Frequency guides help scanner users identify local radio systems, public safety channels, aviation frequencies, railroad communications, and other commonly monitored radio traffic. Whether using printed frequency guides or online frequency databases, having accurate frequency information is an important part of getting the most from your scanner setup.

In this example, we are using a Chrome-based browser, which includes Chrome itself, Microsoft Edge, Brave, Duck Duck Go, and many others.

You will find most railroad and aviation information at the state level of the Radio Reference database. In some cases, drilling down into the counties will also yield additional results, so it's worth a look.

1. Start here: https://www.radioreference.com/db/browse/ - this link will bring you to a map of the United States. Each state is clickable. In our example we want to have a look for Massachusetts Railroads.
2. Click once on Massachusetts.
3. You'll see a map of the state, with all of its counties outlined. For now, on the right you will see a list with the header of "State Entity". In that list you will find a LOT of info! Our target is railroads in this case, so we will use the vertical scroll bar or the mouse wheel to scroll down, and there's "Massachusetts Railroads".
4. Click once on Massachusetts (or whatever state's data you're viewing) Railroads. This will present you with a list of different railroads, the frequencies they are using for their operations, and what each frequency is used for.
5. Now, how to get this from page to print. Read on!
6. Ever use the right-click button on your mouse? You'd be surprised at all of the neat things you can do with the drop down menus that appear when you do. In this case, doing so results in a menu appearing, and one of the choices for that menu is "Print". If you prefer using your keyboard, a key combination of CTRL-P will yield the same result. You'll be presented with a pop-up screen that allows for print options.
7. If you have a printer, you can choose it at this point and directly print the list to paper.
8. If you are saving it for later, future reference, or transfer to another computer/tablet/phone, you can drop down the "Destination" window on the right and choose "Save as PDF". Doing so will change the "Print" button in the lower right of that window to "Save".
9. If you click on the Save button you will be prompted for two things. Where to save it, and what to call it. Keep track of both so you can find your way to the file once you've done so. Once you've named it what you want it to be called and know where it's going (usually your Downloads folder) click save.

That's all there is to it. A sample .PDF is attached. This procedure should work regardless of what data you are viewing in the Radio Reference database. The procedure to do so may differ a bit in some non-Chrome type browsers (Firefox) but the end result should be the same.

Happy Scanning!

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Before online databases became the standard, printed scanner frequency guides and books were one of the most popular tools for scanner hobbyists. Many scanner users still search for frequency guides today when looking for local frequencies, trunked radio systems, aviation channels, railroad frequencies, marine communications, and public safety radio information.