Currently in the U.S. there are approximately 59 VHF channels available plus 10 additional channels dedicated to NOAA WX Radio. Many of these channels are dedicated to specific uses and therefore are unavailable for routine traffic. Here is a quick break down by usage:
| Port Operations & VTS | 13 |
| Commercial | 12 |
| Public Correspondence | 8 |
| Non-Commercial | 7 |
| USCG | 4 |
| US Government | 2 |
| Special Usage | 9 |
| Prohibited Usage | 3 |
| Weather Radio | 10 |
Let’s look at the channels / frequencies that are of interest to the recreational boater. These are comprised of the 7 non-commercial, 10 weather, 8 public correspondence, plus a number of the special usage frequencies.
Non-Commercial Frequencies and Usage |
||
| Channel | Use | Types of Transmissions |
|---|---|---|
| 06 | Inter ship Safety | Ship to Ship Safety & Search and Rescue |
| 09 | Hailing Frequency | Calling Channel. |
| 13 | Bridge to Bridge Navigation | Traffic must be about vessel navigation. |
| 16 | International Distress, Urgency, Safety, & Hailing | |
| 22A | Coast Guard Liaison and Safety Information Broadcasts. | Use this channel to talk to the Coast Guard. |
| 24 - 28 84 - 86 |
Public Correspondence | Marine Operator. |
| 68 | Non-Commercial. | Routine Traffic. |
| 69 | Non-Commercial. | Routine Traffic. |
| 70 | DSC | Digital Selective Calling Only, No Voice Communications Authorized. |
| 71 | Non-Commercial. | Routine Traffic. |
| 72 | Non-Commercial. | Routine Traffic. |
| 78A | Non-Commercial. | Routine Traffic. |
| 79A | Non-Commercial (Great Lakes Only) |
Routine Traffic. |
| 80A | Non-Commercial (Great Lakes Only) |
Routine Traffic. |
| WX-1 -- 10 | Weather Radio | Receive Only. |
The complete list can be downloaded in zipped PDF format VHF Frequency Chart
VHF Frequencies and Usage |
||||
| Channel Number | Ship Transmit MHz | Ship Receive MHz | Use | Types of Transmissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01A | 156.050 | 156.050 | Port Operations and Commercial, VTS. Available only in New Orleans / Lower Mississippi area. | Used in directing the movement of ships in or near ports, locks or waterways. |
| 03A | 156.150 | 156.150 | *** | Not available for use in US waters by the general public. |
| 05A | 156.250 | 156.250 | Port Operations or VTS in the Houston, New Orleans and Seattle areas. | Used in directing the movement of ships in or near ports, locks or waterways. |
| 06 | 156.300 | 156.300 | Inter ship Safety | Use this channel for ship-to-ship safety messages and for search and rescue messages to ships and aircraft of the Coast Guard. |
| 07A | 156.350 | 156.350 | Commercial use only. | Working channel for working ships only. |
| 08 | 156.400 | 156.400 | Commercial use only. (Inter ship only) | Working channel for working ships only. Only for ship-to-ship messages. |
| 09 | 156.450 | 156.450 | Boater Calling. Commercial and Non-Commercial. | Hailing Channel. |
| 10 | 156.500 | 156.500 | Commercial use only. | Working channel for working ships only. |
| 11 | 156.550 | 156.550 | Commercial use only. VTS in selected areas. | Working channel for working ships only. In certain major ports, Channel 11 is not available for general port operations messages. |
| 12 | 156.600 | 156.600 | Port Operations. VTS in selected areas. | Used in directing the movement of ships in or near ports, locks or waterways. In certain major ports, Channel 12 is not available for general port operations messages. |
| 13 | 156.650 | 156.650 | Inter ship Navigation Safety (Bridge-to-bridge). Ships >20m in length maintain a listening watch on this channel in US waters. | This channel is available to all ships. Messages must be about ship navigation. |
| 14 | 156.700 | 156.700 | Port Operations. VTS in selected areas. | Used in directing the movement of ships in or near ports, locks or waterways. |
| 15 | --- | 156.750 | Environmental (Receive only). Used by Class C EPIRB's. | |
| 16 | 156.800 | 156.800 | International Distress, Urgency, Safety and Calling. | |
| 17 | 156.850 | 156.850 | State Control. | This channel may be used to talk to ships and coast stations operated by state or local governments. |
| 18A | 156.900 | 156.900 | Commercial use only. | Working channels for working ships only. |
| 19A | 156.950 | 156.950 | Commercial use only. | Working channels for working ships only. |
| 20 | 157.000 | 161.600 | Port Operations. (duplex) | Used in directing the movement of ships in or near ports, locks or waterways. Channel 20 is only for ship-to-coast messages. |
| 20A | 157.000 | 157.000 | Port Operations. | Used in directing the movement of ships in or near ports, locks or waterways. Channel 20 is only for ship-to-coast messages. |
| 21A | 157.050 | 157.050 | U.S. Coast Guard only. | |
| 22A | 157.100 | 157.100 | Coast Guard Liaison and Maritime Safety Information Broadcasts. | Use this channel to talk to the Coast Guard (but first make contact on Channel 16). |
| 23A | 157.150 | 157.150 | U.S. Coast Guard only. | |
| 24 | 157.200 | 161.800 | Public Correspondence. (Marine Operator) | Use this channel to call the marine operator at a public coast station. |
| 25 | 157.250 | 161.850 | Public Correspondence. (Marine Operator) | Use this channel to call the marine operator at a public coast station. |
| 26 | 157.300 | 161.900 | Public Correspondence. (Marine Operator) | Use this channel to call the marine operator at a public coast station. |
| 27 | 157.350 | 161.950 | Public Correspondence. (Marine Operator) | Use this channel to call the marine operator at a public coast station. |
| 28 | 157.400 | 162.000 | Public Correspondence. (Marine Operator) | Use this channel to call the marine operator at a public coast station. |
| 61A | 156.075 | 156.075 | *** | Not available for use in US waters by the general public. |
| 63A | 156.175 | 156.175 | Port Operations and Commercial, VTS. | Used in directing the movement of ships in or near ports, locks or waterways. Available only in New Orleans / Lower Mississippi area. |
| 64A | 156.225 | 156.225 | *** | Not available for use in US waters by the general public. |
| 66A | 156.325 | 156.325 | Port Operations. | Used in directing the movement of ships in or near ports, locks or waterways. |
| 67 | 156.375 | 156.375 | Commercial use only. | Working channels for working ships only. Used for Bridge-to-bridge communications in lower Mississippi River. Inter ship only. |
| 68 | 156.425 | 156.425 | Non-Commercial. | Working channels for voluntary boats. Messages must be about the needs of the ship. |
| 69 | 156.475 | 156.475 | Non-Commercial. | Working channels for voluntary boats. Messages must be about the needs of the ship. |
| 70 | 156.525 | 156.525 | Digital Selective Calling. (voice communications not allowed) | Use this channel for distress and safety calling and for general purpose calling using only digital selective calling techniques. |
| 71 | 156.575 | 156.575 | Non-Commercial. | Working channels for voluntary boats. Messages must be about the needs of the ship. |
| 72 | 156.625 | 156.625 | Non-Commercial. (Inter ship only) | Working channels for voluntary boats. Messages must be about the needs of the ship. |
| 73 | 156.675 | 156.675 | Port Operations. | Used in directing the movement of ships in or near ports, locks or waterways. |
| 74 | 156.725 | 156.725 | Port Operations. | Used in directing the movement of ships in or near ports, locks or waterways. |
| 77 | 156.875 | 156.875 | Port Operations. (Inter ship only) | Used in directing the movement of ships in or near ports, locks or waterways. |
| 78A | 156.925 | 156.925 | Non-Commercial. | Working channels for voluntary boats. Messages must be about the needs of the ship. |
| 79A | 156.975 | 156.975 | Commercial use only.(Non-Commercial in Great Lakes only) | Working channels for working ships only. |
| 80A | 157.025 | 157.025 | Commercial use only.(Non-Commercial in Great Lakes only) | Working channels for working ships only. |
| 81A | 157.075 | 157.075 | U.S. Government only - Environmental protection operations. | |
| 82A | 157.125 | 157.125 | U.S. Government only. | |
| 83A | 157.175 | 157.175 | U.S. Coast Guard only. | |
| 84 | 157.225 | 161.825 | Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) | Use this channel to call the marine operator at a public coast station. |
| 85 | 157.275 | 161.875 | Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) | Use this channel to call the marine operator at a public coast station. |
| 86 | 157.325 | 161.925 | Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) | Use this channel to call the marine operator at a public coast station. |
| 87 | 157.375 | 161.975 | Automatic Identification System (AIS) | Identification & Navigation Information (Duplex Repeater) |
| 88A | 157.425 | 157.425 | Commercial use only. (Inter ship only) | Working channels for working ships only. |
| AIS 1 | 161.975 | 161.975 | Automatic Identification System (AIS) | Identification & Navigation Information |
| AIS 2 | 162.025 | 162.025 | Automatic Identification System (AIS) | Identification & Navigation Information |
| WX-1 | --- | 162.550 | NOAA Weather Radio | Receive Only. |
| WX-2 | --- | 162.400 | NOAA Weather Radio | Receive Only. |
| WX-3 | --- | 162.475 | NOAA Weather Radio | Receive Only. |
| WX-4 | --- | 162.425 | NOAA Weather Radio | Receive Only. |
| WX-5 | --- | 162.450 | NOAA Weather Radio | Receive Only. |
| WX-6 | --- | 162.500 | NOAA Weather Radio | Receive Only. |
| WX-7 | --- | 162.525 | NOAA Weather Radio | Receive Only. |
| WX-8 | --- | 161.650 | NOAA Weather Radio | Receive Only. |
| WX-9 | --- | 162.775 | NOAA Weather Radio | Receive Only. |
| WX-10 | --- | 163.275 | NOAA Weather Radio | Receive Only. |