Be advised that since I originally wrote this article, a new Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) has been passed by that mistress of Big Money, the U.S. Congress. It is now illegal to monitor cellular or conventional mobile telephone calls.
A lot of technically oriented telephone experimenters are finding out about an exiting world of telephone activity in the radio spectrum. Most of you are probably acquainted with mobile telephone channels in the VHF band and know that these conversations can be monitored. Frequencies have been allocated in the VHF and UHF bands for use by land mobile, marine and air-ground stations. Another fascinating group of frequencies are the high seas channels in the high frequency short wave band. I have spent many hours listening to ship to shore telephone calls from ocean liners on the Atlantic.
Scanner radios are used to monitor the VHF/UHF channels. To listen to the high seas channels you will need a short wave receiver capable of copying single sideband transmissions. Nearly all high seas calls are transmitted on upper sideband.
The new cellular telephone channels lie between 825-845 MHz and 870-890 MHz. There are 666 of these spaced 30 kHz apart. I am aware of three manufacturers who make scanners capable of receiving these frequencies. They are ICOM America (IC-R7000), Yaesu Electronics Corp. (FRG-9600) and Ace Communications (AR-2002). Ads for all these can be found in "Popular Communications". These are professional quality communications receivers and are expensive.
There are converters available from Hamtronics, inc. and others which permit most scanners to tune these frequencies. Hamtronics' address is 65-B Moul Road, Hilton, NY 14468-9535. Phone: 716-392-9430. The cost is $88.00 plus $3.00 shipping and handling.
Mobile Telephone Frequencies
VHF Low Band (Freq. in MHz)
Channel Base Mobile
------- ---- ------
ZO 35.26 43.26
ZF 35.30 43.30
ZH 35.34 43.34
ZM 35.38 43.38
ZA 35.42 43.42
ZY 35.46 43.46
ZR 35.50 43.50
ZB 35.54 43.54
ZW 35.62 43.62
ZL 35.66 43.66
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VHF High Band
JL 152.51 157.77
YL 152.54 157.80
JP 152.57 157.83
YP 152.60 157.86
YJ 152.63 157.89
YK 152.66 157.92
JS 152.69 157.95
YS 152.72 157.98
YR 152.75 158.01
JK 152.78 158.04
JR 152.81 158.07
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Marine Telephone
24 157.2 161.8
84 157.225 161.825
25 157.25 161.85
85 157.275 161.875
26 157.3 161.9
86 157.325 161.925
27 157.35 161.95
87 157,375 161.975
28 157.4 162.0
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UHF Band
QC 454.375 459.375
QJ 454.4 459.4
QD 454.425 459.425
QA 454.45 459.45
QE 454.475 459.475
QP 454.5 459.5
QK 454.525 459.525
QB 454.55 459.55
QO 454.575 459.575
QR 454.6 459.6
QY 454.625 459.625
QF 454.65 459.65
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Air-Ground Stations
Channel Ground Airborne
1 454.95 459.95
2 454.9 459.9
3 454.85 459.85
4 454.8 459.8
5 454.75 459.75
6 454.7 459.7
7 454.725 459.725
8 454.775 459.775
9 454.825 459.825
10 454.875 459.875
11 454.925 459.925
12 454.975 459.975
Signaling 454.675
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The following is a list of the channels used for high seas phone calls. As a rule, the 4 MHz band comes in best at night while the higher channels are best received during daylight hours. All frequencies are in kilohertz.
