What changed
Bands and band plans — edited Aug 29, 2026 by Unknown editor
This is the first recorded version, so every line is shown as added. Note: Imported from content/wiki
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Amateur allocations are agreed internationally and implemented by the FCC in Part 97. Within the
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legal edges, **band plans** are voluntary conventions dividing each band by mode. Following them is
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what stops a 50 Hz CW signal from landing inside a voice net.
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## HF — worldwide
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| Band | Character |
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| --- | --- |
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| 160 m | "Top band". Local by day, continental at night. Needs a big antenna. |
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| 80/75 m | Regional nets in the evening and overnight. |
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| 60 m | Five fixed channels, USB, limited power. |
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| 40 m | The all-rounder: regional by day, intercontinental at night. |
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| 30 m | CW and digital only. Quiet and dependable. |
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| 20 m | The classic DX band, open worldwide most days. |
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| 17 m / 15 m | Excellent DX when solar activity is high. |
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| 12 m / 10 m | Spectacular at solar maximum; 10 m also carries local FM and repeaters. |
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## VHF/UHF — local and line of sight
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- **6 m (50 MHz)** — the "magic band": mostly local, but sporadic-E openings go continent-wide.
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- **2 m (144 MHz)** — repeaters, FM simplex, SSB weak-signal work, satellites.
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- **1.25 m (222 MHz)** — quiet, US-centric, excellent repeater coverage where it exists.
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- **70 cm (430 MHz)** — repeaters, digital voice, satellites, amateur television.
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- **23 cm and up** — microwave experimentation, EME, high-speed data.
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## The shape of every band
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CW at the bottom edge, then narrow digital modes, then SSB voice, with FM and repeaters at the top
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on VHF/UHF. On HF, SSB is lower sideband below 10 MHz and upper sideband above it — a convention,
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not a rule, but universally followed.
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## Sub-bands by license class
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Part 97 divides the HF phone segments by class, with Extra having the lowest — and most contested —
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edges. Keep a current chart at the operating position; the ARRL and NARA both publish one.
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## Power
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The legal maximum is 1,500 watts PEP, but Part 97 requires you to use **the minimum power necessary**
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to carry out the communication. On a good 20 m opening that is often five watts.