What changed
The WARC bands — edited Aug 30, 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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The **WARC bands** are 30 metres (10.1 MHz), 17 metres (18.068 MHz) and 12 metres (24.89 MHz).
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They take their name from the World Administrative Radio Conference of 1979, which allocated them
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to the Amateur Radio Service; US amateurs gained access to 30 m in 1982 and to 17 m and 12 m in
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1989.[^warc79]
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They matter for one reason above all others: **contests do not run on them**. The major contest
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sponsors, including the ARRL® and CQ, exclude 30, 17 and 12 m from their events by rule.[^nocontest]
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On a busy contest weekend when 20 m is wall to wall, the WARC bands are where ordinary
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conversation, DXing and experimentation carry on undisturbed.
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## What each band is like
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| Band | Allocation | Character |
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| --- | --- | --- |
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| 30 m | 10.100–10.150 MHz | CW and narrow digital only; no phone. 50 kHz wide, shared with fixed services, secondary status. Reliable day and night, and the classic QRP band. |
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| 17 m | 18.068–18.168 MHz | The quiet DX band. Opens for long-haul work with modest antennas whenever the ionosphere is behaving. |
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| 12 m | 24.890–24.990 MHz | Behaves like 10 m: spectacular at solar maximum, dead at the bottom of the cycle. Worth checking often. |
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30 m carries two additional restrictions worth remembering: US amateurs are **secondary** users
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there and must not cause interference to the fixed services that hold the primary allocation, and
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power is limited to 200 W PEP.[^part97]
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## Who can use them
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17 m and 12 m are available to General, Advanced and Amateur Extra licensees; 30 m is available to
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General and above (with the CW/digital-only restriction above). Technicians do not have privileges
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on any of the WARC bands. Check the current privileges before transmitting — see
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[license classes](/wiki/licensing/license-classes) and
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[band plans](/wiki/operating/band-plans).
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## Why operators like them
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- **No contests.** Rag-chewing, casual DX and experimentation all year round.
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- **Narrow.** 30 m is only 50 kHz wide, which keeps activity concentrated and easy to find.
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- **Excellent for QRP.** Low noise and steady propagation reward small stations and simple wire
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antennas; see [QRP and low-power operating](/wiki/operating/hf-operating).
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- **Easy antennas.** A 17 m or 12 m dipole is small, and many trap and fan dipoles cover the WARC
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bands with no extra hardware.
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## Further reading
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- *The Communicator* (Surrey Amateur Radio Communications), May–June 2025 — a good article on the
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WARC bands.[^communicator]
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- "What are the WARC bands?" — video introduction by The Smoking Ape.[^ape]
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[^warc79]: The 1979 World Administrative Radio Conference allocated 10.100–10.150, 18.068–18.168
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and 24.890–24.990 MHz to the amateur service; the FCC phased US access in during the 1980s.
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[^nocontest]: See the general rules for ARRL® contests and the CQ contest rules, which restrict
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entrants to the 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 m bands.
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[^part97]: 47 CFR §97.303 (secondary status and coordination on 30 m) and §97.313 (200 W PEP limit
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on 10.100–10.150 MHz). See [FCC Part 97](/wiki/reference/fcc-part-97).
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[^communicator]: *The Communicator*, May–June 2025:
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<https://ve7sar.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-communicator-may-june-2025.html>
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[^ape]: The Smoking Ape, "WARC bands": <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faVeHVb75JU>
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*ARRL® is a registered trademark of the American Radio Relay League, Incorporated.*