The 20-meter or 14-MHz amateur radio band is a portion of the shortwave radio spectrum, comprising frequencies stretching from 14.000 MHz to 14.350 MHz.[1] The 20-meter band is widely considered among the best for long-distance communication (DXing), and is one of the most popular—and crowded—during contests.[2] Several factors contribute to this, including the band's large size, the relatively small size of antennas tuned to it (especially as compared to antennas for the 40-meter band or the 80-meter band) and its good potential for daytime DX operation even in unfavorable propagation conditions.[3]
History
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The Third National Radio Conference was responsible for opening up the 20-meter band to amateur radio operators in the US[4] on October 10, 1924. The band was allocated on a worldwide basis by the International Radiotelegraph Conference[5] in Washington, D.C., on October 4, 1927. Its frequency allocation was then 14–14.4 MHz. The allocation was reduced to 14–14.35 MHz by the International Radio Conference of Atlantic City, New Jersey 1947.[6]
Band plans
editIARU Region 1
editEurope, Africa, Middle East and Northern Asia[7]
| 20 meters | 14000–14070 | 14070–14099 | 14099–14101 | 14101–14350 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IARU Region 1 |
IARU Region 2
editThe Americas[7]
| 20 meters | 14000–14070 | 14070–14099 | 14099–14101 | 14101–14350 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IARU Region 2 |
IARU Region 3
editAsia-Pacific[7]
| 20 meters | 14000–14070 | 14070–14099 | 14099–14101 | 14101–14112 | 14112–14350 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IARU Region 3 |
United States
editEffective 12:01 a.m. EST, February 23, 2007
| 20 meters | 14000–14350 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 United States
|
14000–14025 | 14025–14150 | 14150–14175 | 14175–14225 | 14225–14350 |
| General | |||||
| Advanced | |||||
| Extra | |||||
Canada
editCanada[8] is part of region 2 and as such is subject to the IARU band plan. Radio Amateurs of Canada offers the bandplan below as a recommendation for use by radio amateurs in that country but it does not have the force of law and should only be considered a suggestion or guideline.
| License class | 14.000–14.070 | 14.070–14.095 | 14.095–14.0995 | 14.0995–14.1005 | 14.1005–14.112 | 14.112–14.350 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic(+), Advanced |
Japan
editChanged on September 25, 2023.
| License class | 14000–14070 | 14070–14100 | 14100–14350 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st and 2nd | narrow-band All modes |
Key
| = CW only | |
| = CW, narrow band digital ( <= 500 Hz ) | |
| = CW, narrow band digital ( <= 500 Hz ), wide band digital | |
| = CW, RTTY and data (US: < 1 kHz Bandwidth) | |
| = Beacons | |
| = CW, phone | |
| = CW, narrow band digital ( <= 500 Hz ), phone | |
| = CW, phone and image |
References
edit- ^ "Frequency Allocations". Arrl.org. 5 March 2012. Archived from the original on 14 March 2010. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
- ^ Ford, Steve (ed.). "Picking a band". The ARRL Operating Manual (8th ed.). Newington, CT: American Radio Relay League. p. 1-15.
- ^ "Propagation of RF Signals". The ARRL Handbook For Radio Communications (82nd ed.). Newington, CT: American Radio Relay League. 2005. p. 20.4. ISBN 0-87259-928-0.
- ^ "Frequency or wave band allocations". Recommendations for Regulation of Radio Adopted by the Third National Radio Conference. Govt. Print. Off. October 6–10, 1924. p. 15.
- ^ "INTERNATIONAL RADIOTELEGRAPH CONVENTION AND GENERAL AND SUPPLEMENTARY REGULATIONS" (PDF). INTERNATIONAL RADIOTELEGRAPH CONVENTION OF WASHINGTON, 1927. 25 November 1927. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ "RADIO REGULATIONS ANNEXED TO THE INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION CONVENTION (ATLANTIC CITY, 1947)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ a b c "IARU Regions". www.iaru.org. International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
- ^ "RAC MF/HF Band Plan" (PDF). rac.ca. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
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