Radio Frequency Bands Supporting Aviation
On the CPA forum there was a discussion of how crowded the air-to-air frequency, 122.75, is in certain areas. Several people suggested using 123.45 or 122.85. Neither of these are approved for air-to-air communication. I found an FAA showing frequency bands for aviation (shown below) but it doesn’t go into detail about the band we’re most interested in 118.000 to 136.975. This site, Civil Air Frequencies has a list showing how the spectrum is allocated.
Radio Frequency Bands Supporting Aviation
Source FAA
| Frequency | Band Name |
|---|---|
| 190 – 435 & 510 – 535 kHz | Non-directional Beacons |
| 2100 – 28,000 kHz | HF Communications |
| 75 MHz | NAVAID (Marker Beacons) |
| 108 – 112 MHz | VOR; ILS Localizer |
| 112 – 118 MHz | VOR; SCAT-I Radionavigation data link |
| 118 – 137 MHz | VHF Air / Ground Communications |
| 138 – 150.8 & 162 – 174 MHz | Fixed, Mobil |
| 225 – 328.6 & 335.4 – 400 MHz | UHF Air / Ground Communications (U.S. Military) |
| 328.6 – 335.4 MHz | ILS Glide Slope |
| 406.1 – 420 MHz | Fixed, Mobil |
| 932 – 935 & 941 – 944 MHz | RMM, LLWAS, LDRCL, etc. |
| 960 – 1215 MHz | NAVAID (TACAN / DME, etc.) |
| 1030 & 1090 MHz | Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon; Mode S; TCAS |
| 1215 – 1390 MHz | Air Route Surveillance Radar; GPS and GLONASS L1 |
| 1545 – 1559 MHz | Satellite-Based Comm (To Aircraft) |
| 1559 – 1610 MHz | Satellite Navigation; GPS and GLONASS L1 |
| 1646.5 – 1660.5 MHz | Satellite-Based Comm (From Aircraft) |
| 1710 – 1850 MHz | LDRCL; fixed links |
| 2700 – 3000 MHz | Airport Surveillance and Weather Radar |
| 5000 – 5250 MHz | Microwave Landing System |
| 5600 – 5650 MHz | TDWR |
| 7125 – 8500 MHz | RCL |
| 9000 – 9200 MHz | Military Precision Approach Radar |
| 14.4 – 15.35 GHz | Microwave Link |
| 15.7 – 16.2 GHz | Radar (ASDE-3) |
| 21.2 – 23.6 GHz | Microwave Link |