RTTYIn the HamQSO filter: Digital
RTTY: what it is and where to find it on the bands
RTTY, radioteletype: the oldest digital mode on the bands, still alive in contests and on DXpeditions.
RTTY shifts the carrier between two frequencies to send characters at 45.45 baud. It is noisy to the ear and simple to decode, and it predates computers by decades.
Today it lives mostly in contests and on DXpeditions, which offer it so RTTY award hunters can count the entity.
RTTY spots appear in the digital segment of each band. The comment often says the contest or the split.
Where RTTY lives
| Band | Frequency |
|---|---|
| 160m | 1.838–1.843 MHz |
| 80m | 3.570–3.600 MHz |
| 40m | 7.040–7.053 MHz |
| 30m | 10.130–10.150 MHz |
| 20m | 14.070–14.099 MHz |
| 17m | 18.095–18.109 MHz |
| 15m | 21.070–21.149 MHz |
| 12m | 24.915–24.929 MHz |
| 10m | 28.070–28.190 MHz |
Simplified from the IARU Region 1 band plan. Your national rules and licence class decide what you may use.