SSBIn the HamQSO filter: Phone
SSB: what it is and where to find it on the bands
SSB, single sideband voice: the standard phone mode on HF, lower sideband below 10 MHz and upper above.
Single sideband is how voice travels on HF. It removes the carrier and one of the two sidebands of AM, so the whole transmitter power goes into what you hear.
By convention, lower sideband is used below 10 MHz and upper sideband above. Cluster spots usually report it as SSB, sometimes as USB or LSB.
Phone DX lives in the upper part of each HF band, and it is the mode most POTA activators use to work a quick run of hunters.
Where SSB lives
| Band | Frequency |
|---|---|
| 160m | 1.843–2.000 MHz |
| 80m | 3.600–3.800 MHz |
| 60m | 5.354–5.366 MHz |
| 40m | 7.053–7.200 MHz |
| 20m | 14.101–14.350 MHz |
| 17m | 18.111–18.168 MHz |
| 15m | 21.151–21.450 MHz |
| 12m | 24.931–24.990 MHz |
| 10m | 28.225–29.300 MHz |
| 6m | 50.100–50.500 MHz |
| 2m | 144.150–144.400 MHz |
| 70cm | 432.150–432.500 MHz |
Simplified from the IARU Region 1 band plan. Your national rules and licence class decide what you may use.