Amateur Radio Band Chart
Enter a frequency to find its wavelength, which US amateur band it falls in, and which license classes may transmit there.
Band & wavelength
| License class | May transmit here? | Modes | Power limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technician | Yes, 144.1–148 MHz | CW, phone, image, RTTY, data | 1,500 W PEP |
| General | Yes, 144.1–148 MHz | CW, phone, image, RTTY, data | 1,500 W PEP |
| Amateur Extra | Yes, 144.1–148 MHz | CW, phone, image, RTTY, data | 1,500 W PEP |
| Band | Frequency range | Classes with any privilege |
|---|---|---|
| 2200m | 0.1357–0.1378 MHz | General, Amateur Extra |
| 630m | 0.472–0.479 MHz | General, Amateur Extra |
| 160m | 1.8–2 MHz | General, Amateur Extra |
| 80m | 3.5–4 MHz | Technician, General, Amateur Extra |
| 60m | 5.3515–5.3665 MHz | General, Amateur Extra |
| 40m | 7–7.3 MHz | Technician, General, Amateur Extra |
| 30m | 10.1–10.15 MHz | General, Amateur Extra |
| 20m | 14–14.35 MHz | General, Amateur Extra |
| 17m | 18.068–18.168 MHz | General, Amateur Extra |
| 15m | 21–21.45 MHz | Technician, General, Amateur Extra |
| 12m | 24.89–24.99 MHz | General, Amateur Extra |
| 10m | 28–29.7 MHz | Technician, General, Amateur Extra |
| 6m | 50–54 MHz | Technician, General, Amateur Extra |
| 2m | 144–148 MHz | Technician, General, Amateur Extra |
| 1.25m | 219–220 MHz | Technician, General, Amateur Extra |
| 1.25m | 222–225 MHz | Technician, General, Amateur Extra |
| 70cm | 420–450 MHz | Technician, General, Amateur Extra |
| 33cm | 902–928 MHz | Technician, General, Amateur Extra |
| 23cm | 1240–1300 MHz | Technician, General, Amateur Extra |
From 2200 meters down to 23 centimeters
Amateur radio operators are allocated narrow slices of spectrum scattered from 136 kHz all the way up past 1,200 MHz, each with its own personality. The lower HF bands like 160m and 80m favor nighttime long-distance contacts; 20m is a reliable daytime workhorse for talking across continents; and the VHF/UHF bands like 2m and 70cm are the local, line-of-sight bands most new hams get on the air with first.
Knowing a frequency's band matters because privileges, antenna lengths, and propagation behavior are all tied to it — a dipole cut for 40m is roughly twice as long as one cut for 20m, and what works well at night on 80m often does the opposite at noon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are amateur bands named after a length in meters?
Each band's name is (approximately) the wavelength of a signal near the middle of that range — the 2m band, for instance, centers on frequencies whose wavelength works out to roughly 2 meters. It's a holdover from the early days of radio, when engineers thought in wavelength before frequency, and it stuck.
How is wavelength calculated from frequency?
From the basic wave relationship c = f × λ, where c is the speed of light. Rearranged for wavelength: λ (in meters) = 299.792458 ÷ frequency (in MHz). At 146 MHz, for example, that works out to about 2.05 meters — right in line with the "2 meter" band name.
Why does a frequency like 27 MHz show no amateur band?
27 MHz sits in the Citizens Band (CB) radio allocation, not an amateur radio band — the nearest amateur allocation is the 10-meter band starting at 28.0 MHz. This chart only covers amateur allocations, not CB, marine, aviation, or broadcast frequencies.
Which country does this chart cover?
The United States only. Every edge and privilege comes from the FCC's rules, 47 CFR Part 97 (sections 97.301, 97.303, 97.305, 97.307 and 97.313), ITU Region 2 column, checked on 2026-09-29. Other countries differ: in ITU Regions 1 and 3, for example, 40 m stops at 7.200 MHz and 70 cm is 430-440 MHz. Outside the US, use your own regulator's band plan.
Can I transmit on a frequency just because it shows a band?
No. Transmitting needs an amateur license, and each license class holds different slices of each band. A US Technician, for instance, may send only CW on 80, 40 and 15 meters, at 200 W PEP. The class table shows who may transmit on the frequency you enter; the FCC rules are the final word, and they change (60 m became a 15 kHz band on February 13, 2026).
Why does the chart warn me near a band edge?
Because your whole signal must stay inside your privileges, not just the number on the dial. An SSB or data signal is roughly 3 kHz wide, so a dial set 1 kHz below a top edge in upper sideband puts part of the signal outside the band. Keep at least 3 kHz of margin.
Educational reference for the United States (FCC Part 97, checked 2026-09-29). Transmitting requires an amateur license; confirm your frequency, mode and power against the current FCC rules (eCFR, 47 CFR Part 97) before operating.