The 20-meter or 14-MHz

amateur radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emergency communic ...

band is a portion of the

shortwave Shortwave radio is radio transmission using shortwave (SW) radio frequencies. There is no official definition of the band, but the range always includes all of the high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30 MHz (100 to 10 me ...

radio spectrum, comprising frequencies stretching from 14.000

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...

to 14.350 MHz. 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. 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 The 40-meter or 7-MHz band is an amateur radio frequency band, spanning 7.000-7.300 MHz in ITU Region 2, and 7.000-7.200 MHz in Regions 1 & 3. It is allocated to radio amateurs worldwide on a primary basis; however, only 7.000-7.100 MHz i ...

or the

80-meter band The 80-meter or 3.5 MHz band is a band of radio frequency, frequencies allocated for amateur radio use, from 3.5 to 4.0 MHz in IARU Region 2 (consisting mostly of North and South America), and generally 3.5 to 3.8 or 3.9 MHz in Region ...

) and its good potential for daytime DX operation even in unfavorable

propagation Propagation can refer to: *Chain propagation in a chemical reaction mechanism *Crack propagation, the growth of a crack during the fracture of materials *Propaganda, non-objective information used to further an agenda *Reproduction, and other forms ...

conditions.

History

The 20-meter band was first made available to amateurs in the United States by the Third National Radio Conference on October 10, 1924. The band was allocated on a worldwide basis by the International Radiotelegraph Conference in

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, 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 Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

1947.

Band plans

IARU Region 1

Europe, Africa, Middle East and Northern Asia

IARU Region 2

The Americas

IARU Region 3

Asia-Pacific

United States

''Effective 12:01 a.m. EST, February 23, 2007''

Canada

Canada is part of region 2 and as such is subject to the IARU band plan.

Radio Amateurs of Canada Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC), known in French as Radio Amateurs du Canada, is the national association for Amateur Radio in Canada. It is a not-for-profit membership association with headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, representing the in ...

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. Key

References

Amateur radio bands {{Amateur-radio-stub