20-meter band
The 20-meter or 14-MHz amateur radio band is a portion of the shortwave radio spectrum, comprising frequencies stretching from 14.000 MHz to 14.350 MHz.[1] The 20-meter band is widely considered among the best for long-distance communication (DXing), and is one of the most popular—and crowded—during contests.[2] Several factors contribute to this, including the band's large size, the relatively small size of antennas tuned to it (especially as compared to antennas for the 40-meter band or the 80-meter band) and its good potential for daytime DX operation even in unfavorable propagation conditions.[3]
History
The 20-meter band was first made available to amateurs in the United States by the Third National Radio Conference[4] on October 10, 1924. The band was allocated on a worldwide basis by the International Radiotelegraph Conference[5] in Washington, D.C., on October 4, 1927. Its frequency allocation was then 14–14.4 MHz. The allocation was reduced to 14–14.35 MHz by the International Radio Conference of Atlantic City, New Jersey 1947.[6]
Band plans
IARU Region 1
Europe, Africa, Middle East and Northern Asia[7]
| 20 meters | 14000–14070 | 14070–14099 | 14099–14101 | 14101–14350 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IARU Region 1 | ||||
IARU Region 2
The Americas[7]
| 20 meters | 14000–14070 | 14070–14099 | 14099–14101 | 14101–14350 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IARU Region 2 | ||||
IARU Region 3
Asia-Pacific[7]
| 20 meters | 14000–14070 | 14070–14099 | 14099–14101 | 14101–14112 | 14112–14350 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IARU Region 3 | |||||
United States
Effective 12:01 a.m. EST, February 23, 2007
| 20 meters | 14000–14350 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14000–14025 | 14025–14150 | 14150–14175 | 14175–14225 | 14225–14350 | |
| General | |||||
| Advanced | |||||
| Extra | |||||
Canada
Canada[8] is part of region 2 and as such is subject to the IARU band plan. Radio Amateurs of Canada offers the bandplan below as a recommendation for use by radio amateurs in that country but it does not have the force of law and should only be considered a suggestion or guideline.
| License class | 14.000–14.070 | 14.070–14.095 | 14.095–14.0995 | 14.0995–14.1005 | 14.1005–14.112 | 14.112–14.350 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic(+), Advanced |
Key
| = CW only | |
| = CW, narrow band digital ( <= 500 Hz ) | |
| = CW, narrow band digital ( <= 500 Hz ), wide band digital | |
| = CW, RTTY and data (US: < 1 kHz Bandwidth) | |
| = Beacons | |
| = CW, phone | |
| = CW, narrow band digital ( <= 500 Hz ), phone | |
| = CW, phone and image |
References
- "Frequency Allocations". Arrl.org. 5 March 2012. Archived from the original on 14 March 2010. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
- Ford, Steve (ed.). "Picking a band". The ARRL Operating Manual (8th ed.). Newington, CT: American Radio Relay League. p. 1-15.
- "Propagation of RF Signals". The ARRL Handbook For Radio Communications (82nd ed.). Newington, CT: American Radio Relay League. 2005. p. 20.4. ISBN 0-87259-928-0.
- "Frequency or wave band allocations". Recommendations for Regulation of Radio Adopted by the Third National Radio Conference. October 6–10, 1924. p. 15.
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "IARU Regions". www.iaru.org. International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
| Range | Band | ITU Region 1 | ITU Region 2 | ITU Region 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LF | 2200 m | 135.7–137.8 kHz | ||
| MF | 630 m | 472–479 kHz | ||
| 160 m | 1.810–1.850 MHz | 1.800–2.000 MHz | ||
| HF | 80 / 75 m | 3.500–3.800 MHz | 3.500–4.000 MHz | 3.500–3.900 MHz |
| 60 m | 5.3515–5.3665 MHz | |||
| 40 m | 7.000–7.200 MHz | 7.000–7.300 MHz | 7.000–7.200 MHz | |
| 30 m[w] | 10.100–10.150 MHz | |||
| 20 m | 14.000–14.350 MHz | |||
| 17 m[w] | 18.068–18.168 MHz | |||
| 15 m | 21.000–21.450 MHz | |||
| 12 m[w] | 24.890–24.990 MHz | |||
| 10 m | 28.000–29.700 MHz | |||
| VHF | 6 m | 50.000–52.000 MHz (50.000–54.000 MHz)[y] |
50.000–54.000 MHz | |
| 4 m[x] | 70.000–70.500 MHz | N/A | ||
| 2 m | 144.000–146.000 MHz | 144.000–148.000 MHz | ||
| 1.25 m | N/A | 220.000–225.000 MHz | N/A | |
| UHF | 70 cm | 430.000–440.000 MHz | 430.000–440.000 MHz (420.000–450.000 MHz)[y] | |
| 33 cm | N/A | 902.000–928.000 MHz | N/A | |
| 23 cm | 1.240–1.300 GHz | |||
| 13 cm | 2.300–2.450 GHz | |||
| SHF | 9 cm | 3.400–3.475 GHz[y] | 3.300–3.500 GHz | |
| 5 cm | 5.650–5.850 GHz | 5.650–5.925 GHz | 5.650–5.850 GHz | |
| 3 cm | 10.000–10.500 GHz | |||
| 1.2 cm | 24.000–24.250 GHz | |||
| EHF | 6 mm | 47.000–47.200 GHz | ||
| 4 mm[y] | 75.500 GHz[x] – 81.500 GHz | 76.000–81.500 GHz | ||
| 2.5 mm | 122.250–123.000 GHz | |||
| 2 mm | 134.000–141.000 GHz | |||
| 1 mm | 241.000–250.000 GHz | |||
| THF | Sub-mm | Some administrations have authorized spectrum for amateur use in this region; others have declined to regulate frequencies above 300 GHz, leaving them available by default. | ||
|
[w] HF allocation created at the 1979 World Administrative Radio Conference. These are commonly called the "WARC bands". | ||||
| See also: Radio spectrum, Electromagnetic spectrum | ||||