The World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC) bands are three portions of the
shortwave
Shortwave radio is radio transmission using radio frequencies in the shortwave bands (SW). There is no official definition of the band range, but it always includes all of the high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30 MHz (app ...
radio spectrum used by licensed and/or certified
amateur radio
Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency radio spectrum, spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emer ...
operators. They consist of 30 meters (10.1–10.15 MHz), 17 meters (18.068–18.168 MHz), and 12 meters (24.89–24.99 MHz).
[U.S. Amateur Frequency Allocations http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/allocate.html Accessed 9 September 2008] They were named after the
World Administrative Radio Conference The World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC) was a 1979 technical conference of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) where delegates from member nations of the ITU met to revise or amend the entire international Radio Regulations, rad ...
, which in 1979 created a worldwide allocation of these bands for amateur use. The bands were opened for use in the early 1980s. Due to their relatively small
bandwidth
Bandwidth commonly refers to:
* Bandwidth (signal processing) or ''analog bandwidth'', ''frequency bandwidth'', or ''radio bandwidth'', a measure of the width of a frequency range
* Bandwidth (computing), the rate of data transfer, bit rate or thr ...
of 100 kHz or less, there is a
gentlemen's agreement
A gentlemen's agreement, or gentleman's agreement, is an informal and legally non-binding wikt:agreement, agreement between two or more parties. It is typically Oral contract, oral, but it may be written or simply understood as part of an unspok ...
that the WARC bands may not be used for general
contesting
Contesting (also known as '' radiosport'') is a competitive activity pursued by amateur radio operators. In a contest, an amateur radio station, which may be operated by an individual or a team, seeks to contact as many other amateur radio sta ...
. This agreement has been codified in official recommendations, such as the IARU Region 1 HF Manager's Handbook, which states: "Contest activity shall not take place on the 5, 10, 18, and 24 MHz bands."
Non-contesting radio amateurs are recommended to use the contest-free HF bands (30, 17, and 12m) during the largest international contests.
12-meter band plan
IARU Region 1
IARU Region 2
Canada
Canada is part of region 2 and as such is subject to the IARU band plan.
Radio Amateurs of Canada
Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC), known in French as Radio Amateurs du Canada, is the national association for Amateur Radio in Canada. It is a not-for-profit membership association with headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, representing the in ...
offers the bandplan below as a recommendation for use by radio amateurs in that country.
United States
IARU Region 3
Japan
17-meter band plan
IARU Region 1
IARU Region 2
Canada
Canada is part of region 2 and as such is subject to the IARU band plan.
Radio Amateurs of Canada
Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC), known in French as Radio Amateurs du Canada, is the national association for Amateur Radio in Canada. It is a not-for-profit membership association with headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, representing the in ...
offers the bandplan below as a recommendation for use by radio amateurs in that country.
United States
IARU Region 3
Japan
30-meter band plan
IARU Region 1
Throughout most of the world, the 30-meter band generally cannot be used for "phone" (
voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound produ ...
) communications. SSB may be used during emergencies involving the immediate safety of life and property and only by stations actually involved in the handling of emergency traffic.
However, a part of Region 1 is permitted to use phone at certain times. The band segment 10.12 to 10.14 may only be used for SSB transmissions in the area of Africa south of the equator during local daylight hours.
IARU Region 2
Canada
Canada is part of Region 2 and as such is subject to the IARU band plan.
Radio Amateurs of Canada
Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC), known in French as Radio Amateurs du Canada, is the national association for Amateur Radio in Canada. It is a not-for-profit membership association with headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, representing the in ...
offers the bandplan below as a recommendation for use by radio amateurs in that country.
United States
The USA limits amateur radio users to 200 watts
peak envelope power
Peak envelope power (PEP) is the average power over a single radio frequency cycle at the crest of the modulation. PEP is normally considered the power output at the occasional or continuously repeating crest of the modulation envelope under norma ...
on this band.
IARU Region 3
Australia
Australia (VK, region 3) has a unique set of privileges on 30 meters which allows voice operation on a section of the band for advanced license holders. The digital segment is 10.13-10.15 MHz. The current band plan has telephony from 10.12–10.135 MHz, with CW only below 10.12. These are WIA
recommendations only as ACMA does not restrict Australian amateurs' modes within HF allocations beyond requiring less than 8 kHz occupied bandwidth per channel below 28 MHz.
Japan
Note: The occupied bandwidth shall be less than 2kHz.
Key for band plans
See also
*
Amateur radio frequency allocations
Amateur radio frequency allocation is done by national telecommunication authorities. Globally, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) oversees how much radio spectrum is set aside for amateur radio transmissions. Individual amateur st ...
*
International Telecommunication Union
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU)In the other common languages of the ITU:
*
* is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information ...
*
World Radiocommunication Conference
The World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) is a conference organized by the ITU to review and, as necessary, revise the Radio Regulations, the international treaty governing the use of the radio-frequency spectrum as well as geostationary an ...
*
Regional Radiocommunication Conference A Regional Radiocommunication Conference (RRC) is a meeting held between members of the International Telecommunication Union from one or more ITU Regions, but from the whole world. Such a meeting is normally used to put in place an agreement on use ...
*
Radio Regulations
Radio regulation refers to the regulation and licensing of radio in international law, by individual governments, and by municipalities.
International regulation
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialized agency of the Unit ...
*
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...
*
Radio Amateurs of Canada
Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC), known in French as Radio Amateurs du Canada, is the national association for Amateur Radio in Canada. It is a not-for-profit membership association with headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, representing the in ...
*
Ofcom
The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, internet, telecommunications and mail, postal industries of the United Kingdom.
Ofcom has wide-rang ...
References
{{AmateurRadioBands-MFHF
External links
US Amateur Radio Bands
Amateur radio bands