Band plan and privileges
In the US, two things decide where you can operate. The FCC's Part 97 rules set the privileges for each license class: which frequencies, which modes and what power. The ARRL band plan is a voluntary agreement on top of that, showing where to find CW, RTTY and data, phone, SSTV and AM within the legal limits. Choose your license class above and the table greys out the segments you can't transmit in.
License classes
Technician licensees have CW on parts of 80m, 40m and 15m, and CW, data and phone on 28.000 to 28.500 MHz on 10m, at up to 200 W PEP, plus full privileges above 50 MHz. General adds most of every HF band. Amateur Extra adds the exclusive segments at the bottom of 80m, 40m, 20m and 15m and the lower phone segments on 75m, 40m, 20m and 15m. Older Novice and Advanced licenses can still be renewed but are no longer issued. The maximum power is 1,500 W PEP, except for 30m (200 W) and 60m (100 W PEP ERP).
40m and 75m in the Americas
Region 2, the Americas, has 7000 to 7300 kHz on 40m, so US phone operation sits at 7125 to 7300 kHz, above the 7200 kHz limit in Europe. That's why European stations working split listen above 7200 kHz for American phone stations, and why the 75m phone band, 3600 to 4000 kHz, is much wider than Europe's 3600 to 3800 kHz.
How to read it
- CW segments are at the bottom of every band, with narrow-band data modes such as FT8, PSK31 and RTTY above them, and phone (SSB) higher up.
- Centres of activity are where to look for particular activities, such as QRP (low power), image modes like SSTV, and emergency traffic.
- Frequencies are transmitted frequencies, not dial settings. On LSB your signal extends about 3 kHz below the dial, and on USB about 3 kHz above it, so keep the whole signal inside the segment and the band.
- Beacon segments around 14.100, 18.110, 21.150, 24.930 and 28.200 MHz are kept clear for the NCDXF beacons.
For the standard data mode frequencies on every band, see the digital mode frequencies page, and for contest weekends, the contest calendar.
Questions
What HF privileges does a Technician have?
CW on 3.525–3.600, 7.025–7.125 and 21.025–21.200 MHz, and CW, data and SSB on 28.000–28.500 MHz, at up to 200 W PEP.
Where can a General class operate SSB on 20m?
14.225 to 14.350 MHz. Amateur Extra licensees can use 14.150 to 14.350 MHz.
What are the US 60m frequencies?
Channels at 5330.5, 5346.5, 5371.5 and 5403.5 kHz, upper sideband, 100 W PEP ERP, and the 5351.5–5366.5 kHz segment, according to the ARRL band plan. General and Extra licensees only.
Where is FT8 on 20m?
14.074 MHz USB dial, in the RTTY and data segment.