There are so many bands to choose from! Here is a quick guide on each of the common bands.
Here is a link where you can download this chart:
https://www.arrl.org/graphical-frequency-allocations
Experimental bands
There are some new experimental bands. Personally, I have never used these, and I do not know anyone who has. But I will list them now.
2200 Meters + 660 Meters
There are some challenges to operating in these bands. First is the antenna requirements. The wavelength is massive, so an efficient antenna would be huge! And then there are the power restrictions. 5 watts of radiated power is the maximum power allowed on 660. This would be difficult for any regular amateur band, but especially difficult for these low-frequency bands. The noise at these frequencies is much higher than the standard amateur frequencies.
There are very few companies that make equipment for these bands. My advice is to try the other HF bands first before trying these.
If you want to read more on these bands, here is an article from the ARRL:
https://www.arrl.org/files/file/Technology/pdf/craig.pdf
HF
HF is a long wavelength, so it uses long antennas. These waves reflect off the ionosphere and come back to Earth. This reflection means far-off signals can be heard.
Typically, the lower the HF band, the better it works at night. 160 meters works best when it is very dark, same with 80 meters. 40 is good in the evening hours and the first few hours after sunset.
Nighttime Bands
160 Meters
160 meters is often called the gentleman’s band. It is next to the AM broadcast band.
80 Meters
80 Meters is a favorite for local and regional nets.
60 Meters
60 Meters is a relatively new band for amateurs. It was added in the early 2000s, and it has some special operating rules. We are secondary users in this frequency, so if you hear traffic here, you should move frequencies. You may hear a few stations on 60 meters, but it is often quiet. I check it occasionally in the evening.
40 Meters
40 Meters is a great nighttime band that opens up just before sunset. You may also hear people during the day. Just be aware that the upper portion of 40 meters does have some international shortwave transmitting stations.
30 Meters
30 meters is an oddball band. SSB is not allowed; CW and digital only. This band follows the greyline – the line of sunset. This band works best in the afternoon as the sun is setting across the US. You will hear signals strongest as the greyline moves.
Daytime Bands
20 Meters
20 Meters is one of the most active amateur bands at any time. It works best during the days and the greyline. This band is always packed with signals. You will hear POTA stations, contests, ragchews, and nets. The lower voice portion you will have more ragchewers. Every operator new to HF should start here. You will have the best chance to make some contacts here.
Some advice: avoid the Maritime Mobile net on 14.300 and the SSTV signals on 14.230.
17 Meters – WARC
17 Meters is a great band that behaves like 20 Meters. It is not as busy as 20 Meters, but you will find plenty of people to chat with. Without contestors, this band is great for taking it easy.
15 Meters
15 Meters, in my opinion, is the forgotten band. It has a massive chunk of bandspace. It is larger than 15 meters, but you often find fewer people here. It behaves like a more stable version of 10 meters. If 20 meters is full of contestors, you will probably have a few operators here.
12 Meters – WARC
12 Meters is a strange band. It opens just like 10 meters does, but you will
10 Meters
10 Meters is where many technicians try to start their journey in HF. And my opinion is that 10 meters is not the best for beginners. It is only active during peaks of the solar cycle. And when the solar conditions are unfavorable, this band is silent. If you hear signals there, great! Make a contact! But I have found 20 Meters to be far more reliable than 10 meters.
But don’t mistake my advice, 10 meters is a fantastic band when it opens. And when it opens, you will hear stations all over the world as if they were sitting next to you. The contacts I have had on 10 meters were fast-paced and from all over the world. 10 meters also has a massive chunk of badspace. You can fit so many stations inside it!
If you are a technician, use it when it’s open. But if you don’t hear anything, study up for your general so you can use 20 meters.
What are the WARC bands?
The WARC bands were added to amateur radio in 1979. There are 3 of them. They are different than the regular bands, because contesting is not allowed on them. Some of the friendliest people in amateur radio hang out on these bands. All the contacts I have had on the WARC bands have been laid back and slower than 20M or 15M.
VHF
6 meters is another oddball band. It behaves like 2 meters, but during times of solar instability, 6 meters can suddenly open to anywhere in the world! And just as suddenly as it opens, it fades.
2 meters is generally used for local communications, especially with repeaters. Most repeater-capable radios are dual-band 2-meter & 70 centimeter radios. Of the 2 bands, 2 meters can be negatively affected by buildings and obstacles, but it is often cited as further reaching than 70 cm.
1.25m (220) is a US-specific band that behaves similarly to both the 2m band and 70cm band. Unfortunately, because very few other countries use this band, equipment is limited, and the band spectrum is relatively small. Though there are several dedicated operators that frequent the repeaters on this band. They are generally very friendly and happy to hear from new users.
70 centimeters is a band favorite for suburban and urban areas. The waves are more likely to penetrate buildings and urban environments. 70cm is also typically where most digital repeaters are. This is because of the extra band space vs. 2 meters. There are also plenty of analog repeaters here.
There are other higher frequency bands, but I have not used any of these.
What are the main differences between HF, VHF, and UHF?
HF is what I like to think of as ‘traditional ham radio’—big antennas, amplifiers, weak signals, that kind of thing.
VHF/UHF are the main vehicles of local communications. Here you will find mainly repeaters and local chatter. True, there are satellites and other types of space communications, but the majority of the traffic you hear on these bands is repeater traffic.
You will also see digital voice traffic here, usually by digital repeaters on 70 cm.