149.350-149.450

150.075-150.125

150.375-150.400

 

Army

139.000-139.450

141.025-141.500

142.325-142.475

142.875-143.400

143.950-143.975

148.000-148.025

148.575-148.925

149.575-149.900

150.425-150.775

 

UHF Military Aircraft Bandplan

 

            The military has a BIG (175 MHz) military aircraft band in the 225-400 MHz range. Basic spacing between channels is 25 kHz. You will find not only oddball spacing (especially in segments of the band with military satellite uplink/downlink channels), but a variety of modes and bandwidths. The primary mode in this band is AM, but FM and digital modes are used extensively on satellite channels.

            Some other federal agencies will be found within this frequency range, notably the Coast Guard, NASA, Federal Aviation Adminstration (FAA), and the Department of Energy (DOE). All agencies use 243.000 MHz. It is a worldwide emergency channel. Military satellite uplinks are in the 240-270 MHz range. For specific satellite downlink frequencies see Satellite Times, Vol 1, issues 4-6 and Vol 2 issue 1.

 

Air Force

225.000-226.275

227.300-227.350

227.800-229.275

233.400-233.650

234.600-235.225

235.500-236.150

236.500-237.150

238.200-239.200

239.400

239.650-240.800

243.300-243.750

251.000

251.175-251.275

251.800-253.000

253.375-253.700

254.200

254.400-254.800

255.500-256.150

256.300

256.600

257.075-257.525

258.000

258.125-258.575

259.000-261.200

261.400-262.575

263.200

264.600-264.975

265.400

266.000-266.600

267.800-267.850

268.000-268.175

268.750

269.900-270.200

270.400

271.000-271.350

271.800-272.150

273.400

273.500

274.400

275.000

275.800-276.200

276.400-276.975

277.600

278.200

278.400

278.600

279.400

279.700-280.150

280.500

281.600

282.400-282.750

283.250

283.650-284.150

284.800

286.250-286.500

286.675-287.800

288.400-289.700

290.600-291.150

291.800-296.650

296.800-298.800

299.000

300.600-300.925

301.400-301.750

302.400

303.000-303.325

303.800-304.000

304.800-304.900

305.400-305.750

306.400

308.600-308.950

309.400-309.600

311.000-311.375

313.600-313.650

314.200-314.500

315.000-315.250

315.800-315.900

316.200-316.450

316.700-316.900

317.850-318.400

319.400-319.700

320.000-320.200

320.600-321.250

321.350-321.400

322.250

322.600-322.950

323.700-324.700

325.500-326.400

327.175-327.700

327.900-328.075

335.700-336.100

336.600-336.800

337.400-337.725

338.400-339.400

340.600-340.900

341.400-342.500

343.000-343.550

344.000

344.600-344.900

346.200

347.000-347.400

348.200-348.500

348.800-349.700

350.450

350.900-351.600

352.600-352.975

354.200-354.575

355.200

357.000-357.200

357.500

358.200-358.450

359.000-359.300

359.800-360.075

361.400-361.750

363.800-364.700

369.000-369.700

371.000-371.800

372.150-373.225

374.000

375.100-376.200

377.000

377.550

377.800-377.850

378.000-379.000

379.300-379.700

381.000-381.175

381.300

383.000-383.375

384.000

384.600-384.900

385.700-386.200

387.200-387.225

387.800

388.100-388.500

388.850-389.200

389.800-390.200

390.975-393.150

394.200-395.100

395.800-395.900

396.000-396.200

396.800-397.250

397.800

398.000-398.200

398.500

398.800

399.800-399.975.

 

Navy

233.700-233.975

235.250-235.475

236.200-236.450

237.825-238.175

249.875-250.950

251.350-251.750

253.050-253.350

253.750-254.175

254.850-255.550

256.200-256.550

258.600-258.975

262.600-262.975

263.300-264.575

265.000-265.350

265.800-265.900

266.675-266.950

267.400-267.700

268.200-268.950

269.650-269.850

270.500-270.950

271.400-271.700

272.200-272.600

272.800-273.300

273.700-274.300

275.500-275.750

277.000-277.300

277.700-278.175

278.200

278.400 278.700-279.300

280.200-280.700

281.000-281.350

281.700-281.075

282.900-283.500

284.200-284.550

284.900-285.375

285.700-286.200

289.800-290.100

290.050-290.100

291.200-291.500

299.300-299.775

300.200-300.550

301.000-301.375

301.800-302.100

303.400-303.750

304.100-304.250

305.000-305.300

305.800-306.175

306.450-306.800

306.400-307.850

308.100-308.500

309.000-309.350

309.700-310.950

311.400-313.500

313.700-314.125

314.700-314.975

315.300-315.700

318.500-318.975

320.250-320.500

321.800-322.150

323.300-323.500

324.800-325.400

326.500-326.950

328.100-328.500

336.200-336.500

336.900-337.375

337.800-337.150

339.400-339.725

340.200-340.500

341.000-341.350

342.600-342.900

344.100-344.500

345.000-345.200

345.800-346.100

346.500-346.900

347.800-348.100

349.800-350.125

350.400-350.800

352.100-352.550

353.000-353.450

354.600-356.250

357.700-358.100

358.600-358.950

359.400-359.725

360.125-360.500

360.900-361.300

361.800-362.200

362.400-362.900

363.300-363.750

364.800-364.875

369.900-369.950

374.800-375.075

376.800-376.900

377.900

380.400-380.950

381.900-382.950

383.400-383.800

384.050-384.550

385.000-385.350

386.800-386.900

387.400

388.600

390.275-390.625

396.300-396.400

398.525-398.750

399.000.

 

Army

226.300-227.250

227.400-227.750

229.300-233.375

234.000-234.575

237.200-237.800

239.450-239.550

240.850-242.750

243.800-248.850

251.300

261.250-261.350

265.500-265.750

267.000-267.350

277.450-277.575

280.800-280.950

299.050-299.150

299.800-300.150

302.125-302.300

304.300-304.750

321.450-321.750

339.825-340.150

345.500-345.600

347.450-347.750

356.300-356.950

357.350-357.500

364.900-368.900

369.800-369.850

370.000-370.750

373.300-374.700

376.300-376.750

377.500

377.600

386.300-386.750

387.500

387.875-388.050

389.300-389.750

393.300-394.175

395.150-395.750

395.975

396.450-396.600

397.300-397.750

398.500

399.100-399.375

399.500-399.750

 

FAA

239.250-239.450

240.300

251.050-251.150

254.250-254.350

255.400

256.700-256.900

257.600-258.100

263.000-263.150

267.900

269.000-269.600

270.250-270.350

272.700-272.750

273.450

273.550-273.600

276.300

277.400

278.300-278.325

278.450-278.550

278.300-278.325

278.450-278.550

279.500-279.650

281.400-281.550

282.100-282.300

284.600-284.750

285.400-285.650

286.600

287.850-288.350

290.200-290.500

291.600-291.750

296.700

298.850-298.950

299.200

306.200-306.300

306.900-307.375

307.800-307.900

309.200

316.050-316.150

317.400-317.800

319.000-319.300

319.800-319.950

321.300

322.300-322.550

323.000-323.250

327.000-327.150

327.800

335.500-335.650

338.200-338.350

339.800

343.600-343.950

346.250-346.400

348.600-348.750

350.200-350.350

351.700-352.050

353.500-354.150

357.600

360.600-360.850

362.300-362.350

363.000-363.250

369.900

370.850-370.950

371.850-372.100

377.050-377.200

379.100-379.250

379.800-380.350

381.200-381.650

385.400-385.650

387.000-387.150

388.800

390.800-390.900

397.850-397.950

398.850-398.950

399.400.

 

Coast Guard

282.800 (Multiagency)

381.700

381.800

383.900.

 

Department of Energy

239.400

257.000

316.500

370.000.

 

Non-Government

314.600

345.400.

 

ILS Glope Slope Transmitters

Spacing 150 kHz between channels: 329.000-335.000

 

Discrete Frequency Holes

225.200

237.100

239.600

244.200

246.100

246.400

246.600

246.900

254.100

256.100

257.300

283.600

288.500

293.300

293.900

298.200

306.500

312.600

316.000

322.200

323.600

336.700

337.300

342.000

345.700

357.300

358.500

360.100

369.300

369.600

370.800

373.200

374.600

375.400

379.600

382.300

386.100

390.700

396.700

399.900.

 

Holes in Spectrum to Identify

230.275-230.675

235.325-235.650

240.300-240.775

242.775-242.975

243.025-243.775

246.850-247.125

252.250-252.675

328.525-328.975

335.025-335.475

364.225-364.475

364.525-364.775

371.225-371.475

371.525-371.775

372.325-372.475

372.525-372.775

377.225-377.475

377.525-377.775

378.525-378.775

387.225-387.475

387.525-387.775

388.225-388.475

388.525-388.775

391.225-391.475

391.525-391.775

392.225-392.475

392.525-392.775

398.225-398.475

398.525-398.775.

 

Wideband Frequencies

229.800

230.500

235.500

235.850

240.500

243.500

246.950

252.500

256.300

257.500

258.800

259.450

266.050

267.200

268.750

270.500

273.800

274.000

274.200

274.700

280.050

283.250

284.200

288.550

292.800

293.350

300.250

300.750

301.750

304.000

305.550

315.150

322.750

324.000

326.000

335.900

336.800

337.550

337.850

343.350

349.500

344.900

345.500

350.500

352.850

355.400

356.200

357.000

357.550

358.450

359.950

361.500

364.500

366.000

367.600

369.400

370.300

371.150

374.050

377.550

379.500

382.350

385.100

385.850

386.400

389.150

389.500

390.000

391.500

392.500

394.950

396.350

397.050

 

USAF A-A Refueling Frequencies

228.550

235.100

236.750

238.650

239.800

255.750

254.600

260.200

264.900

266.500

276.100

276.500

279.800

282.700

283.900

286.300

288.800

288.900

289.700

291.900

292.600

293.000

295.400

295.800

297.300

305.500

314.500

315.900

318.000

319.500

320.900

322.800

324.200

327.600

339.200

341.400

343.100

343.500

344.700

348.900

352.600

352.700

391.000

 


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