Low frequency (LF) is the

ITU The International Telecommunication Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies. It was established on 17 May 1865 as the International Telegraph Unio ...

designation for

radio frequencies Radio frequency (RF) is the oscillation rate of an alternating electric current or voltage or of a magnetic, electric or electromagnetic field or mechanical system in the frequency range from around to around . This is roughly between the upper ...

(RF) in the range of 30–300

kHz 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 on ...

. Since its wavelengths range from 10–1 km, respectively, it is also known as the kilometre band or kilometre wave. LF radio waves exhibit low signal

attenuation In physics, attenuation (in some contexts, extinction) is the gradual loss of flux intensity through a medium. For instance, dark glasses attenuate sunlight, lead attenuates X-rays, and water and air attenuate both light and sound at variabl ...

, making them suitable for long-distance communications. In Europe and areas of

Northern Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in t ...

and Asia, part of the LF spectrum is used for

AM broadcasting AM broadcasting is radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation (AM) transmissions. It was the first method developed for making audio radio transmissions, and is still used worldwide, primarily for medium wave (also known as "AM band") transmis ...

as the "

longwave In radio, longwave, long wave or long-wave, and commonly abbreviated LW, refers to parts of the radio spectrum with wavelengths longer than what was originally called the medium-wave broadcasting band. The term is historic, dating from the e ...

" band. In the western hemisphere, its main use is for aircraft beacon, navigation (

LORAN LORAN, short for long range navigation, was a hyperbolic radio navigation system developed in the United States during World War II. It was similar to the UK's Gee system but operated at lower frequencies in order to provide an improved range u ...

), information, and weather systems. A number of time signal broadcasts also use this band.

Propagation

Because of their long

wavelength In physics, the wavelength is the spatial period of a periodic wave—the distance over which the wave's shape repeats. It is the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same phase on the wave, such as two adjacent crests, tro ...

, low frequency radio waves can

diffract Diffraction is defined as the interference or bending of waves around the corners of an obstacle or through an aperture into the region of geometrical shadow of the obstacle/aperture. The diffracting object or aperture effectively becomes a s ...

over obstacles like mountain ranges and travel beyond the horizon, following the contour of the Earth. This mode of propagation, called ''

ground wave Ground waves are radio waves propagating parallel to and adjacent to the surface of the Earth, following the curvature of the Earth. This radiation is known as Norton surface wave, or more properly Norton ground wave, because ground waves in rad ...

'', is the main mode in the LF band. Ground waves must be vertically polarized (the

electric field An electric field (sometimes E-field) is the physical field that surrounds electrically charged particles and exerts force on all other charged particles in the field, either attracting or repelling them. It also refers to the physical field fo ...

is vertical while the

magnetic field A magnetic field is a vector field that describes the magnetic influence on moving electric charges, electric currents, and magnetic materials. A moving charge in a magnetic field experiences a force perpendicular to its own velocity and to ...

is horizontal), so vertical

monopole antenna A monopole antenna is a class of radio antenna consisting of a straight rod-shaped conductor, often mounted perpendicularly over some type of conductive surface, called a ground plane. The driving signal from the transmitter is applied, o ...

s are used for transmitting. The attenuation of signal strength with distance by absorption in the ground is lower than at higher frequencies. Low frequency ground waves can be received up to from the transmitting antenna. Low frequency waves can also occasionally travel long distances by reflecting from the

ionosphere The ionosphere () is the ionized part of the upper atmosphere of Earth, from about to above sea level, a region that includes the thermosphere and parts of the mesosphere and exosphere. The ionosphere is ionized by solar radiation. It plays an ...

(the actual mechanism is one of

refraction In physics, refraction is the redirection of a wave as it passes from one medium to another. The redirection can be caused by the wave's change in speed or by a change in the medium. Refraction of light is the most commonly observed phenomeno ...

), although this method, called '' skywave'' or "skip" propagation, is not as common as at higher frequencies. Reflection occurs at the ionospheric

E layer E, or e, is the fifth Letter (alphabet), letter and the second vowel#Written vowels, vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worl ...

or F layers. Skywave signals can be detected at distances exceeding from the transmitting antenna.

Uses

Standard time signals

In Europe and Japan, many low-cost consumer devices have since the late 1980s contained radio clocks with an LF receiver for these signals. Since these frequencies propagate by

only, the precision of time signals is not affected by varying propagation paths between the transmitter, the ionosphere, and the receiver. In the United States, such devices became feasible for the mass market only after the output power of

WWVB WWVB is a time signal radio station near Fort Collins, Colorado and is operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Most radio-controlled clocks in North America use WWVB's transmissions to set the correct time. The 70 ...

was increased in 1997 and 1999.

Military

Radio signals below 50 kHz are capable of penetrating ocean depths to approximately 200 metres, the longer the wavelength, the deeper. The British, German, Indian, Russian, Swedish, United States and possibly other

navies A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includ ...

communicate with

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

s on these frequencies. In addition,

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

nuclear submarines carrying ballistic missiles are allegedly under standing orders to monitor the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

transmission on 198 kHz in waters near the UK. It is rumoured that they are to construe a sudden halt in transmission, particularly of the morning news programme ''Today'', as an indicator that the UK is under attack, whereafter their sealed orders take effect. The United States has four LF stations maintaining contact with its submarine force:

Aguada, Puerto Rico Aguada (; , ), originally San Francisco de Asís de la Aguada, is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico, located in the western coastal valley region bordering the Atlantic Ocean, east of Rincón, west of Aguadilla and Moca; and north of Añ ...

, Keflavik, Iceland, Awase, Okinawa, and Sigonella, Italy, using AN/FRT-95 solid state transmitters. In the U.S., the

Ground Wave Emergency Network The Ground Wave Emergency Network (GWEN) was a command and control (military), command and control communications system intended for use by the United States government to facilitate military communications before, during and after a Nuclear warf ...

or GWEN operated between 150 and 175 kHz, until replaced by satellite communications systems in 1999. GWEN was a land based military radio communications system which could survive and continue to operate even in the case of a nuclear attack.

Experimental and amateur

The 2007

World Radiocommunication Conference The World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) is a conference organized by the ITU to review and, as necessary, revise the Radio Regulations, the international treaty governing the use of the radio-frequency spectrum as well as geostationary and ...

(WRC-07) made a worldwide amateur radio allocation in this band. An international 2.1 kHz allocation, the 2200 meter band (135.7 kHz to 137.8 kHz), is available to

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 ...

operators in several countries in Europe, New Zealand, Canada, USA, and French overseas dependencies. The world record distance for a two-way contact is over 10,000 km from near

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. As well as conventional

Morse code Morse code is a method used in telecommunication to encode text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code is named after Samuel Morse, one of ...

many operators use very slow computer-controlled Morse code ( QRSS) or specialized digital communications modes. The UK allocated a 2.8 kHz sliver of spectrum from 71.6 kHz to 74.4 kHz beginning in April 1996 to UK amateurs who applied for a Notice of Variation to use the band on a noninterference basis with a maximum output power of 1 Watt ERP. This was withdrawn on 30 June 2003 after a number of extensions in favor of the European-harmonized 136 kHz band. Very slow Morse Code from G3AQC in the UK was received away, across the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, by W1TAG in the US on 21-22 November 2001 on 72.401 kHz. In the United States, there is an exemption within FCC Part 15 regulations permitting unlicensed transmissions in the frequency range of 160 to 190 kHz. Longwave radio hobbyists refer to this as the '

LowFER LowFER (Low-Frequency Experimental Radio) refers to experimental radio communication practiced by hobbyists on frequency, frequencies below 300 kHz, a part of the radio spectrum known as low frequency. The practitioners are known as "''LowFERs ...

' band, and experimenters, and their transmitters are called '

s'. This frequency range between 160 kHz and 190 kHz is also referred to as the 1750-meter band. Requirements fro
47CFR15.217 and 47CFR15.206
include: * The total input power to the final radio frequency stage (exclusive of filament or heater power) shall not exceed one watt. * The total length of the transmission line, antenna, and ground lead (if used) shall not exceed 15 meters. * All emissions below 160 kHz or above 190 kHz shall be attenuated at least 20 dB below the level of the unmodulated carrier. * As an alternative to these requirements, a field strength of 2400/F(kHz) microvolts/meter (measured at a distance of 300 meters) may be used (as described in 47CFR15.209). * In all cases, operation may not cause harmful interference to licensed services. Many experimenters in this band are amateur radio operators.

Meteorological information broadcasts

A regular service transmitting

RTTY Radioteletype (RTTY) is a telecommunications system consisting originally of two or more electromechanical teleprinters in different locations connected by radio rather than a wired link. Radioteletype evolved from earlier landline teleprinter o ...

marine meteorological information in

SYNOP SYNOP (surface synoptic observations) is a numerical code (called FM-12 by WMO) used for reporting weather observations made by manned and automated weather stations. SYNOP reports are typically sent every six hours by Deutscher Wetterdienst on ...

code on LF is the German Meteorological Service (

Deutscher Wetterdienst The () or DWD for short, is the German Meteorological Service, based in Offenbach am Main, Germany, which monitors weather and meteorological conditions over Germany and provides weather services for the general public and for nautical, avia ...

o
DWD
. The DWD operates station DDH47 on 147.3 kHz using standard ITA-2 alphabet with a transmission speed of 50 baud and FSK modulation with 85 Hz shift.

Radio navigation signals

In parts of the world where there is no longwave broadcasting service,

Non-directional beacon A non-directional beacon (NDB) or non-directional radio beacon is a radio beacon which does not include directional information. Radio beacons are radio transmitters at a known location, used as an aviation or marine navigational aid. NDB are ...

s used for aeronavigation operate on 190–300 kHz (and beyond into the MW band). In Europe, Asia and Africa, the NDB allocation starts on 283.5 kHz. The

-C radio navigation system operated on 100 kHz. In the past, the

Decca Navigator System The Decca Navigator System was a hyperbolic radio navigation system which allowed ships and aircraft to determine their position by using radio signals from a dedicated system of static radio transmitters. The system used phase comparison of t ...

operated between 70 kHz and 129 kHz. The last Decca chains were closed down in 2000.

Differential GPS Differential Global Positioning Systems (DGPSs) supplement and enhance the positional data available from global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs). A DGPS for GPS can increase accuracy by about a thousandfold, from approximately to . DGPSs c ...

telemetry transmitters operate between 283.5 and 325 kHz. The commercial " Datatrak" radio navigation system operates on a number of frequencies, varying by country, between 120 and 148 kHz.

Radio broadcasting

is authorized in the

band on frequencies between 148.5 and 283.5 kHz in Europe and parts of Asia.

Other applications

Some radio frequency identification (

RFID Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. An RFID system consists of a tiny radio transponder, a radio receiver and transmitter. When triggered by an electromag ...

) tags utilize LF. These tags are commonly known as LFIDs or LowFIDs (Low Frequency Identification). The LF RFID tags are near field devices.

Antennas

Since the ground waves used in this band require

vertical polarization Polarization ( also polarisation) is a property applying to transverse waves that specifies the geometrical orientation of the oscillations. In a transverse wave, the direction of the oscillation is perpendicular to the direction of motion of t ...

, vertical antennas are used for transmission.

Mast radiator Mast, MAST or MASt may refer to: Engineering * Mast (sailing), a vertical spar on a sailing ship * Flagmast, a pole for flying a flag * Guyed mast, a structure supported by guy-wires * Mooring mast, a structure for docking an airship * Radio ma ...

s are most common, either insulated from the ground and fed at the bottom, or occasionally fed through guy-wires.

T-antenna A T-antenna, T-aerial, flat-top antenna, or (capacitively) top-loaded antenna is a monopole radio antenna with transverse capacitive loading wires attached to its top. T-antennas are typically used in the VLF, LF, MF, and shortwave bands, a ...

s and inverted L-antennas are used when antenna height is an issue. Due to the long wavelengths in the band, nearly all LF antennas are

electrically short An electrically small or electrically short antenna is an Antenna (radio), antenna much shorter than the wavelength of the signal it is intended to transmit or receive. Electrically short antennas are generally less efficient and more challenging t ...

, shorter than one quarter of the radiated wavelength, so their low radiation resistance makes them inefficient, requiring very low resistance grounds and conductors to avoid dissipating transmitter power. These electrically short antennas need loading coils at the base of the antenna to bring them into resonance. Many antenna types, such as the

umbrella antenna An umbrella antenna is a capacitively top-loaded wire monopole antenna, consisting in most cases of a mast fed at the ground end, to which a number of radial wires are connected at the top, sloping downwards. They are used as transmitting antennas ...

and L- and T-antenna, use capacitive top-loading (a "top hat"), in the form of a network of horizontal wires attached to the top of the vertical radiator. The

capacitance Capacitance is the capability of a material object or device to store electric charge. It is measured by the change in charge in response to a difference in electric potential, expressed as the ratio of those quantities. Commonly recognized are ...

improves the efficiency of the antenna by increasing the current, without increasing its height. The height of antennas differ by usage. For some

non-directional beacon A non-directional beacon (NDB) or non-directional radio beacon is a radio beacon which does not include directional information. Radio beacons are radio transmitters at a known location, used as an aviation or marine navigational aid. NDB are ...

s (NDBs) the height can be as low as 10 meters, while for more powerful navigation transmitters such as

DECCA Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

, masts with a height around 100 meters are used. T-antennas have a height between 50 and 200 meters, while mast aerials are usually taller than 150 meters. The height of mast antennas for

LORAN-C Loran-C is a hyperbolic radio navigation system that allows a receiver to determine its position by listening to low frequency radio signals that are transmitted by fixed land-based radio beacons. Loran-C combined two different techniques to ...

is around 190 meters for transmitters with radiated power below 500 kW, and around 400 meters for transmitters greater than 1,000 kilowatts. The main type of LORAN-C antenna is insulated from ground. LF (longwave) broadcasting stations use mast antennas with heights of more than 150 meters or T-aerials. The mast antennas can be ground-fed insulated masts or upper-fed grounded masts. It is also possible to use cage antennas on grounded masts. For broadcasting stations, directional antennas are often required. They consist of multiple masts, which often have the same height. Some longwave antennas consist of multiple mast antennas arranged in a circle with or without a mast antenna in the center. Such antennas focus the transmitted power toward ground and give a large zone of fade-free reception. This type of antenna is rarely used, because they are very expensive and require much space and because fading occurs on longwave much more rarely than in the medium wave range. One antenna of this kind was used by transmitter Orlunda in Sweden. For reception, long wire antennas are used, or more often ferrite

loop antenna A loop antenna is a radio antenna consisting of a loop or coil of wire, tubing, or other electrical conductor, that is usually fed by a balanced source or feeding a balanced load. Within this physical description there are two (possibly three) d ...

s because of their small size. Amateur radio operators have achieved good LF reception using

active antenna An active antenna is an antenna that contains active electronic components such as transistors, as opposed to most antennas which only consist of passive components such as metal rods, capacitors and inductors. Active antenna designs allow antenna ...

s with a short whip. LF transmitting antennas for high power transmitters require large amounts of space, and have been the cause of controversy in Europe and the United States due to concerns about possible health hazards associated with human exposure to radio waves.