Radio spectrum(Redirected from Band (radio))
The radio spectrum is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum from 3 Hz to 3000 GHz (3 THz). Electromagnetic waves in this frequency range, called radio waves, are extremely widely used in modern technology, particularly in telecommunication. To prevent interference between different users, the generation and transmission of radio waves is strictly regulated by national laws, coordinated by an international body, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Different parts of the radio spectrum are allocated by the ITU for different radio transmission technologies and applications; some 40 radiocommunication services are defined in the ITU's Radio Regulations (RR). In some cases, parts of the radio spectrum are sold or licensed to operators of private radio transmission services (for example, cellular telephone operators or broadcast television stations). Ranges of allocated frequencies are often referred to by their provisioned use (for example, cellular spectrum or television spectrum). Because it is a fixed resource which is in demand by an increasing number of users, the radio spectrum has become increasingly congested in recent decades, and the need to utilize it more effectively is driving modern telecommunications innovations such as spread spectrum (ultra-wideband) transmission, frequency reuse, dynamic spectrum management, frequency pooling, and cognitive radio.
Above 300 GHz, the absorption of electromagnetic radiation by Earth's atmosphere is so great that the atmosphere is effectively opaque, until it becomes transparent again in the near-infrared and optical window frequency ranges.
To prevent interference and allow for efficient use of the radio spectrum, similar services are allocated in bands. For example, broadcasting, mobile radio, or navigation devices, will be allocated in non-overlapping ranges of frequencies.
Each of these bands has a basic bandplan which dictates how it is to be used and shared, to avoid interference and to set protocol for the compatibility of transmitters and receivers. See detail of bands:http://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/Spectrum_Use_Summary_Master-06212010.pdf
As a matter of convention, the ITU divides the radio spectrum into 12 bands, each beginning at a wavelength which is a power of ten (10n) metres, with corresponding frequency of 3×108−n hertz, and each covering a decade of frequency or wavelength. Each of these bands has a traditional name. For example, the term high frequency (HF) designates the wavelength range from 100 to 10 metres, corresponding to a frequency range of 3 MHz to 30 MHz. This is just a naming convention and is not related to allocation; the ITU further divides each band into subbands allocated to different uses.
|Band name||Abbreviation||ITU band||Frequency and Wavelength in Air||Example Uses|
|Extremely low frequency||ELF||1||3–30 Hz
|Communication with submarines|
|Super low frequency||SLF||2||30–300 Hz
|Communication with submarines|
|Ultra low frequency||ULF||3||300–3,000 Hz
|Submarine communication, communication within mines|
|Very low frequency||VLF||4||3–30 kHz
|Navigation, time signals, submarine communication, wireless heart rate monitors, geophysics|
|Low frequency||LF||5||30–300 kHz
|Navigation, time signals, AM longwave broadcasting (Europe and parts of Asia), RFID, amateur radio|
|Medium frequency||MF||6||300–3,000 kHz
|AM (medium-wave) broadcasts, amateur radio, avalanche beacons|
|High frequency||HF||7||3–30 MHz
|Shortwave broadcasts, citizens band radio, amateur radio and over-the-horizon aviation communications, RFID, over-the-horizon radar, automatic link establishment (ALE) / near-vertical incidence skywave (NVIS) radio communications, marine and mobile radio telephony|
|Very high frequency||VHF||8||30–300 MHz
|FM, television broadcasts, line-of-sight ground-to-aircraft and aircraft-to-aircraft communications, land mobile and maritime mobile communications, amateur radio, weather radio|
|Ultra high frequency||UHF||9||300–3,000 MHz
|Television broadcasts, microwave oven, microwave devices/communications, radio astronomy, mobile phones, wireless LAN, Bluetooth, ZigBee, GPS and two-way radios such as land mobile, FRS and GMRS radios, amateur radio, satellite radio, Remote control Systems, ADSB|
|Super high frequency||SHF||10||3–30 GHz
|Radio astronomy, microwave devices/communications, wireless LAN, DSRC, most modern radars, communications satellites, cable and satellite television broadcasting, DBS, amateur radio, satellite radio|
|Extremely high frequency||EHF||11||30–300 GHz
|Radio astronomy, high-frequency microwave radio relay, microwave remote sensing, amateur radio, directed-energy weapon, millimeter wave scanner|
|Terahertz or Tremendously high frequency||THz or THF||12||300–3,000 GHz
|Experimental medical imaging to replace X-rays, ultrafast molecular dynamics, condensed-matter physics, terahertz time-domain spectroscopy, terahertz computing/communications, remote sensing, amateur radio|
The ITU radio bands are designations defined in the ITU Radio Regulations. Article 2, provision No. 2.1 states that "the radio spectrum shall be subdivided into nine frequency bands, which shall be designated by progressive whole numbers in accordance with the following table".
The table originated with a recommendation of the IVth CCIR meeting, held in Bucharest in 1937, and was approved by the International Radio Conference held at Atlantic City in 1947. The idea to give each band a number, in which the number is the logarithm of the approximate geometric mean of the upper and lower band limits in Hz, originated with B.C. Fleming-Williams, who suggested it in a letter to the editor of Wireless Engineer in 1942. (For example, the approximate geometric mean of Band 7 is 10 MHz, or 107 Hz.)
|Band Number||Abbreviation||Frequency range||Wavelength range†|
|4||VLF||3 to 30 kHz||10 to 100 km|
|5||LF||30 to 300 kHz||1 to 10 km|
|6||MF||300 to 3000 kHz||100 to 1000 m|
|7||HF||3 to 30 MHz||10 to 100 m|
|8||VHF||30 to 300 MHz||1 to 10 m|
|9||UHF||300 to 3000 MHz||10 to 100 cm|
|10||SHF||3 to 30 GHz||1 to 10 cm|
|11||EHF||30 to 300 GHz||1 to 10 mm|
|12||THF||300 to 3000 GHz||0.1 to 1 mm|
† This column does not form part of the table in Provision No. 2.1 of the Radio Regulations
|HF||0.003 to 0.03 GHz||High Frequency|
|VHF||0.03 to 0.3 GHz||Very High Frequency|
|UHF||0.3 to 1 GHz||Ultra High Frequency|
|L||1 to 2 GHz||Long wave|
|S||2 to 4 GHz||Short wave|
|C||4 to 8 GHz||Compromise between S and X|
|X||8 to 12 GHz||Used in WW II for fire control, X for cross (as in crosshair). Exotic.|
|Ku||12 to 18 GHz||Kurz-under|
|K||18 to 27 GHz||Kurz (German for "short")|
|Ka||27 to 40 GHz||Kurz-above|
|V||40 to 75 GHz|
|W||75 to 110 GHz||W follows V in the alphabet|
|mm or G||110 to 300 GHz[note 1]||Millimeter|
- The designation mm is also used to refer to the range from 30 to 300 GHz.
EU, NATO, US ECM frequency designationsEdit
|NATO LETTER BAND DESIGNATION||BROADCASTING
|NEW NOMENCLATURE||OLD NOMENCLATURE|
|BAND||FREQUENCY (MHz)||BAND||FREQUENCY (MHz)|
|A||0 – 250||I||100 – 150||Band I
47 – 68 MHz (TV)
87.5 – 108 MHz (FM)
|G||150 – 225||Band III
174 – 230 MHz (TV)
|B||250 – 500||P||225 – 390|
|C||500 – 1 000||L||390 – 1 550||Band IV
470 – 582 MHz (TV)
582 – 862 MHz (TV)
|D||1 000 – 2 000||S||1 550 – 3 900|
|E||2 000 – 3 000|
|F||3 000 – 4 000|
|G||4 000 – 6 000||C||3 900 – 6 200|
|H||6 000 – 8 000||X||6 200 – 10 900|
|I||8 000 – 10 000|
|J||10 000 – 20 000||Ku||10 900 – 20 000|
|K||20 000 – 40 000||Ka||20 000 – 36 000|
|L||40 000 – 60 000||Q||36 000 – 46 000|
|V||46 000 – 56 000|
|M||60 000 – 100 000||W||56 000 – 100 000|
|US- MILITARY / SACLANT|
|N||100 000 – 200 000|
|O||100 000 – 200 000|
Waveguide frequency bandsEdit
|Band||Frequency range |
|R band||1.70 to 2.60 GHz|
|D band||2.20 to 3.30 GHz|
|S band||2.60 to 3.95 GHz|
|E band||3.30 to 4.90 GHz|
|G band||3.95 to 5.85 GHz|
|F band||4.90 to 7.05 GHz|
|C band||5.85 to 8.20 GHz|
|H band||7.05 to 10.10 GHz|
|X band||8.2 to 12.4 GHz|
|Ku band||12.4 to 18.0 GHz|
|K band||18.0 to 26.5 GHz|
|Ka band||26.5 to 40.0 GHz|
|Q band||33 to 50 GHz|
|U band||40 to 60 GHz|
|V band||40 to 75 GHz|
|E band||60 to 90 GHz|
|W band||75 to 110 GHz|
|F band||90 to 140 GHz|
|D band||110 to 170 GHz|
|Y band||325 to 500 GHz|
Comparison of radio band designation standardsEdit
By application Edit
- Longwave AM Radio = 148.5 kHz – 283.5 kHz (LF)
- Mediumwave AM Radio = 525 kHz – 1710 kHz (MF)
- Shortwave AM Radio = 3 MHz – 30 MHz (HF)
Designations for television and FM radio broadcast frequencies vary between countries, see Television channel frequencies and FM broadcast band. Since VHF and UHF frequencies are desirable for many uses in urban areas, in North America some parts of the former television broadcasting band have been reassigned to cellular phone and various land mobile communications systems. Even within the allocation still dedicated to television, TV-band devices use channels without local broadcasters.
The Apex band in the United States was a pre-WWII allocation for VHF audio broadcasting; it was made obsolete after the introduction of FM broadcasting.
The greatest incentive for development of radio was the need to communicate with ships out of visual range of shore. From the very early days of radio, large oceangoing vessels carried powerful long-wave and medium-wave transmitters. High-frequency allocations are still designated for ships, although satellite systems have taken over some of the safety applications previously served by 500 kHz and other frequencies. 2182 kHz is a medium-wave frequency still used for marine emergency communication.
Marine VHF radio is used in coastal waters and relatively short-range communication between vessels and to shore stations. Radios are channelized, with different channels used for different purposes; marine Channel 16 is used for calling and emergencies.
Amateur radio frequenciesEdit
Amateur radio frequency allocations vary around the world. Several bands are common for amateurs worldwide, usually in the HF part of the spectrum. Other bands are national or regional allocations only due to differing allocations for other services, especially in the VHF and UHF parts of the radio spectrum.
Citizens' band and personal radio servicesEdit
Citizens' band radio is allocated in many countries, using channelized radios in the upper HF part of the spectrum (around 27 MHz). It is used for personal, small business and hobby purposes. Other frequency allocations are used for similar services in different jurisdictions, for example UHF CB is allocated in Australia. A wide range of personal radio services exist around the world, usually emphasizing short-range communication between individuals or for small businesses, simplified or no license requirements, and usually FM transceivers using around 1 watt or less.
Industrial, scientific, medicalEdit
The ISM bands were initially reserved for non-communications uses of RF energy, such as microwave ovens, radio-frequency heating, and similar purposes. However, in recent years the largest use of these bands has been by short-range low-power communications systems, since users do not have to hold a radio operator's license. Cordless telephones, wireless computer networks, Bluetooth devices, and garage door openers all use the ISM bands. ISM devices do not have regulatory protection against interference from other users of the band.
Land mobile bandsEdit
Bands of frequencies, especially in the VHF and UHF parts of the spectrum, are allocated for communication between fixed base stations and land mobile vehicle-mounted or portable transceivers. In the United States these services are informally known as business band radio. See also Professional mobile radio.
Police radio and other public safety services such as fire departments and ambulances are generally found in the VHF and UHF parts of the spectrum. Trunking systems are often used to make most efficient use of the limited number of frequencies available.
The demand for mobile telephone service has led to large blocks of radio spectrum allocated to cellular frequencies.
Reliable radio control uses bands dedicated to the purpose. Radio-controlled toys may use portions of unlicensed spectrum in the 27 MHz or 49 MHz bands, but more costly aircraft, boat, or land vehicle models use dedicated radio control frequencies near 72 MHz to avoid interference by unlicensed uses. The 21st century has seen a move to 2.4 gigahertz spread spectrum RC control systems.
Radar applications use relatively high power pulse transmitters and sensitive receivers, so radar is operated on bands not used for other purposes. Most radar bands are in the microwave part of the spectrum, although certain important applications for meteorology make use of powerful transmitters in the UHF band. Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum longer than infrared light. Radio waves have frequencies as high as 300 GHz to as low as 3 kHz, though some definitions describe waves above 1 or 3 GHz as microwaves, or include waves of any lower frequency. At 300 GHz, the corresponding wavelength is 1 mm (0.039 in), and at 3 kHz is 100 km (62 mi). Like all other electromagnetic waves, they travel at the speed of light. Naturally occurring radio waves are generated by lightning, or by astronomical objects.
Artificially generated radio waves are used for fixed and mobile radio communication, broadcasting, radar and other navigation systems, communications satellites, computer networks and innumerable other applications. Radio waves are generated by radio transmitters and received by radio receivers. Different frequencies of radio waves have different propagation characteristics in the Earth's atmosphere; long waves can diffract around obstacles like mountains and follow the contour of the earth (ground waves), shorter waves can reflect off the ionosphere and return to earth beyond the horizon (skywaves), while much shorter wavelengths bend or diffract very little and travel on a line of sight, so their propagation distances are limited to the visual horizon.
To prevent interference between different users, the artificial generation and use of radio waves is strictly regulated by law, coordinated by an international body called the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), which defines radio waves as "electromagnetic waves of frequencies arbitrarily lower than 3 000 GHz, propagated in space without artificial guide". The radio spectrum is divided into a number of radio bands on the basis of frequency, allocated to different uses
- ITU Radio Regulations – Article 1, Definitions of Radio Services, Article 1.2 Administration: Any governmental department or service responsible for discharging the obligations undertaken in the Constitution of the International Telecommunication Union, in the Convention of the International Telecommunication Union and in the Administrative Regulations (CS 1002)
- International Telecommunication Union´s Radio Regulations, Edition of 2012.
- Colin Robinson (2003). Competition and regulation in utility markets. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 175. ISBN 978-1-84376-230-0.
- ITU Radio Regulations, Volume 1, Article 2; Edition of 2008. Available online at 
- Booth, C.F. (1949). "Nomenclature of Frequencies". The Post Office Electrical Engineers' Journal. 42 (1): 47–48.
- IEEE Std 521-2002 Standard Letter Designations for Radar-Frequency Bands.
- Table 2 in 
- Norman Friedman (2006). The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems. Naval Institute Press. pp. xiii. ISBN 978-1-55750-262-9.
- Leonid A. Belov; Sergey M. Smolskiy; Victor N. Kochemasov (2012). Handbook of RF, Microwave, and Millimeter-Wave Components. Artech House. pp. 27–28. ISBN 978-1-60807-209-5.
- NATO Allied Radio Frequency Agency (ARFA) HANDBOOK – VOLUME I; PART IV – APPENDICES, … G-2, … NOMENCLATURE OF THE FREQUENCY AND WAVELENTH BANDS USED IN RADIOCOMMUNCATION.
- www.microwaves101.com "Waveguide frequency bands and interior dimensions"
- ITU-R Recommendation V.431: Nomenclature of the frequency and wavelength bands used in telecommunications. International Telecommunication Union, Geneva.
- IEEE Standard 521-2002: Standard Letter Designations for Radar-Frequency Bands
- AFR 55-44/AR 105-86/OPNAVINST 3430.9A/MCO 3430.1, 27 October 1964 superseded by AFR 55-44/AR 105-86/OPNAVINST 3430.1A/MCO 3430.1A, 6 December 1978: Performing Electronic Countermeasures in the United States and Canada, Attachment 1,ECM Frequency Authorizations.
- UnwantedEmissions.com A reference to radio spectrum allocations.
- "Radio spectrum: a vital resource in a wireless world" European Commission policy.