This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for enabling user equipment (UE) and a base station (BS) to communicate using a set of frequency resources in which a subset of frequency resources include a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS). In one aspect, the UE may measure the PTRS in the subset of frequency resources, and select a phase noise compensation that is used to demodulate a communication from the BS. The subset of frequency resources may be selected from the set frequency resources based on channel conditions of different subsets of frequency resources. The BS may provide an indication of the selected subset of frequency resources to the UE, such as in control information that schedules the communication from the BS.