Band Plan Reference – Regional Guidance
Currently showing: regional amateur-radio band-plan overview. Legal allocations and operating conventions differ by country and ITU region.
Operators in India (ITU Region 3): Use the WPC / Ministry of Communications band plan and licence conditions for legal limits. IARU Region 3 band plans and local club guidance cover operating conventions. This page is a Region 2 reference only — a Use the selector below to change the regional guidance. National legal allocations still require an official regulator source.
Always consult the latest official rules for your country and licence class. Legal allocation ≠ voluntary band plan.
Region selector
HF Bands
| Band | Frequency Range (MHz) | Typical Mode Segments |
|---|---|---|
| 160 m | 1.800 – 2.000 | CW / digital lower, SSB upper |
| 80 / 75 m | 3.500 – 4.000 | CW 3.500–3.600, digital, SSB 3.600–4.000 |
| 60 m | Channelized USB | 5.3305, 5.3465, 5.3570, 5.3715, 5.4035 (exact channels) |
| 40 m | 7.000 – 7.300 | CW / digital lower, SSB 7.125–7.300 (Region 2) |
| 30 m | 10.100 – 10.150 | CW and digital only (no SSB) |
| 20 m | 14.000 – 14.350 | CW / digital 14.000–14.150, SSB 14.150–14.350 |
| 17 m | 18.068 – 18.168 | CW / digital lower, SSB upper |
| 15 m | 21.000 – 21.450 | CW / digital lower, SSB upper |
| 12 m | 24.890 – 24.990 | CW / digital / SSB |
| 10 m | 28.000 – 29.700 | CW / digital / SSB / FM 29.5–29.7 |
VHF / UHF
| Band | Frequency Range (MHz) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 m | 50.000 – 54.000 | All modes; SSB / weak-signal lower portion |
| 2 m | 144.000 – 148.000 | CW / SSB / digital / FM repeaters |
| 1.25 m | 222.000 – 225.000 | All modes |
| 70 cm | 420.000 – 450.000 | All modes; satellite & weak-signal segments |
Popular Digital Frequencies (approximate dial)
FT8 and FT4 have become the dominant weak-signal digital modes. Typical USB dial frequencies (Region 2):
- 80 m – 3.573 MHz
- 40 m – 7.074 MHz
- 30 m – 10.136 MHz
- 20 m – 14.074 MHz
- 17 m – 18.100 MHz
- 15 m – 21.074 MHz
- 12 m – 24.915 MHz
- 10 m – 28.074 MHz
- 6 m – 50.313 MHz
Always listen first and follow local band-plan recommendations. Some segments are shared or have power restrictions.
Licence / Regulatory Notes
Licence privileges are country-specific. Do not infer legal privileges from the convenience tables above. In India, verify the current WPC / Ministry of Communications licence conditions; in the US, verify current FCC Part 97 rules; elsewhere use your national regulator.
How to read a band plan correctly
A band plan is a practical operating guide, not a substitute for the regulations that define what a licence holder may transmit. Frequency allocations, emission privileges, power limits and special sub-bands can differ by country and can change as regulators update their rules. The values shown here are therefore best treated as an orientation tool for the stated US / IARU Region 2 context. Operators in India and elsewhere should check the current rules published by the responsible national authority before transmitting.
It also helps to separate three ideas that are often mixed together: the legal band edge, the portion commonly used for a particular mode, and the frequency range currently preferred by a local operating community. CW, SSB, digital modes and weak-signal activity may cluster in different parts of the same amateur band. Contests, nets and propagation openings can temporarily increase activity around familiar frequencies without changing the underlying allocation.
When planning an antenna or selecting a frequency, start with the legal allocation, then check the current regional band plan and finally consider local operating practice. Leave reasonable guard space around edges and ongoing QSOs. For digital modes such as FT8, remember that the software's normal operating range is only a convention; it does not override national frequency rules. This page should be used as a quick reference alongside current regulatory and amateur-radio organisation sources.
Allocation versus operating convention
A band plan is not the same thing as the legal allocation itself. Regulations define what a licensed operator may transmit, under which conditions, and which portions of a band are available to particular services or licence classes. Amateur organisations then publish operating conventions that help operators share spectrum efficiently. A commonly used SSB or digital frequency is therefore a useful operating reference, not a guarantee that every station may use that frequency in every country or mode.
This page uses a US / Region 2-oriented reference because operating conventions vary by country and sometimes by licence class. Before transmitting, check the rules that apply to your station and the current regional band plan. Digital-mode frequencies also deserve extra care because software can display a dial frequency while the actual transmitted signal occupies a wider passband around it.
Use the band-plan reference alongside the propagation page and your transceiver's mode and filter settings. That combination answers three different questions: where you are permitted to operate, where other operators commonly listen, and whether current conditions make the band worth trying. The calculator cannot make the regulatory decision for you.