FM in the USA

[Kim Campbell]

Since FM is now legal in the USA is it being used much? If so what channels are active with it. I have yet to hear any FM.

[Rob.]

There is a lot of activity on 26805 but I am not aware of any common usage or standard in the legal 40 channels.

[RobRich]

About the same here. Practically none on the 40 channels, though admittedly I am not usually actively looking for 11m FM traffic, either.

Occasionally I hear FM from the UK when the 11m band is open to Europe, but that is freebanding for us.

[R4002]

As others have mentioned, 26.805 MHz FM seems to be the "home channel". 

I've noticed US FM activity on 27.605 MHz FM and 27.805 MHz FM...but 26.805 FM is by far the most popular out of band frequency for US stations.

Of course, 27.605 MHz is right next to UK FM CB channel 1 on 27.60125 MHz FM.  27.805 MHz is right next to 27.80125 MHz (UK FM CB channel 21).  As far as the UK FM channels go, I've worked UK stations on 27.97125 FM (UK FM CB channel 38), 27.90125 MHz FM (UK FM CB channel 31) and 27.91125 MHz FM (UK FM CB channel 32).  Naturally UK FM channel 19 is the place to start - 27.78125 MHz FM or just 27.781 MHz FM. 

When the band is nice and open to the UK and Europe, there's lots of SSB QRM all over the band, plus AM and FM signals on the "standard" frequencies like 27.785 MHz [taxi cab dispatcher out of Mexico].   I've noticed that the Latin American stations are happy with using FM in the legal 40 CB band. 
 

As far as in-band legal 40 channels go, I've heard US FM signals on

Channel 14 - 27.125 MHz FM.  Unfortunately, there's a lot of AM users on that frequency. 
Channel 23 - 27.255 MHz FM
Channel 27 - 27.275 MHz FM
and
Channel 29 - 27.295 MHz FM. 

There are some indications that Channel 29 FM is being used in some parts of the country as a secondary channel to Channel 19 AM. 

Channels 30 and 31 are both popular FM calling channels in Europe. 

[ThaDood]

Sporadic "E" started on 11M at around 00:00UTC, last night, from WI, then IL, then OK, AR, TX, then finally LA, just before 03:00UTC. (Interesting North to South "E" tracking.) SSB CH38LSB was just bonkers. Very little 10M activity. However, scanning through the Outband area, around 02:15UTC, I ran into a round-table talk of four locals, (Presumably from "5"-land.), using NBFM. Only one station giving a decent signal, while everyone else MAX'ed-out to maybe a couple of "S" units. The YL in there was pretty subtle on the mic, and pretty much mainly in the noise level. Still, interesting to monitor NBFM on Outband CH65. Kind of wish now that I checked on 6M.

[R4002]

Channel 65 as in 27.655 MHz FM? 

Channel 20 "up one band" - so 27.205 MHz up one band [+450 kHz] = 27.655 MHz FM. 

Makes sense, given the US based activity heard on 27.605 MHz FM and 27.805 MHz FM.  It does sound like a local net on an out of band frequency.

The band has been open a lot lately, lots of interesting stuff on 11m.  Glad to hear more folks are using FM. 

[ThaDood]

Whoops.... I stand corrected. I haven't been monitoring up in the Outband Channels in quite a while, and none of my 40CH CB's are modified to go up there. So, I have to rely on an HF rig to monitor up there. Anyway, THANKS!!!!

[dave524]

When the UK is coming in here, I hear a lot of FM on 27.78125 which is a legal freq there