Preparedness · Verified Frequencies
Disaster Freq's
A complete, verified channel list for Southern California earthquakes and natural disasters. Program these before you need them.
Program these now. In a major earthquake, many repeaters lose power. This list is priority-ordered: start local with your county ARES repeater, step down to wide-coverage machines, then simplex. Listen before you transmit — don't add to congestion when a disaster strikes.
⚡ Priority 1 — Must Have (Works Even Without Repeater Infrastructure)
Must Program
146.520
National 2m Emergency Simplex
The universal fallback when every repeater fails. Every ham in the US knows this frequency. Works with any radio, no infrastructure needed.
No PL — Simplex
Must Program
446.000
National 70cm Emergency Simplex
Primary 70cm simplex backup. Works when 2m is congested. Essential for HT-to-HT contact when no repeaters are operational.
No PL — Simplex
Must Program
144.390
APRS — National
Send your GPS position and a short status message without tying up a voice frequency. Excellent way to say "I'm OK" passively.
No PL — Data / APRS
Priority 2 — Wide-Coverage SoCal Repeaters (Backup Generator Power)
Inland Empire
146.385
Keller Peak — KE6TZG (KPRA)
Official IE Emergency Comm Repeater. Wide-area coverage: Inland Empire, LA, Orange, parts of SD. IRLP #3216. Primary for ARES nets.
Offset: + · PL: 146.2
San Diego
146.730
Palomar Mtn — W6NWG (PARC)
Highly reliable high-site coverage for most of San Diego County. Top choice for SD-area operators in any emergency.
Offset: − · PL: 107.2
San Diego ARES
147.060
San Diego ARES EC Linked
SD ARES linked system primary. Linked to 449.260 − and 449.440 − (both PL 107.2) for maximum county coverage.
Offset: + · PL: 107.2
Orange County
443.050
OC ARES — W4MCO (Analog)
Orange County ARES primary analog repeater. Downtown OC site. Linked system for county-wide coverage. Source: ocares.org
Offset: +5.00 · PL: 103.5
LA County
145.300
LA DCS / RACES Primary
LA County Disaster Communications Service primary. Monday 7 PM net. DCS tone encoded — check current tone with LA DCS.
Offset: − · DCS Encoded
Ventura County
145.200
Sulphur Mtn — County-Wide VC
Ventura County ACS/ARES county-wide primary repeater. Covers all 8 VC areas from Sulphur Mountain site.
Offset: − · PL: 127.3
Priority 3 — County-Specific Emergency Repeaters
SD / Imperial
449.440
Otay Mtn — SD ARES Link
Part of San Diego ARES linked trio. South SD county coverage. Same PL as 147.060 and 449.260.
Offset: − · PL: 107.2
Imperial County
147.150
Mt. Laguna — Imperial ARES
Primary for Imperial Valley and east San Diego County ARES operations.
Offset: + · PL: 107.2
OC ARES Link
146.730
OC ARES — W4MCO (Linked)
OC ARES linked site — tied to 443.525 and 444.125 for county-wide coverage. Note: different PL from the Palomar machine.
Offset: −0.600 · PL: 103.5
Riverside RACES
3.945 LSB
Riverside County RACES/ARES HF
Riverside County ARES/RACES HF emergency net. 80 meters, LSB mode. For when VHF/UHF infrastructure is down.
Mode: LSB / 80 Meters
SB County RACES
3.987 LSB
San Bernardino County RACES HF
San Bernardino County RACES primary HF net. Covers IE, High Desert, and mountains under the county system.
Mode: LSB / 80 Meters
Orange County ARES
3.965 LSB
Orange County ARES HF
Orange County ARES public service HF net frequency. 80 meters LSB — for when VHF repeaters are unavailable.
Mode: LSB / 80 Meters
HF — Statewide Fallback When All Local Infrastructure Fails
HF — Night
3.992 LSB
CA Emergency Services Net (Night)
Primary California Emergency Services Net — nighttime operation. Best 80m coverage after sunset across California.
Mode: LSB / 80 Meters · Night
HF — Day
7.192 LSB
CA Emergency Services Net (Day)
California Emergency Services Net — daytime. 40m provides excellent statewide coverage during daylight. Connects the whole state.
Mode: LSB / 40 Meters · Day
📡 Non-Ham Frequencies to Monitor During a Disaster
A scanner, SDR, or wideband HT lets you monitor these alongside your ham frequencies. No ham license needed to receive any of these.
NOAA Weather
162.400–162.550
NOAA Weather Radio — All 7 Channels
Continuous weather & emergency alerts. Most HTs with wide receive can tune these. Program all 7 channels. Critical for disaster warnings.
WX1: 162.550 · WX2: 162.400 · WX3: 162.475
Aviation
121.500 AM
Aviation Guard — International Emergency
All aircraft, search & rescue helicopters, and air resources monitor this. Receive only — AM mode. Know where the air assets are operating.
Mode: AM — Receive only
FRS / GMRS
462.5625
FRS Channel 1 / GMRS Emergency
Many civilians default to FRS channel 1 after a disaster. Monitor to assist neighbors who don't have ham radios.
FRS / GMRS · No ham license needed
MURS
151.940
MURS Channel 3
Multi-Use Radio Service — no license needed. Used by many neighborhood preparedness groups. Good for community-level comms.
MURS — No license required
CB Radio
27.065
CB Channel 9 — Emergency
Citizens Band emergency channel. Truckers, RV owners, and many vehicles still have CB. Useful for road conditions after a major quake.
CB AM — No license required
Marine
156.800
Marine Channel 16 — Distress & Calling
International maritime distress channel. Coast Guard monitors continuously. Relevant near the SoCal coast and inland waterways.
Marine VHF FM — Receive only w/o license
🌊 SoCal Earthquake Response — Step by Step
- Listen first. After a quake, monitor your priority frequencies before transmitting. Avoid adding to congestion.
- Start local → work outward. Try your county ARES/RACES repeater first. If active, check in with your call and location. If silent, try the next repeater down your list.
- Repeaters down? Go simplex. Switch to 146.520 MHz. It's the universal meeting point when infrastructure fails.
- APRS for "I'm OK" messages. 144.390 MHz. Even one position beacon tells the network you're safe without tying up a voice frequency.
- HF is the ultimate fallback. If all local VHF/UHF infrastructure is gone, 3.992 LSB (night) or 7.192 LSB (day) reaches the entire state.
- Solar-powered sites last longer. CARA (Catalina) repeaters run on solar and have the best chance of surviving extended grid outages. Prioritize them for longer-duration events.
- Join ARES now — don't wait for a disaster. Your county ARES group will give you the exact current channel assignments and keep you in the loop. arrl.org/ares