Pilots can obtain in-flight weather information by contacting a Flight Service Station (FSS) on the universal FSS frequency of 122.2. If this frequency is congested, unavailable, or the transmission is weak, local FSS frequencies can be found in the Airport Facilities Directory (AFD). Selected VORs on sectional charts also list FSS frequencies above the ID box. Boxes with a heavy line have local frequencies and boxes with a thin line are Remote Communications Outlets (RCOs) that receive transmissions and forward them by landline to the monitoring FSS facility. The name of the station will be listed below the box (Leesburg in the picture above). The FSS should be addressed as “Radio” in the initial call up (e.g., “Riverside Radio…”). When the frequency above the box is followed by an R (122.1R in the picture above), the FSS receives on that frequency and transmits back to the pilot over the VOR frequency listed inside the ID box (114.2 in the picture above).

To properly communicate, pilots will need to tune their NAV radio to the VOR frequency (listen to the Morse code identifier to make sure it is the correct station), turn up the NAV radio volume, and transmit with the COM radio over the frequency found above the ID box. In the initial call up, pilots will need to let the FSS facility know which VOR frequency they are using to receive (e.g., “Riverside Radio, Cessna 2623R listening on 114.2…). Frequencies listed above the VOR ID box that are not followed by an R are simplex frequencies and pilots should use only the COM radio for both transmitting and receiving. When a VOR frequency found inside the ID box is underlined, the station has no voice capability.