Stations
VHF aviation stations that can be received by the SLC receiver

Local VHF Aviation Stations

U.S. aviation stations are administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Reception Notes

  • Generally there are separate aircraft controllers on each control frequency during periods of high airport activity. However, during the night and at other times when few planes are departing or arriving, single controllers often transmit on multiple frequencies simultaneously to aircraft that reply on only one of those frequencies. As a result, it is common to hear only one side of communications with some aircraft during low-activity periods.
  • Some aircraft frequencies are used to control aircraft over large areas. For example, Salt Lake Center controls aircraft headed east until they are about half way to Denver and then "hands them off" to Denver Center. It is not possible to hear aircraft that far away in most directions from Salt Lake City, because of mountains, so controllers commonly transmit and receive simultaneously from multiple remote sites. When a controller is communicating with aircraft via a remote site it generally will be possible to hear only one side of the communications.
  • The level of activity on many of these frequencies changes widely depending on the runways currently in use, local weather conditions, air traffic, and other factors. It is common for some of these frequencies to become extremely busy during periods of the day when many planes are departing or landing and weather conditions are bad enough to require use of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) and for them to have very little activity during periods when the airport is not busy and weather conditions are good enough to allow use of Visual Flight Rules (VFR).
  • There is currently low-level interference in the lower part of the VHF aviation band from powerful commercial FM Broadcast stations in the band below that overload the receiver RF input amplifier.

Salt Lake City International Airport Aerial Photograph

Aviation VHF Stations
Frequency Mode Call Distance Description
116.8 MHz AM TCH 10 Miles Wasatch VORTAC navigation. Mode for MCW station identification and infrequent voice communications with aircraft is AM. The AM modulation level is very low to avoid interfering with navigation signal information that is the primary purpose of the station. This station transmits horizontally-polarized waves that are cross-polarized with the vertical receiving antenna, causing the received signal to be weak.
118.3 MHz AM Salt Lake Tower 11.6 Miles Controls aircraft landing and departing Salt Lake International Airport runways 17/35 and 14/32. (Low-level FM Broadcast station interference.)
119.05 MHz AM Salt Lake Tower 11.6 Miles Controls aircraft landing and departing Salt Lake International Airport runways 16L/34R.
119.95 MHz AM Salt Lake Center 26 Miles Controls aircraft flying enroute through a wide area around Salt Lake city. Some communications are via remote sites. Where aircraft are communicating via a remote site generally only one side of the communications will be heard.
120.2 MHz AM Salt Lake Tower 11.6 Miles Controls aircraft landing and departing Salt Lake International Airport.
120.9 MHz AM Salt Lake Approach or Salt Lake Departure 11.6 Miles Used to control aircraft landing and departing Salt Lake City International Airport that are outside the tower control area, below 8000 feet above ground level, and south of 41 degrees north latitude. (Many signals on this frequency are week, because most aircraft within this zone of control are behind a mountain.)
121.1 MHz AM Salt Lake Approach or Salt Lake Departure 11.6 Miles Used to control aircraft landing and departing Salt Lake City International Airport that are outside the tower control area, below 8000 feet above ground level, and north of 41 degrees north latitude.
121.9 MHz AM Salt Lake Ground Control 11.6 Miles Controls aircraft taxing on the ground to and from Salt Lake City International Airport runways 17/35 and 14/32.
124.3 MHz AM Salt Lake Approach or Salt Lake Departure 11.6 Miles One of several frequencies used to control aircraft landing or departing Salt Lake International Airport.

124.75 MHz

and

127.625 MHz

 AM Salt Lake ATIS 11.6 Miles Salt Lake International Airport Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS). Pilots check ATIS for current airport information prior to takeoff or landing. Announcements are identified by letter codes that change whenever there are significant changes in airport weather or other conditions that affect takeoff or landing.
124.9 MHz AM Salt Lake Approach or Salt Lake Departure 11.6 Miles Used to control landing and departing aircraft that are outside the tower control area, 8000 feet or more above ground level, and between 300 and 340 degrees magnetic from Salt Lake City International Airport.
125.55 MHz AM Ogden Tower Information 18.2 Miles Pilots check this frequency for current Ogden Airport information prior to takeoff or landing. Announcements are identified by letter codes that change whenever there are significant changes in airport weather or other conditions that affect takeoff or landing.
125.7 MHz AM Salt Lake Approach or Salt Lake Departure 11.6 Miles One of several frequencies used to control aircraft landing or departing Salt Lake International Airport while they are outside the tower control area.
126.25 MHz AM Salt Lake Approach or Salt Lake Departure 11.6 Miles One of several frequencies used to control aircraft landing or departing Salt Lake International Airport while they are outside the tower control area.
127.15 MHz AM Hill Tower 15 Miles Controls aircraft landing and departing Hill Air Force Base. Operates 0800-2200 Mountain Time.
127.3 MHz AM Clearance Delivery 11.6 Miles Used to request and deliver clearances to fly through controlled airspace. Most communications are with planes on the ground prior to taxi for takeoff.
127.7 MHz AM Salt Lake Center 26 Miles Controls aircraft flying enroute through a wide area around Salt Lake city. Some communications are via remote sites. Where aircraft are communicating via a remote site generally only one side of the communications will be heard.
128.1 MHz AM Salt Lake Approach or Salt Lake Departure 11.6 Miles Used to control landing and departing aircraft that are outside the tower control area, 8000 feet or more above ground level, and between 160 and 250 degrees magnetic from Salt Lake City International Airport.
128.55 MHz AM Salt Lake Center 11.6 Miles Controls aircraft flying enroute through a wide area around Salt Lake city. Some communications are via remote sites. Where aircraft are communicating via a remote site only one side of the communications generally will be heard.
132.65 MHz AM Salt Lake Tower 11.6 Miles Controls aircraft landing and departing Salt Lake International Airport runway 16R/34L.
133.65 MHz AM Salt Lake Ground Control 11.6 Miles Controls aircraft taxing on the ground to and from Salt Lake City International Airport runways 16R/34L and 16L/34R.
133.9 MHz AM Salt Lake Center 26 Miles Controls aircraft flying enroute through a wide area around Salt Lake city. Some communications are via remote sites. Where aircraft are communicating via a remote site only one side of the communications generally will be heard.
134.35 MHz AM Salt Lake Center 11.6 Miles Pilots normally are advised to contact Salt Lake Center on this frequency when they depart uncontrolled airports in the Salt Lake City area.
134.425 MHz AM Salt Lake Airport No. 2 Weather 22.5 Miles Salt Lake Airport No. 2 automated weather observations.
134.925 MHz AM Hill Tower Information 15 Miles Airport Terminal Information Service (ATIS) announcements for aircraft landing and departing Hill Air Force Base. Weekdays only.
135.5 MHz AM Salt Lake Approach or Salt Lake Departure 11.6 Miles Used to control landing and departing aircraft that are outside the tower control area, 8000 feet or more above ground level, and between 340 and 100 degrees magnetic from Salt Lake City International Airport.

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