Amateur radio frequency allocations

Amateur radio frequency allocation is done by national telecommunications authorities. Globally, the ITU oversees how much radio spectrum is set aside for amateur radio transmissions.

Radio amateurs use a variety of transmission modes, including Morse code, radioteletype, data, and voice. Specific frequency allocations are a matter of record and vary from country to country and between ITU regions.

FCC Part 97.301 (courtesy of ARRL) includes a table comparing frequency allocations for all three regions.

Additional recommended knowledge

Essential Laboratory Skills Guide

Daily Visual Balance Check

Daily Sensitivity Test

ITU Region 1

For ITU region 1, Radio Society of Great Britain's band plan will be more definitive.

• Low Frequency (LF) (30 to 300 kHz)
  • 136 kHz (135.7 kHz to 137.8 kHz)

...

• Very High Frequency (VHF) (30 to 300 MHz)
  • 4 metres (70 to 70.5 MHz), UK only

However there are also 4m amateur allocations in other ITU Region 1 countries e.g. Ireland 70.125 to 70.450 MHz

Table of Amateur MF and HF Bandplans

The following charts show the voluntary bandplans used by amateurs in Region 1. Unlike the USA slots for the various transmission modes are not set by the amateur's licence but most users do follow these guidelines.

Key

ITU Region 2

The frequency allocations for United States hams in ITU Region 2 are:

• Medium Frequency (MF) (300 kHz to 3 MHz)
  • 160 meters (1.8 - 2.0 MHz)
• High Frequency (HF) (3.0 - 30.0 MHz)
  • 80 meters (3.5 - 4.0 MHz)
  • 60 meters (five USB voice channels: 5.332, 5.348, 5.368, 5.373, 5.405 MHz)
  • 40 meters (7.0 - 7.3 MHz)
  • 30 meters (10.100 - 10.150 MHz)
  • 20 meters (14.000 - 14.350 MHz)
  • 17 meters (18.068 - 18.168 MHz)
  • 15 meters (21.000 - 21.450 MHz)
  • 12 meters (24.890 - 24.990 MHz)
  • 10 meters (28.0 - 29.7 MHz)
• Very High Frequency (VHF) (30 to 300 MHz)
  • 6 meters (50 - 54 MHz)
  • 2 meters (144 - 148 MHz)
  • 1.25 meters (219 - 220, 222 - 225 MHz)
• Ultra High Frequency (UHF) (300 MHz to 3 GHz)
  • 70 centimeters (420 - 450 MHz)
  • 33 centimeters (902 - 928 MHz)
  • 23 centimeters (1.24 - 1.3 GHz)
  • 13 centimeters (2.30 - 2.31 GHz and 2.39 - 2.45 GHz)
• Super High Frequency (SHF) (3 to 30 GHz)
  • 9 centimeters (3.3 - 3.5 GHz)
  • 5 centimeters (5.65 - 5.925 GHz)
  • 3 centimeters (10.0 - 10.5 GHz)
  • 1.2 centimeters (24.00 - 24.25 GHz)
• Extremely High Frequency (EHF) (30 to 300 GHz)
  • 6 millimeters (47.0 - 47.2 GHz)
  • 4 millimeters (75.5 - 81.0 GHz)
  • 2.5 millimeters (119.98 - 120.02 GHz)
  • 2 millimeters (142 - 149 GHz)
  • 1 millimeter (241 - 250 GHz)

The ARRL has a detailed band plan for US hams showing allocations within each band.

RAC has a chart showing the frequencies available to amateurs in Canada.

United States Table of Amateur MF and HF Allocations

Effective 12:01 a.m. EST, February 23, 2007

Key

ITU Region 3

IARU Region 3 Bandplan [1]

The Wireless Institute of Australia has charts for Amateur frequencies for Australia.