name	frequency-lookup
description	Look up frequency allocations, band plans, and known stations for radio services (marine, aviation, amateur, broadcast, NOAA weather). Use when finding frequencies to monitor, verifying band allocations, or discovering channels in a frequency range.

Frequency Lookup for WaveCap-SDR

This skill helps find frequencies and band plans for various radio services.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

Finding frequencies for marine/aviation/amateur bands
Looking up broadcast stations by location
Verifying frequency allocations
Discovering what's on a frequency
Planning SDR monitoring scenarios
Creating new recipes for specific bands

Common Frequency Bands

VHF Marine (156-162 MHz)

Channel 16 (156.800 MHz) - International Distress/Safety/Calling Channel 9 (156.450 MHz) - Recreational calling (US) Channel 6 (156.300 MHz) - Intership safety

Full band plan: https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marine-communications-channel-table

Aviation (118-137 MHz)

121.500 MHz - Emergency frequency Typical ranges:

Tower: 118.0-121.4 MHz
Ground: 121.6-121.9 MHz
ATIS: Varies by airport

Find local frequencies: https://www.airnav.com

NOAA Weather Radio (162-163 MHz)

WX1: 162.550 MHz WX2: 162.400 MHz WX3: 162.475 MHz WX4: 162.425 MHz WX5: 162.450 MHz WX6: 162.500 MHz WX7: 162.525 MHz

Coverage map: https://www.weather.gov/nwr/

FM Broadcast (88-108 MHz)

US band: 88.1-107.9 MHz (odd tenths only) Europe/Asia: 87.5-108.0 MHz

Find local stations:

Amateur Radio (Ham)

2 meters: 144-148 MHz (FM repeaters typically 145-147 MHz) 70 cm: 420-450 MHz HF bands: 3.5, 7, 14, 21, 28 MHz

Repeater directory: https://www.repeaterbook.com

Public Safety / Trunking

VHF: 150-174 MHz UHF: 450-470 MHz, 806-824 MHz

Database: https://www.radioreference.com

Online Resources

RadioReference.com - Comprehensive frequency database

Trunked systems
Talkgroup IDs
Local agencies

SignalWiki - Signal identification

Decode unknown signals
Modulation types

WebSDR - Remote SDR receivers

Listen without hardware
Check propagation

FlightAware/FlightRadar24 - Aviation tracking

Find airport frequencies
Track aircraft

Usage Examples

Find Marine Channels

VHF Marine channels are spaced 25 kHz apart
Channel number = (Frequency - 156.000) / 0.025
Channel 16 = 156.800 MHz
Channel 9 = 156.450 MHz

Find Local FM Stations

Visit https://radio-locator.com and enter your ZIP code

Find NOAA Weather

Find nearest transmitter at https://www.weather.gov/nwr/

Find Aviation Frequencies

Visit https://www.airnav.com and search for airport code (e.g., KSEA)

Integration with WaveCap-SDR

After finding frequencies, create a recipe:

recipes:
  my_frequencies:
    name: "My Frequencies"
    capture:
      center_hz: 156800000  # Center on Ch 16
      sample_rate: 250000
      gain_db: 35
    channels:
      - {name: "Ch 16", offset_hz: 0, mode: "fm"}
      - {name: "Ch 9", offset_hz: -350000, mode: "fm"}

Or use presets for quick tuning.

Band Plan Quick Reference

Service	Frequency Range	Typical Use
AM Broadcast	530-1700 kHz	Radio stations
Ham 160m	1.8-2.0 MHz	Amateur HF
Marine SSB	2-4 MHz	Long-range marine
Ham 80m	3.5-4.0 MHz	Amateur HF
Ham 40m	7.0-7.3 MHz	Amateur HF
Ham 20m	14.0-14.35 MHz	Amateur HF
Ham 10m	28-29.7 MHz	Amateur HF
CB	26.965-27.405 MHz	Citizens Band
Ham 6m	50-54 MHz	Amateur VHF
FM Broadcast	88-108 MHz	Radio stations
Aviation	118-137 MHz	Air traffic control
Ham 2m	144-148 MHz	Amateur VHF
Marine VHF	156-162 MHz	Maritime
NOAA WX	162.400-162.550 MHz	Weather
Ham 70cm	420-450 MHz	Amateur UHF
GMRS/FRS	462-467 MHz	Personal radio

Files in This Skill

SKILL.md: This file - frequency reference and lookup guide

Notes

Frequencies vary by country (this guide is US-centric)
Always check local regulations before transmitting
Some frequencies require licenses (ham, marine, aviation)
SDR receiving is legal, transmitting requires proper licensing
Band plans change - verify with official sources
Use RadioReference.com for most comprehensive database

Install Skill

SKILL.md