getontheairTechnician HF privileges and a propagation primer
A Technician license is not "VHF only." Techs have real HF privileges — enough to make contacts across the country and overseas with a modest station, especially on 10 meters. This page lays out exactly where, and explains why HF bands open and close.
Independent guide. Rules cited from 47 CFR Part 97 on eCFR; band-plan conventions from ARRL. Not legal advice.
Tech HF v1.0 · written 2026-10-08 · checked against Part 97 (amended through 91 FR 1430, Jan 14, 2026) as of Oct 2026
Technician HF privileges (US)
| Band | Frequencies (MHz) | What a Technician may transmit | Max power |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 m | 3.525 – 3.600 | CW (Morse) only | 200 W PEP |
| 40 m | 7.025 – 7.125 | CW only | 200 W PEP |
| 15 m | 21.025 – 21.200 | CW only | 200 W PEP |
| 10 m | 28.000 – 28.300 | CW, RTTY and data — FT8, FT4, PSK31 and similar digital modes | 200 W PEP |
| 10 m | 28.300 – 28.500 | CW and SSB voice (J3E/R3E) | 200 W PEP |
How the rules stack up:
- Where — §97.301(e) grants Novice and Technician operators the four HF segments above (plus 222–225 MHz and 1270–1295 MHz, which Techs also hold under §97.301(a)).
- What — §97.305(c) and §97.307(f)(9)–(10) limit Techs to international Morse CW on 80, 40 and 15 m, and to CW or single-sideband voice on 28.3–28.5 MHz. On 28.0–28.3 MHz the normal RTTY/data rules apply, so FT8 is fine.
- How much — §97.313(c) caps all four segments at 200 W PEP for Novice and Technician control operators. Use the minimum power necessary (§97.313(a)).
- No HF phone for Techs outside 28.3–28.5 MHz, and no SSTV/image on 10 m under a Tech license (only J3E/R3E voice there).
To check one frequency, mode and class, use the band-plan checker. It shows the Part 97 answer and the voluntary band-plan use separately, and warns when a sideband signal would spill past a segment edge.
Everything from 6 meters up
Under §97.301(a), Technicians have full privileges on every amateur band from 50 MHz up: 6 m, 2 m, 1.25 m, 70 cm, 33 cm, 23 cm and the microwave bands. That includes 6 m SSB and FT8 (where sporadic E can bring 1,000+ mile contacts in summer), satellites (Satellites), repeaters, and simplex.
Beyond FM: weak signal, moonbounce, meteors, microwaves and TV
FM repeaters are only one corner of the VHF and UHF bands. The rest is open to Technicians too:
| Activity | What it is | How to start |
|---|---|---|
| Weak-signal SSB and CW | Horizontally polarized SSB, CW and FT8 near the bottom of each band. Ranges reach hundreds of miles from a good location. | ARRL's band plan lists 50.125 MHz and 144.200 MHz as SSB calling frequencies. Activity peaks during VHF contests. |
| Sporadic E and tropo | Summer sporadic E opens 6 m (and sometimes 2 m) over 500–1,500 miles. Tropospheric ducting carries 2 m, 70 cm and higher bands along weather fronts and coasts. | Watch 6 m FT8 in May–August. William Hepburn's tropo forecast maps likely ducting. |
| Meteor scatter | Brief reflections off meteor trails, a few seconds at a time | The MSK144 mode in WSJT-X. Best during major showers such as the Perseids (August) and Geminids (December). Details: Meteor scatter. |
| Moonbounce (EME) | Signals reflected off the Moon | WSJT-X's Q65 and JT65 modes made EME possible for smaller stations: a long yagi and a few hundred watts on 2 m can work the big stations. Details: Moonbounce (EME). |
| Microwave | 10 GHz and up, often from hilltops and rover vehicles | Full Technician privileges. Join a regional microwave group or contest rover team; many start with 10 GHz transverters. Details: Microwave. |
| ATV and DATV | Amateur television, analog or digital, usually on 70 cm and up | Groups such as ATCO (Ohio) run ATV repeaters and nets. The BATC (UK) publishes DATV designs. Details: ATV and DATV. |
All of these count as normal amateur contacts. For POTA, digital modes such as MSK144 and Q65 are logged as data contacts, like FT8.
| Try this | Where | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| FT8 on 10 m | 28.074 MHz (USB dial, conventional FT8 frequency) | Works with low power and simple antennas; you see who hears you on PSK Reporter. Set up in WSJT-X. |
| SSB on 10 m | 28.300–28.500 MHz | Voice contacts across the country when the band is open — often daytime, near solar maximum. |
| CW on 40 m | 7.025–7.125 MHz | Reliable day and night; slow-speed CW operators often hang out here. See CW. |
| Listen first | Anywhere | Receiving has no license limits. Listening tells you when a band is open. How-to: Listen first (online receivers and RTL-SDR). |
| Field Day | Any Field Day band | A club station's control operator can let you operate beyond your privileges (Field Day). |
Check the voluntary ARRL band plan before you transmit — for example, 28.2–28.3 MHz is customarily used by beacons, so avoid transmitting there.
Upgrading to General
General adds large HF phone segments on 80/75, 40, 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10 m, the 160, 60, 30 m bands and more, at up to 1,500 W PEP where permitted. It is one 35-question exam (Element 3). Practice free in Ticket to Talk; session fees and the no-FCC-fee upgrade are in What a license costs.
Propagation primer
Radio waves travel in three main ways. Which one matters depends on frequency, time of day, season and the Sun.
Ground wave and line of sight
- Ground wave follows the Earth's surface; useful on the lowest bands for tens of miles.
- Line of sight dominates at VHF/UHF: range depends on antenna height and terrain. Repeaters on hills extend it.
Sky wave — the ionosphere
The ionosphere is a region of the upper atmosphere (from roughly 60 km to several hundred km up) ionized by solar ultraviolet and X-rays. It can bend HF signals back to Earth, so a signal can "skip" thousands of kilometers in one or more hops.
| Layer | When | Effect on HF |
|---|---|---|
| D (lowest) | Daytime only | Absorbs lower-frequency signals — why 80 and 40 m are short-range during the day. |
| E | Mostly daytime | Weak refraction; sporadic E patches (mostly late spring/summer) can open 10 m, 6 m and sometimes 2 m for 500–1,500 mile contacts. |
| F (F1/F2 by day, merging at night) | Day and night | The main long-distance reflector. Higher solar activity → higher frequencies supported. |
Key ideas
- MUF (maximum usable frequency): the highest frequency that the ionosphere will return over a given path right now. Bands above the MUF go quiet; bands just below it are usually best.
- Day vs night: higher bands (20 m and up, including 10 and 15 m) tend to work in daylight; lower bands (80, 40 m) open up for long distance after dark when D-layer absorption disappears.
- Seasons: summer brings more noise and sporadic E; winter often brings quieter low bands.
- Solar cycle: solar activity rises and falls over roughly 11 years. Near solar maximum, 10 and 15 m can open worldwide with low power; near solar minimum, 10 m may be open mainly via sporadic E. Check current conditions instead of assuming.
- Gray line: the band of twilight around the Earth often supports unusually long paths on the lower bands.
- Tropospheric ducting: weather inversions can carry VHF/UHF signals hundreds of miles — watch for it on calm, warm evenings.
Reading the numbers
| Index | Meaning | Rule of thumb |
|---|---|---|
| Solar flux (SFI, 10.7 cm) | Overall solar activity | Higher is better for upper HF bands. |
| K index (0–9) | Geomagnetic disturbance over the last 3 hours | Low (0–2) is quiet and good; 5+ is a storm that can wipe out HF, especially at high latitudes. |
| A index | Daily average of geomagnetic activity | Lower is better. |
| Flares / radio blackouts | Sudden X-ray bursts | Can black out sunlit HF paths for minutes to hours. |
Free tools to check conditions
- NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center — official space-weather alerts and forecasts.
- HamQSL solar data — solar flux, K/A index and band-condition summary.
- PSK Reporter — where digital signals (including yours) are being heard right now.
- Reverse Beacon Network — automated CW and digital skimmers reporting who is heard where.
- VOACAP — path predictions by band and hour.
- NCDXF/IARU beacons — 18 beacons around the world take turns on 14.100, 18.110, 21.150, 24.930 and 28.200 MHz. Each sends its call sign and then dashes stepping down from 100 W to 0.1 W, every three minutes. Hearing one tells you the path is open.
- WSPRnet — low-power WSPR beacons from WSJT-X or a QMX/QDX, mapped worldwide. Run one for an hour and see where your antenna reaches.
- HamClock — a popular dashboard. Its creator, Elwood Downey WB0OEW, died in January 2026, and his original data server was expected to shut down around June 2026. Existing clocks need to point at a community-run server (Amateur Radio Newsline; status checked 2026-10-08).
- NIST radio station WWV — time signals on 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20 MHz; hearing them is a quick check of what is open.
Related
Sources (checked Oct 2026)
- 47 CFR §97.301, §97.305, §97.307, §97.313.
- WSJT-X home (modes for meteor scatter and EME); NCDXF beacon schedule; Hepburn tropo forecast.
- ARRL band plan and frequency allocations. NOAA SWPC. NIST WWV.
v1.0, 2026-10-08.
Notes & edits
Comments and proposed markdown sit in a queue. Nothing is public until it is reviewed. How this works.