(I could google it but some things I'd much rather get the info from real people who know their stuff :-)
“what is “fingers”?”
Fingers is 122.75 MHz. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officially designates 123.45 MHz for flight test operations and specific oceanic air-to-air communications, not general casual conversation. Many pilots informally (and improperly) use 123.45 MHz as an air-to-air “chat” channel to talk to other aircraft during flight. The official and legal frequency designated for private, fixed-wing aircraft-to-aircraft communication in US domestic airspace is 122.75 MHz. But even fingers has purpose and is sometimes misused: (loophole)
Flight schools and student pilots use it to announce positions, maneuvers, and intentions while operating inside local practice areas. Pilots in loose formations use it to coordinate movements, and the FCC rules require keeping transmissions brief and necessary for safety. Transmissions must stay limited to safety, efficient operation, and the protection of property. It is not a chat line. Using it for extended non-essential conversations or social chatting violates proper radio discipline and clutters the frequency for other nearby pilots to use for flying business. So even a line, not attached to ATC, has limitations on it’s use. And it is a rule violated too often just like what the two airline pilots did.
wy69
I’ve always heard it referred to as “the count”.