Goto Section: 87.185 | 87.189 | Table of Contents

FCC 87.187
Revised as of
Goto Year:1996 | 1998
Sec. 87.187  Frequencies.

    (a) Frequencies used for air-ground Communications are listed in 
subpart E. Aircraft stations may use frequencies assigned to Government 
or non-Government aeronautical stations or radionavigation land stations 
if the communications are within the aeronautical or radionavigation 
land station scope of service.
    (b) 410 kHz is the international direction-finding frequency for use 
outside the continental United States.
    (c) 457 kHz is an authorized working frequency for flights over the 
high seas.
    (d) 500 kHz an international calling and distress frequency for 
aircraft on flights over the high seas. Except for distress, urgency or 
safety messages an aircraft station must not transmit on 500 kHz during 
the silence periods for three minutes twice each hour beginning at x h. 
15 and x h.45 Coordinated Universal Time (u.t.c.).
    (e) The frequency 2182 khz is an international distress and calling 
frequency for use by ship, aircraft and survival craft stations. 
Aircraft stations must use J3E emission when operating on 2182 kHz and 
communicating with domestic public and private coast stations. The 
emission H3E may be used when communicating with foreign coast and ship 
stations.
    (f) The frequencies 3023 kHz, 5680 kHz, 122.900 MHz and 123.100 MHz 
are authorized for use by aircraft engaged in seach and rescue 
activities in accordance with subpart M. These frequencies may be used 
for air-air and air-ground communications.
    (g) The frequency 4125 kHz may be used for distress and safety 
communications between aircraft and ship and coast maritime mobile 
stations.
    (h) The frequency 8364.0 kHz is authorized for use of survival craft 
for search and rescue communications with stations in the maritime 
mobile service.
    (i) The frequencies in the band 121.975-122.675 MHz are authorized 
for use by private aircraft of air traffic control operations.
    (1) The frequencies 122.00 and 122.050 MHz are authorized for use by 
air carrier and private aircraft stations for enroute flight advisory 
service (EFAS) provided by the FAA;
    (2) The frequency 122.100 MHz is authorized for use by air carrier 
aircraft stations for air traffic control operations at locations in 
Alaska where other frequencies are not available for air traffic 
control.
    (j) The frequency 122.750 MHz is authoried for use by private fixed 
wing aircraft for air-air communications. The frequency 123.025 MHz is 
authorized for use by helicopters for air-air Communications.
    (k) The frequencies 121.500 MHz and 243.000 MHz are emergency and 
distress frequences available for use by survival craft stations, 
emergency locator transmitters and equipment used for survival pruposes. 
Use of 121.500 MHz and 243.00 MHz shall be limited to transmission of 
signals and communications for survival purposes. Type A2A, A3E or A3N 
emission may be employed, except in the case of emergency locator 
transmitters where A3E, A3X and NON are permitted.
    (l) The frequencies 156.300, 156.375, 156,400, 156,425, 156.450, 
156.625, 156.800 156.900 and 157.425 MHz may be used by aircraft 
stations to communicate with ship stations in accordance with part 80 
and the following conditions:
    (1) The altitude of aircraft stations must not exceed 300 meters 
(1,000 feet), except for reconnaissance aircraft participating in 
icebreaking operations

[[Page 216]]

where an altitude of 450 meters (1,500 feet) is allowed;
    (2) Aircraft station transmitter power must not exceed five watts;
    (3) The frequency 156.300 MHz may be used for safety purposes only. 
The frequency 156.800 MHz may be used for distress, safety and calling 
purposes only.
    (4) Except in the Great Lakes and along the St. Lawrence Seaway the 
frequency 157.425 MHz is available for communications with commerical 
fishing vessels.
    (5) The frequency 156.375 MHz cannot be used in the New Orleans, LA, 
VTS protection area. No harmful interference shall be caused to the VTS.
    (m) The frequency 406.025 MHz is an emergency and distress frequency 
available for use by emergency locator transmitters. Use of this 
frequency must be limited to transmission of distress and safety 
communications.
    (n) The frequency band 960-1215 MHz is for the use of airborne 
electronic aids to air navigation and directly associated land stations.
    (o) The frequency band 1300-1350 MHz is for surveillance radar 
stations and associated airborne transponders.
    (p) The frequency band 1435-1525 MHz is available on a primary basis 
and the 1525-1535 MHz is available on a secondary basis for telemetry 
and telecommand associated with the flight testing of aircraft, 
missiles, or related major components. This includes launching into 
space, reentry into the earth's atmosphere and incidental orbiting prior 
to reentry. The following frequencies are shared with flight telemetry 
mobile stations: 1444.5, 1453.5, 1501.5, 1515.5, 1524.5 and 1525.5 MHz. 
See Sec. 87.303(d).

    Note:  Aeronautical telemetry operations must protect mobile-
satellite operations in the 1525-2535 MHz band and maritime mobile-
satellite operations in the 1530-1535 MHz band.

    (q) The frequencies in the band 1545.000-1559.000 MHz and 1646.500-
1660.500 MHz are authorized for use by the Aeronautical Mobile-Satellite 
(R) Service. The use of the bands 1544.000-1545.000 MHz (space-to-Earth) 
and 1645.500-1646.500 MHz (Earth-to-space) by the Mobile-Satellite 
Service is limited to distress and safety operations. In the frequency 
bands 1549.500-1558.500 MHz and 1651.000-1660.000 MHz, the Aeronautical 
Mobile-Satellite (R) requirements that cannot be accommodated in the 
1545.000-1549.500 MHz, 1558.500-1559.000 MHz, 1646.500-1651.000 MHz, and 
1660.000-1660.500 MHz bands shall have priority access with real-time 
preemptive capability for communications in the Mobile-Satellite 
service. Systems not interoperable with the Aeronautical Mobile-
Satellite (R) Service shall operate on a secondary basis. Account shall 
be taken of the priority of safety-related communications in the Mobile-
Satellite Service.
    (r) The frequency band 1559-1626.5 MHz is available for airborne 
electronic aids to air navigation and any associated land station.
    (s) The frequency band 4200-4400 MHz is reserved exclusively for 
radio altimeters.
    (t) The frequency band 5350-5470 MHz in the aeronautical 
radionavigation service is limited to airborne radars and associated 
airborne beacons.
    (u) The frequency band 8750-8850 MHz is available for use by 
airborne doppler radars in the aeronautical radionavigation service only 
on the condition that they must accept any interference which may be 
experienced from stations in the radiolocation service in the band 8500-
10,000 MHz.
    (v) The frequency band 9300-9500 MHz is limited to airborne radars 
and associated airborne beacons.
    (w) The frequency band 13250-13400 MHz available for airborne 
doppler radar use.
    (x) The frequency bands 14000-14400, 24250-25250, 31800-33400 MHz 
are available for airborne radionavigation devices.
    (y) Brief keyed RF signals (keying the transmitter by momentarily 
depressing the microphone ``push-to-talk'' button) may be transmitted 
from aircraft for the control of airport lights on the following 
frequencies:
    (1) Any air traffic control frequency listed in Sec. 87.421.
    (2) FAA Flight Service Station frequencies 121.975-122.675 MHz.
    (3) The unicom frequencies 122.700, 122.725, 122.800, 122.950, 
122.975, 123.000, 123.050 and 123.075 MHz.
    (4) Aviation support station frequencies listed in Sec. 87.232(b): 
121.950,

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123.300 and 123.500 MHz if the frequency is assigned to a station at the 
airport and no harmful interference is caused to voice communications. 
If no such station is located at the concerned airport, aircraft may use 
one of the aviation support station frequencies for the control of 
airport lights.
    (5) The frequency 122.9 MHz when it is used as the common traffic 
advisory frequency at the concerned airport.
    (z) Frequencies for public correspondence between ships and public 
coast stations in the maritime mobile service (except frequencies in the 
156-174 MHz band) and coast earth stations in the maritime mobile-
satellite service are available for public correspondence between 
aircraft and public coast stations and coast earth stations, 
respectively. The transmission of public correspondence from aircraft 
must not cause interference to maritime communications.
    (aa) Frequencies in the 454.675-459.975 MHz band are available in 
the Public Mobile Radio Service (part 22) for use on board aircraft for 
communications with land mobile stations which are interconnected to the 
nationwide public telephone system.
    (bb) The frequencies 121.950 MHz, 122.850 MHz and 127.050 \1\ MHz 
are authorized for air-to-air use for aircraft up to and including 3 km 
(10,000 ft) mean sea level in the vicinity of Grand Canyon National Park 
in Arizona within the area bounded by the following coordinates:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Until further notice this frequency is available for air-to-air 
use as described in the Grand Canyon vicinity. Availability is a result 
of the FAA's assignment of this frequency. If the FAA reassigns this 
frequency the Commission may require air-to-air use to cease.

36-28-00 N. Lat; 112-47-00 W. Long.
36-28-00 N. Lat; 112-48-00 W. Long.
35-50-00 N. Lat; 112-48-00 W. Long.
35-43-00 N. Lat; 112-47-00 W. Long.

    (cc) The frequency 120.650 \1\ MHz is authorized for air-to-air use 
for aircraft up to and including 3 km (10,000 ft) mean sea level within 
the area bounded by the following coordinates:

35-59-45 N. Lat; 114-51-45 W. Long.
36-09-30 N. Lat; 114-50-00 W. Long.
36-09-30 N. Lat; 114-02-55 W. Long.
35-54-45 N. Lat; 113-48-45 W. Long.
35-54-45 N. Lat; 114-41-45 W. Long.
[ 53 FR 28940 , Aug. 1, 1988, as amended at  54 FR 23214 , May 31, 1989;  54 FR 49995 , Dec. 4, 1989;  55 FR 7333 , Mar. 1, 1990;  56 FR 11518 , Mar. 19, 
1991;  56 FR 18525 , Apr. 23, 1991;  57 FR 45750 , Oct. 5, 1992;  58 FR 30127 , May 26, 1993;  58 FR 44954 , Aug. 25, 1993;  58 FR 52021 , Oct. 6, 
1993;  60 FR 37829 , July 24, 1995;  60 FR 40227 , Aug. 7, 1995]


Goto Section: 87.185 | 87.189

Goto Year: 1996 | 1998
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