Canadian HF Amateur Radio Frequencies
160 Metre Band – Maximum bandwidth 6 kHz
1.800 – 1.820 MHZ – CW
1.820 – 1.830 MHZ – Digital Modes
1.830 – 1.840 MHZ – DX Window
1.840 – 2.000 MHZ – SSB and other wide band modes
Often taken up as a technical challenge; as long distance (DX) propagation tends to be more difficult due to higher D-layer ionospheric absorption. Long distance propagation tends to occur only at night, and the band can be notoriously noisy particularly in the summer months. 160 meters is also known as the "top band". Allocations in this band vary widely from country to country. This band lies just above the commercial AM broadcast band.
80 Metre Band – Maximum bandwidth 6 kHz
3.500 – 3.580 MHZ – CW
3.580 – 3.620 MHZ – Digital Modes
3.620 – 3.635 MHZ – Packet/Digital Secondary
3.635 – 3.725 MHZ – CW
3.725 – 3.790 MHZ – SSB and other side band modes*
3.790 – 3.800 MHZ – SSB DX Window
3.800 – 4.000 MHZ – SSB and other wide band modes
* 80 metres normally LSB, to stay within Band Plan SSB should not be lower than 3.728 MHZ. As example note US stations cannot operate below 3.753 MHZ.
Best at night, with significant daytime signal absorption. Works best in winter due to atmospheric noise in summer. Only countries in the Americas and few others have access to all of this band, in other parts of the world amateurs are limited to the bottom 300 kHz or less. In the US and Canada the upper end of the sub-band from 3600–4000 kHz, permits use of single-sideband voice as well as amplitude modulation, voice ; often referred to as 75 meters.
40 Metre Band – Maximum bandwidth 6 kHz
7.000 – 7.035 MHZ – CW
7.035 – 7.050 MHZ – Digital Modes
7.040 – 7.050 MHZ – International packet
7.050 – 7.100 MHZ – SSB
7.100 – 7.120 MHZ – Packet within Region 2
7.120 – 7.150 MHZ – CW
7.150 – 7.300 MHZ – SSB and other wide band modes
Considered the most reliable all-season DX band. Popular for DX at night, 40 meters is also reliable for medium distance (1500KM) contacts during the day. Much of this band was shared with broadcasters, and in most countries the bottom 100 kHz or 200 kHz are available to amateurs. However, due to the high cost of running high power commercial broadcasting facilities; decreased listener-ship and increasing competition from net based international broadcast services, many 'short wave' services are being shut down leaving the 40 meter band free of other users for amateur radio use.
30 Metre Band – Maximum bandwidth 1 kHz
10.100 – 10.130 MHZ – CW only
10.130 – 10.140 MHZ – Digital Modes
10.140 – 10.150 MHZ – Packet
A very narrow band, which is shared with non-amateur services. It is recommended that only Morse Code and data transmissions be used here, and in some countries amateur voice transmission is actually prohibited. Not released for amateur use in a small number of countries. Due to its location in the centre of the shortwave spectrum, this band provides significant opportunities for long-distance communication at all points of the solar cycle. 30 meters is a WARC band. "WARC" bands are so called due to the special World Administrative Radio Conference allocation of these newer bands to amateur radio use. Amateur radio contests are not run on the WARC bands.
20 Metre Band – Maximum bandwidth 6 kHz
14.000 – 14.070 MHZ – CW only
14.070 – 14.095 MHZ – Digital Mode
14.095 – 14.099 MHZ – Packet
14.100 MHZ – Beacons
14.101 – 14.112 MHZ – CW, SSB, packet shared
14.112 – 14.350 MHZ – SSB
14.225 – 14.235 MHZ – SSTV
Considered the most popular DX band; usually most popular during daytime. QRP operators recognize 14.060 MHz as their primary calling frequency in that band. Users of the PSK31 data mode tend to congregate around 14.071 MHz. Analog SSTV activity is centered around 14.230 MHz.
17 Metre Band – Maximum bandwidth 6 kHz
18.068 – 18.100 MHZ – CW
18.100 – 18.105 MHZ – Digital Modes
18.105 – 18.110 MHZ – Packet
18.110 – 18.168 MHZ – SSB and other wide band modes
Similar to 20m, but more sensitive to solar propagation minima and maxima. 17 meters is a WARC band.
15 Metre Band – maximum bandwidth 6 kHz
21.000 – 21.070 MHZ – CW
21.070 – 21.090 MHZ – Digital Modes
21.090 – 21.125 MHZ – Packet
21.100 – 21.150 MHZ – CW and SSB
21.150 – 21.335 MHZ – SSB and other wide band modes
21.335 – 21.345 MHZ – SSTV
21.345 – 21.450 MHZ – SSB and other wide band modes
Most useful during solar maximum, and generally a daytime band. Daytime sporadic-E propagation (1500 km) occasionally occurs on this band.
12 Metre Band – Maximum bandwidth 6 kHz
24.890 – 24.930 MHZ – CW
24.920 – 24.925 MHZ – Digital Modes
24.925 – 24.930 MHZ – Packet
24.930 – 24.990 MHZ – SSB and other wide band modes
Mostly useful during daytime, but opens up for DX activity at night during solar maximum. 12 meters is one of the new WARC bands.
10 Metre Band – Maximum band width 20 kHz
28.000 – 28.200 MHZ – CW
28.070 – 28.120 MHZ – Digital Modes
28.120 – 28.190 MHZ – Packet
28.190 – 28.200 MHZ – Beacons
28.200 – 29.300 MHZ – SSB and other wide band modes
29.300 – 29.510 MHZ – Satellite
29.510 – 29.700 MHZ – SSB, FM and repeaters
Best long distance (e.g., across oceans) activity is during solar maximum; during periods of moderate solar activity the best activity is found at low latitudes. The band offers useful short to medium range groundwave propagation, day or night. During the late spring and most of the summer, regardless of sunspot numbers, afternoon short band openings into small geographic areas of up to 1500 km occur due to Sporadic-E propagation. "Sporadic-E" is caused by areas of intense ionization in the E layer of the ionosphere. The causes of Sporadic-E are not fully understood, but these "clouds" of ionization can provide short term propagation from 17 meters all the way up to occasional 2 meter openings.