Looking back at The Trawler Band:
Back in the 1960s and 70s, I used to love tuning around the trawler band. I’d spend hours listening to the ships, the fishing boats, ship to shore telephone calls… great fun. Sadly, it’s all gone now, the band is dead. But, I have many happy memories, some of which I’ll share with you. Have a listen…
The trawler band refers to a segment of the HF maritime radio spectrum that was commonly used by fishing vessels, particularly trawlers, for ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communications. The trawler band covered approximately: 2–4 MHz, specifically: Between 2.000 MHz and 3.999 MHz, but most commonly 2.000–2.850 MHz. This band was used informally and regionally (especially in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic), and the exact frequencies varied by country and fleet.
Used for voice (AM or SSB) communications between fishing boats. Informal “chat” frequencies were common — hence the nickname “trawler band”. These were not official maritime distress or safety channels. In modern times, many of these operations have moved to VHF marine channels (156–162 MHz) and digital systems (like DSC, Inmarsat, or Iridium).
Example Frequencies
2.182 MHz — international distress frequency
2.277 MHz — common calling channel
2.520 MHz – 2.850 MHz — regional trawler communications
I hope to add more to this page soon.