General Class Frequency Privileges in Ham Radio

Ham Radio For Dummies

Soon, if you haven’t done so already, you’ll be thinking about upgrading. You have many more frequencies to use on the high-frequency (HF) bands, as shown in the following table. A complete chart of the U.S. frequency and mode privileges for all license classes is available from the American Radio Relay League (ARRL).

Band	Frequencies (in MHz)	Mode
160, 60, 30 meters		All amateur privileges
80 meters	3.525–3.600	CW, RTTY, data
80 meters	3.800–4.000	CW, phone, image
40 meters	7.025–7.125	CW, RTTY, data
40 meters	7.175–7.300	CW, phone, image
20 meters	14.025–14.150	CW, RTTY, data
20 meters	14.225–14.350	CW, phone, image
15 meters	21.025–21.200	CW, RTTY, data
15 meters	21.275–21.450	CW, phone, image
17, 12, 10 meters		All amateur privileges
Above 50 MHz		All amateur privileges

CW = Morse code; RTTY = radioteletype.

About This Article

About the book author:

H. Ward Silver has the experience of a 20-year career as an electrical engineer developing instrumentation and medical electronics. He also spent 8 years in broadcasting, both programming and engineering. In 2000 he turned to teaching and writing as a second career. He is a contributing editor to the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and author of the popular “Hands-On Radio” column in QST magazine every month. He is the author of the ARRL’s Amateur Radio license study guides and numerous other articles. He developed the ARRL’s online courses, “Antenna Design and Construction,” “Analog Electronics,” and “Digital Electronics.” Along with his comedic alter-ego, Dr Beldar, Ward is a sought-after speaker and lecturer among “hams.” When not in front of a computer screen, you will find Ward working on his mandolin technique and compositions.