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Emergency & Distress
16 entriesDistress, safety and emergency-calling frequencies every operator should know. In a life-threatening emergency, use any means available to call for help — FCC rules permit any station to use any frequency in a genuine emergency (47 CFR §97.405).
| Name / Channel | Frequency (MHz) | Mode / Notes | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marine VHF Ch 16 | 156.800 | FM | International maritime distress, safety and calling channel. Monitored by the US Coast Guard and most vessels. Voice MAYDAY calls go here. |
| Aviation Guard | 121.500 | AM | International aeronautical emergency frequency ('Guard'). Monitored by ATC, airliners and SAR. Older ELTs transmit here. |
| Military Guard | 243.000 | AM | UHF military aeronautical emergency frequency — the military twin of 121.5. |
| 406 MHz Beacons | 406.0–406.1 | Digital | COSPAS-SARSAT satellite distress beacons (EPIRB/PLB/ELT). GPS-encoded and monitored globally 24/7 — the single most reliable wilderness/offshore distress tool. Registration is free at beaconregistration.noaa.gov. |
| CB Channel 9 | 27.065 | AM | FCC-designated CB emergency and motorist-assistance channel. Coverage by volunteer monitors (REACT) varies by area. |
| GMRS Ch 20 'Travel Tone' | 462.675 | FM · CTCSS 141.3 | Long-standing GMRS emergency/traveler-assistance channel. Convention is CTCSS tone 141.3 Hz — the 'travel tone'. |
| 2m Simplex Calling | 146.520 | FM | National 2-meter FM simplex calling frequency. The best-monitored ham simplex frequency in the US and the core of the Wilderness Protocol. |
| Marine MF Distress | 2.182 (2182 kHz) | SSB (USB) | International MF maritime distress and calling frequency for offshore/SSB-equipped vessels. |
| SAR Common (VTAC/NIFOG) | 155.160 | FM | Widely used VHF search-and-rescue working frequency in the US (varies by state/agency; see NIFOG for interop channels). |
| Maritime Mobile Service Net | 14.300 | USB · 20m | Daily HF net (roughly 12:00–21:00 ET) handling traffic for vessels at sea; assists in maritime emergencies. |
| Hurricane Watch Net | 14.325 / 7.268 | USB/LSB | Activates when a hurricane threatens land in the Americas; relays ground-truth weather into the National Hurricane Center (WX4NHC). |
| SATERN Net | 14.265 | USB · 20m | Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network — HF health & welfare traffic during disasters. |
| Wilderness Protocol | 146.52 · 52.525 · 223.5 · 446.0 · 1294.5 | FM simplex | Backcountry convention: monitor the national simplex calling frequencies for 5 minutes at the top of every hour (minimum 7 AM–7 PM local), priority on 146.52. |
| 3-3-3 Radio Plan | Channel 3 | CB / FRS / GMRS / MURS(3) | Grassroots emergency comms schedule: every 3 hours, channel 3, listen/talk for 3 minutes. Keeps batteries alive while giving separated groups a rendezvous on the air. |
| FRS/GMRS Ch 3 (prepper calling) | 462.6125 | FM | Channel 3, no tone, is the common FRS 'prepper calling channel' under the 3-3-3 plan; CB 3 (26.985 AM) is its HF sibling. |
| Coast Guard Working | 157.100 | FM · Marine 22A | USCG liaison and Marine Safety Information broadcasts. You'll be directed here from Ch 16 ('two-two-alpha'). |