The 10m band: frequencies, band plan and propagation
The 10 metre band: the widest HF band, spectacular in a high solar cycle and with sporadic E in summer.
Band plan
| CW | 28.000–28.070 MHz |
| Digital modes | 28.070–28.190 MHz |
| Beacons | 28.190–28.225 MHz |
| Phone (SSB) | 28.225–29.300 MHz |
| Satellites | 29.300–29.510 MHz |
| FM and other modes | 29.510–29.700 MHz |
Simplified from the IARU Region 1 band plan. Your national rules and licence class decide what you may use.
- CW
- Digital modes
- Beacons
- Phone (SSB)
- Satellites
- FM and other modes
10 metres is the most dramatic HF band. Near the peak of the solar cycle it carries worldwide contacts with a few watts; near the bottom it can stay quiet for weeks, until sporadic E opens short paths in the summer.
It is wide enough for every mode, from CW and FT8 at the bottom to SSB, satellites and FM at the top, and it is where many newcomers make their first long-distance contact.
When the band opens, it opens fast. Spots on the cluster are often the first sign that 10 metres is alive.
Allocation
| Region 1 | 28.000–29.700 MHz |
| Region 2 | 28.000–29.700 MHz |
| Region 3 | 28.000–29.700 MHz |
Region 1 is Europe, Africa, the Middle East and northern Asia; Region 2 the Americas; Region 3 Asia-Pacific.