QRP frequencies for every band
The QRP centres of activity of the IARU Region 1 HF band plan, for CW and for SSB. They are meeting points for low-power stations, not reserved frequencies.
QRP CW
Centres of activity| Band | Frequency | Regions | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 160m | 1.836 MHz | Region 1 | |
| 80m | 3.560 MHz | Region 1 | |
| 40m | 7.030 MHz | Region 1 | |
| 30m | 10.116 MHz | Region 1 | |
| 20m | 14.060 MHz | Region 1 | |
| 17m | 18.086 MHz | Region 1 | |
| 15m | 21.060 MHz | Region 1 | Listed as "QRP Centre of Activity" inside the CW segment |
| 12m | 24.906 MHz | Region 1 | |
| 10m | 28.060 MHz | Region 1 | Listed as "QRP Centre of Activity" inside the CW segment |
Centres of activity from the IARU Region 1 band plan: not reserved frequencies. Regions 2 and 3 publish their own plans.
Sources: IARU Region 1 HF band plan (effective 16 October 2020)
QRP SSB
Centres of activitySSB QRP centres of activity from the IARU Region 1 band plan: not reserved frequencies.
Sources: IARU Region 1 HF band plan (effective 16 October 2020)
QRP means low power, usually 5 W or less on CW. Calling on a centre of activity tells everyone you are running low power and asks for patience; answering stations know to keep their own exchange short and repeat when asked.
The CW centres sit in the CW segment of every HF band, the SSB ones in the phone segment of the bands that have one. Regions 2 and 3 publish their own plans, so a North American QRP net may meet elsewhere. Portable activators often call near these frequencies, with SOTA CW a couple of kilohertz higher.
The QRP table has 16 entries, on 160 m, 80 m, 40 m, 30 m, 20 m, 17 m, 15 m, 12 m, and 10 m.
No entry for 60 m: the source gives none there.
16 of the entries hold only in some ITU regions, as the regions column shows.
Dial frequencies are the USB suppressed-carrier setting of the radio; the signals sit a few hundred hertz to about 3 kHz above. Band plans and national rules prevail.