Band-plan checker

1. Band and class. Is the dial frequency inside a segment your class holds (§97.301)? Technician and above share every band from 6 m up. On HF, Technician and Novice have only parts of 80, 40, 15 and 10 m. On 1.25 m and 23 cm, Novices have 222–225 MHz and 1270–1295 MHz.
2. Mode. CW is allowed on every frequency you are authorized to use (§97.305(a)). Phone, image and data follow the §97.305(c) table. Technicians and Novices are limited to CW on 80, 40 and 15 m, and to CW plus SSB voice on 28.300–28.500 MHz (§97.307(f)(9), (10)).
3. The whole signal must fit. Every part of the emission must stay inside the segment (§97.307(b)). The tool assumes these occupied bandwidths from the dial (carrier) frequency: CW ±75 Hz; USB +200 Hz to +3 kHz; LSB −3 kHz to −200 Hz; AM ±3 kHz; FM ±5 kHz below 30 MHz and ±8 kHz above; data as USB (dial + 0 to 3 kHz, the way FT8 and other sound-card modes are set up). Real signals are often narrower, so treat these as safe margins. Within 500 Hz of an edge on HF (2 kHz on VHF and up) you get a warning, because displays and calibration drift.
4. 60 m. General and above only. Transmit on the four channels or in 5351.5–5366.5 kHz. On a channel, CW goes on the center and phone, RTTY and data use USB with the carrier 1.5 kHz below center. Nothing wider than 2.8 kHz. Power is 100 W ERP on the channels and 9.15 W ERP in the segment (§97.303(h)(3), §97.313(i)).
5. Power. 1,500 W PEP unless a lower limit applies: 200 W PEP on 30 m; 200 W PEP for Technicians and Novices on their HF segments; 1 W EIRP on 2200 m; 5 W EIRP on 630 m; 50 W on 219–220 MHz; Novice 25 W on 1.25 m and 5 W on 23 cm (§97.313). Some limits depend on location; these are listed as notes.
6. Custom. The voluntary column is not law. It comes from the ARRL band plan, the WSJT-X default frequency list, QRP ARCI centers of activity and the NCDXF beacon schedule. Beacon frequencies and satellite subbands are marked "keep clear". A legal frequency can still be the wrong place for your mode.
7. ITU regions. Other countries use different band edges and band plans. For example, 40 m is only 7.000–7.200 MHz in Region 1, and Europe has no 1.25 m band. This tool applies US rules to US stations only.

Data as of: Oct 2026. Recent rule changes reflected:

Voluntary-use sources: ARRL band plan, WSJT-X FrequencyList.cpp, QRP ARCI QRP frequencies, NCDXF/IARU beacons. Band plans change; local repeater coordinators set repeater pairs in your area.