About Band Plans
What is a band plan?
A band plan is an agreement that divides the RF spectrum into different bands or segments for different uses.
Internationally, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is responsible for allocating bands for each service such as fixed, mobile, broadcasting or amateur. Most countries follow the ITU frequency allocations very closely, but each country also has the right to vary its frequency allocations to suit local conditions.
In Australia, spectrum management is the responsibility of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). It determines frequency allocations for all transmitting stations in Australia and its territories.
Band planning within the amateur bands follows the same pattern as international and national band planning. To make the best use of the available spectrum, our bands are divided into segments that are used for different purposes.
A voluntary agreement based on mutual respect
For many decades, the Amateur Radio Service—through the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU)—has developed ways to guide how amateur radio spectrum is used. The goal is to minimise interference between different operating modes and activities.
This is achieved through voluntary band plans, which divide the amateur spectrum into smaller usage segments beyond the basic regulatory definitions. These plans help separate operating modes that are not always compatible, reducing the likelihood of interference between operators with different interests.
In Australia, band plans are coordinated through the IARU, with the Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) acting as the national representative. Band plans are guidelines, not laws. They work only when radio amateurs respect one another and voluntarily follow them in the spirit in which they are intended.
How Band Plans Are Structured
Band plans operate at multiple levels:
 Regional band plans, developed by the IARU (for Australia, this is IARU Region 3)
National band plans, adapted where necessary to reflect domestic regulatory requirements
Where national regulations differ from regional band plans, the following principles apply:
1. National regulations always take precedence over band plans.
2. Countries may adopt different arrangements, provided they do not cause harmful interference to stations operating in accordance with the regional band plan.
3. IARU member societies are strongly encouraged to base their national band plans on the regional plans.
These principles define how conflicts between regulations and voluntary band plans are resolved.
Ultimately, the effective use of band plans depends on on air courtesy and respect—both for fellow amateurs and for other spectrum users who share bands with us. This is fundamental to the harmonious use of our limited and valuable spectrum.
The Regulatory Environment
While band plans are voluntary, amateur radio operation is governed by formal regulation.
In Australia, access to amateur radio spectrum is granted by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) under the Radiocommunications (Amateur Stations) Class Licence 2023. Operators must demonstrate competence by obtaining an appropriate qualification and call sign.
The frequencies available to amateur radio are defined in the Australian Radio Spectrum Plan, which aligns with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Radio Regulations, to which Australia is a signatory.
Primary and Secondary Spectrum
Amateur radio operates under two spectrum classifications, each with specific interference responsibilities:
Primary spectrum Amateur stations may operate with the expectation of protection from harmful interference, although sharing arrangements may still apply.
Secondary spectrum Amateur stations must not cause interference to primary users and must accept any interference received.
If you hear activity on a frequency—whether intelligible or not—you must not transmit on that frequency.
These responsibilities may be further refined by footnotes in the ITU Radio Regulations. In many bands, the Amateur Service operates on a secondary basis and must manage its activities accordingly.
Interference Management Responsibility
The final authority on interference management is the Radiocommunications Act 1992 and the Amateur Class Licence.
Part 3, Section 15 states:
“A person must not operate an amateur station if its operation causes harmful interference to radiocommunications.”
Each individual operator is therefore responsible for ensuring their station does not cause harmful interference.
Although band plans are not legally enforceable, they are an important self regulatory tool that helps amateurs meet their regulatory obligations and share spectrum fairly and efficiently. They deserve careful consideration and respect.
How each band plan is represented
Each band plan shows the following key information:
ITU and ACMA regulatory limits
Licence classes permitted to operate
Major usage segments
Common Centres of Activity
Where there are specific regulatory conditions on a band (e.g. ITU foot notes in the radio regulations) they have been highlighted in each case (for example the radio astronomy conditions that apply to portions of the 3.3-3.4 GHz band).
Guidance is also included to help Amateur Radio operators translate what their radio displays on its frequency dial to where in the radio spectrum the signal content actually sits. This is particularly relevant for modes like Upper Sideband (USB) or Lower Sideband (LSB) where the dial frequency reports either the highest or lowest frequency the transmission begins on but does not reflect the centre of the signal or the bandwidth of the signal.
Usage Categories in the Band Plans
Band plans divide the amateur spectrum into usage categories that generally are not compatible with one another. The main categories include:
CW – Morse code operation
DATA – Machine to machine data communications, typically computer generated / text-based communications (e.g. FT8, RTTY, Winlink; often using FSK or PSK modulation). DATA segments are not intended for Digital Modulation based voice & Image modes.
VOICE / IMAGE – Speech and image communications. This includes analogue modes (e.g. SSB, SSTV) and digital modulation-based voice and image modes (e.g. FreeDV, C4FM, DMR, D STAR, digital SSTV)
SATELLITE – used exclusively for ground to space or space to ground communications only
AMATEUR TELEVISION – fast scan wideband ATV transmissions using either analogue or digital transmissions
ALL MODES – there are no mode restrictions on this part of the spectrum – this is free for general experimental use.
BEACONS – propagation detection and reporting beacons – 24x7 fix location operation
REPEATERS – fixed repeater stations that operate 24x7
Additional spectrum segments are allocated for repeaters, wide-band data, narrow-band weak signal modes and specific experimental use (such as the wideband modes segment on the 6m band).
Centres of Activity
Finally, within these segments, certain frequencies are commonly used for specific activities. These are identified as Centres of Activity to help operators find ongoing activity on the bands.
Centres of Activity are guidelines only and may change over time.
Key Centres of Activity to consider include those marked for Emergency Communications or WICEN use. During natural disasters, if amateur radio is activated to help with temporary communications, these are the frequencies where that activity will most likely be conducted. This means that during such emergency declarations in particular, amateurs not involved in emergency traffic handling should avoid those channels, even if the emergency is in another country – after all our HF bands in particular provide global communications opportunities.
Further information
Further details of the current band plans and related material are on the Band Plan Data page - click this Link.
Page Last Updated: Thursday, 26 Feb 2026 at 03:21 hours by Tac
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