HAM Bands and Calling Frequencies

Before You Transmit

Amateur radio band plans are voluntary operating guidelines intended to help operators using different modes share the spectrum. They do not give any individual, group, or net ownership of a frequency.

Always listen before transmitting and ask whether a frequency is in use when appropriate.

Calling frequencies are generally intended as places to find other operators and establish contact. Especially on simplex, it is good practice to move to another appropriate frequency for a longer conversation when practical.

Frequency privileges also vary by license class. Just because a frequency falls inside an amateur allocation does not necessarily mean every amateur license class may transmit there.

Local and regional band plans can also differ, particularly on VHF, UHF, and microwave bands.

HF Bands

HF, or High Frequency, covers most of the traditional long-distance amateur bands.

HF signals can refract through the ionosphere and return to Earth far beyond the normal radio horizon. Depending on frequency, time of day, season, solar activity, and atmospheric conditions, an HF contact might cover a few hundred miles or reach another continent.

Lower HF frequencies generally require larger antennas but tend to perform well at night and for regional communication. Higher HF bands generally use smaller antennas and can provide excellent long-distance communication when ionospheric conditions cooperate.

160 Meters (1.800–2.000 MHz)

160 meters is the lowest-frequency amateur band commonly found on conventional HF transceivers. It is sometimes nicknamed the “Top Band.”

Best For:
• Nighttime regional and long-distance communication
• Experimenting with low-frequency HF propagation
• CW and SSB operation

Advantages:
• Can provide excellent nighttime propagation
• Useful for regional communication
• Interesting propagation characteristics for experimentation

Considerations:
• Efficient antennas can be extremely large
• Daytime signals are heavily affected by ionospheric absorption
• Atmospheric and electrical noise can be significant

Common Activity Frequencies:
• 1.810 MHz — QRP CW calling
• 1.910 MHz — QRP SSB

80 Meters (3.500–4.000 MHz)

The 80-meter band is extremely useful for regional communication, particularly in the evening and overnight.

The voice portion of this allocation is also commonly referred to as the 75-meter band.

Best For:
• Local and regional HF communication
• Nighttime nets
• NVIS communication
• Emergency and public-service communications

NVIS, or Near Vertical Incidence Skywave, sends a signal almost straight upward so it can return to Earth relatively close to the transmitting station. This can help fill the coverage gap between local VHF communication and conventional long-distance HF.

Advantages:
• Excellent nighttime regional coverage
• Very useful for NVIS
• Popular for regional nets

Considerations:
• Antennas can still be quite large
• Atmospheric noise and thunderstorms can make the band noisy

Common Activity Frequencies:
• 3.560 MHz — QRP CW calling
• 3.885 MHz — AM calling
• 3.985 MHz — QRP SSB calling

40 Meters (7.000–7.300 MHz)

40 meters is one of the most versatile amateur HF bands.

During the day, it can be excellent for regional contacts. After sunset, changing ionospheric conditions can allow signals to travel much farther.

Best For:
• Regional communication
• NVIS
• Long-distance nighttime contacts
• Portable and emergency operation

Advantages:
• Useful during both the day and night
• Excellent regional coverage
• Often capable of significant long-distance communication after dark

Considerations:
• The band can become extremely crowded
• Antennas are still relatively large compared with higher HF bands

Common Activity Frequencies:
• 7.030 MHz — QRP CW calling
• 7.285 MHz — QRP SSB calling
• 7.290 MHz — AM calling

30 Meters (10.100–10.150 MHz)

30 meters sits between the propagation characteristics of 40 and 20 meters and can be an excellent band for reliable medium- and long-distance communication.

Unlike most HF bands, U.S. amateurs may not use conventional voice operation on 30 meters. The band is primarily used for CW and data.

Best For:
• CW
• Digital modes
• Medium- and long-distance communication

Advantages:
• Often remains useful when neighboring bands are changing
• Good propagation for low-power operation
• Popular with CW and digital operators

Considerations:
• Very narrow allocation
• Phone operation is not permitted in the United States
• Operating power and emission restrictions apply

There is no single broadly designated national voice calling frequency because voice operation is not permitted on the band.

20 Meters (14.000–14.350 MHz)

20 meters is one of the most popular amateur bands for worldwide communication.

It frequently supports long-distance communication during daylight and may remain usable into the evening depending on solar conditions.

Best For:
• Worldwide DX
• SSB
• CW
• Digital modes
• Contesting

Advantages:
• One of the most consistently useful DX bands
• Excellent balance between antenna size and propagation
• Large amount of amateur activity

Considerations:
• Can become extremely crowded during contests and major events
• Propagation can change significantly as ionospheric conditions change

Common Activity Frequencies:
• 14.060 MHz — QRP CW calling
• 14.285 MHz — QRP SSB calling
• 14.286 MHz — AM calling

17 Meters (18.068–18.168 MHz)

17 meters is one of the WARC bands and provides many of the long-distance capabilities of 20 meters while often being less crowded.

Best For:
• DX
• Casual SSB contacts
• CW
• Digital modes

Advantages:
• Excellent long-distance potential
• Often less congested than 20 meters
• Good compromise between propagation and antenna size

Considerations:
• Availability depends heavily on ionospheric and solar conditions
• There is no universally recognized general-purpose SSB calling frequency comparable to VHF/UHF national simplex calling channels

15 Meters (21.000–21.450 MHz)

15 meters can provide excellent worldwide communication when solar conditions support it.

Best For:
• Long-distance DX
• SSB
• CW
• Digital operation

Advantages:
• Excellent worldwide propagation when open
• Smaller antennas than the lower HF bands
• Can be less crowded than 20 meters

Considerations:
• More dependent on solar activity than lower-frequency bands
• May appear nearly dead when propagation is poor

Common Activity Frequencies:
• 21.060 MHz — QRP CW calling
• 21.385 MHz — QRP SSB calling

12 Meters (24.890–24.990 MHz)

12 meters is another WARC band and shares characteristics with both 15 and 10 meters.

Best For:
• DX
• SSB
• CW
• Digital modes

Advantages:
• Excellent DX potential when open
• Relatively small antennas
• Often less crowded than major contest bands

Considerations:
• Strongly dependent on propagation conditions
• Can appear inactive when the ionosphere does not support the band

There is no single widely recognized national SSB calling frequency for ordinary operation.

10 Meters (28.000–29.700 MHz)

10 meters is the highest-frequency traditional HF amateur band and behaves somewhat like a bridge between HF and VHF.

When conditions are right, remarkably strong signals can travel hundreds or thousands of miles. When conditions are poor, the same band may appear almost completely inactive.

Best For:
• Long-distance DX
• Local communication
• FM simplex and repeaters
• SSB
• CW
• Digital modes

Advantages:
• Spectacular long-distance communication during favorable solar conditions
• Relatively small antennas
• Supports several operating modes, including FM voice

Considerations:
• Highly dependent on solar and ionospheric conditions
• Long-distance propagation can appear and disappear rapidly

Common Activity Frequencies:
• 28.060 MHz — QRP CW calling
• 28.385 MHz — QRP SSB calling
• 29.600 MHz — National FM simplex frequency

10 meters is located immediately above the 11-meter Citizens Band service, but the two services do not share the same frequencies.

VHF and UHF Bands

VHF and UHF communication is generally more dependent on line-of-sight propagation than HF.

Height becomes extremely important. A relatively low-power radio connected to an antenna high above the surrounding terrain can sometimes outperform a much more powerful station using a poorly placed antenna.

Repeaters are commonly used to extend communication range, while simplex allows two stations to communicate directly.

Special propagation conditions such as tropospheric ducting and Sporadic E can occasionally produce contacts far beyond normal line-of-sight range.

6 Meters (50–54 MHz)

6 meters is commonly called the “Magic Band” because its propagation can change dramatically.

At times it behaves like an ordinary VHF band. During Sporadic E or other enhanced propagation conditions, stations hundreds or even thousands of miles apart may suddenly be able to communicate.

Best For:
• Local simplex
• SSB weak-signal work
• Sporadic E contacts
• Repeaters
• Propagation experimentation

Advantages:
• Can provide exceptional long-distance openings
• Antennas are much smaller than HF antennas
• Supports both local and DX operation

Considerations:
• Long-distance openings can be unpredictable
• Normal coverage is generally much more localized

Calling Frequencies:
• 50.125 MHz USB — SSB calling
• 52.525 MHz FM — Primary FM simplex calling

2 Meters (144–148 MHz)

2 meters is one of the most widely used amateur radio bands in the United States.

It is extremely popular for local simplex communication, repeaters, emergency communications, mobile operation, satellites, and weak-signal work.

Best For:
• Local communication
• Repeaters
• Mobile and handheld operation
• Emergency communications
• SSB weak-signal operation
• Amateur satellites

Advantages:
• Excellent availability of radios and antennas
• Small, practical antennas
• Extensive repeater infrastructure
• Very useful for mobile and portable operation

Considerations:
• Normal simplex range is primarily line-of-sight
• Terrain, buildings, and antenna height can dramatically affect range

Calling Frequencies:
• 144.200 MHz USB — SSB/CW weak-signal calling
• 146.520 MHz FM — National simplex calling frequency

146.520 MHz is one of the most recognizable amateur simplex frequencies in the United States. It is commonly monitored by operators looking for local contacts.

For an extended conversation, operators may move to another appropriate simplex frequency when practical.

1.25 Meters (222–225 MHz)

The 1.25-meter, or 220 MHz, band is unique to a relatively small portion of the world and is less heavily used than either 2 meters or 70 centimeters.

Best For:
• Local simplex
• Repeaters
• Weak-signal work
• Experimentation

Advantages:
• Often much less congested
• Small antennas
• Good local propagation

Considerations:
• Fewer consumer radios support the band
• Repeater and simplex activity varies significantly by area

Calling Frequencies:
• 222.100 MHz — CW/SSB calling
• 223.500 MHz FM — National simplex calling

70 Centimeters (420–450 MHz)

The 70-centimeter band is another extremely popular local communications band.

Its shorter wavelength allows very small antennas, making it especially convenient for handheld radios and compact installations.

Best For:
• Repeaters
• Local simplex
• Digital voice
• Amateur satellites
• Weak-signal operation
• Portable communication

Advantages:
• Small antennas
• Extensive repeater use
• Works well with handheld radios
• Large amount of spectrum available

Considerations:
• Signals are generally line-of-sight
• Buildings and terrain can significantly affect coverage
• Amateur radio shares portions of this spectrum with other services
• Local repeater coordination and regional band plans are particularly important

Calling Frequencies:
• 432.100 MHz USB/CW — Weak-signal calling
• 446.000 MHz FM — National simplex calling frequency

33 Centimeters (902–928 MHz)

The 33-centimeter band provides amateur access to the 900 MHz region.

Compared with 2 meters and 70 centimeters, it has significantly less consumer equipment available, but it is popular with experimenters and operators using converted commercial equipment.

Best For:
• Local simplex
• Repeaters
• Digital voice
• Experimental operation
• Converted commercial radio equipment

Advantages:
• Very small antennas
• Large amount of spectrum
• Often less crowded with amateur activity

Considerations:
• Amateur operation shares the band with other users
• Propagation becomes increasingly line-of-sight
• Commercial and industrial devices can produce substantial RF activity in the band
• Equipment availability is more limited

Calling Frequencies:
• 902.100 MHz — CW/SSB weak-signal calling
• 906.500 MHz FM — Simplex calling

23 Centimeters (1240–1300 MHz)

The 23-centimeter band moves amateur radio into the lower microwave spectrum.

It is used for repeaters, simplex, weak-signal communication, amateur television, digital experimentation, and satellite-related operation.

Best For:
• Microwave experimentation
• Repeaters
• Weak-signal communication
• Amateur television
• Digital communication

Advantages:
• Extremely small antennas
• Significant available bandwidth
• Useful for specialized and experimental projects

Considerations:
• Strongly dependent on line-of-sight propagation
• Feed-line loss becomes increasingly important
• Specialized equipment is often required
• Activity may be limited depending on location

Calling Frequencies:
• 1294.500 MHz FM — National FM simplex calling frequency
• 1296.100 MHz — CW/SSB weak-signal calling frequency

Understanding Calling Frequencies

Calling frequencies work somewhat differently depending on the band and operating mode.

VHF and UHF

VHF and UHF have several well-established national calling frequencies.

Examples include:

• 52.525 MHz — 6-meter FM
• 144.200 MHz — 2-meter SSB/CW
• 146.520 MHz — 2-meter FM
• 222.100 MHz — 1.25-meter SSB/CW
• 223.500 MHz — 1.25-meter FM
• 432.100 MHz — 70-centimeter SSB/CW
• 446.000 MHz — 70-centimeter FM
• 902.100 MHz — 33-centimeter SSB/CW
• 906.500 MHz — 33-centimeter FM
• 1294.500 MHz — 23-centimeter FM
• 1296.100 MHz — 23-centimeter SSB/CW

These are useful frequencies to monitor when looking for simplex contacts.

HF

HF does not generally have one universal voice calling channel for each band in the same way that 146.520 MHz serves 2-meter FM.

Instead, certain frequencies are commonly associated with particular activities such as QRP, AM, SSTV, digital modes, or other operating interests.

For normal SSB operation, an operator will usually tune through the portion of the band authorized for phone operation, find an unused frequency, listen carefully, ask whether the frequency is in use, and then call CQ.

That distinction is important: a frequency described as a “QRP calling frequency” or “AM calling frequency” should not be treated as the mandatory calling channel for everyone using that band.

Choosing the Right Band

The best amateur band depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

For local handheld and mobile communication:
2 meters and 70 centimeters are usually the most practical choices.

For regional communication:
40 and 80 meters can provide excellent coverage, particularly when NVIS propagation is available.

For worldwide contacts:
20 meters is one of the most dependable choices, while 17, 15, 12, and 10 meters can provide outstanding DX when conditions are favorable.

For unpredictable propagation:
6 meters and 10 meters can produce dramatic long-distance openings.

For experimentation:
1.25 meters, 33 centimeters, 23 centimeters, and the higher microwave bands provide opportunities that are very different from conventional HF operating.