10 Meter Band: Complete Guide to Amateur Radio's 28 MHz Frequency Range

What is the 10 Meter Band?

The 10-meter band was allocated on a worldwide basis by the International Radiotelegraph Conference in Washington, DC, on 4 October 1927. Its frequency allocation was then 28-30 MHz. A 300 kHz segment, from 29.700–30.000 MHz, was removed from the amateur radio allocation in 1947 by the International Radio Conference of Atlantic City.

Frequency Range and Allocation

The International Telecommunication Union recommends allowing amateur radio operations in the frequency range from 28.000–29.700 MHz, subject to member nations' individual regulation of radio. This 1.7 MHz allocation provides substantial bandwidth for various operating modes and activities within the amateur radio service.

Although 10 meters has a worldwide amateur radio allocation, in some countries the use of portions of 10 meters is allocated by the government by license class, by signal mode or signal bandwidth. Beyond these regulations there is also a general voluntary band plan adhered to by amateurs throughout the world.

International Band Plan Overview

The 10 meter band follows established international and regional band plans that organize spectrum usage. Morse code and other narrowband modes are found toward the bottom portion of the band, SSB from 28.300 MHz up, and wideband modes (AM and FM) are found near the upper part of the bottom portion of the band.

The most active part of the 10 meter band is probably 28.300–28.500 MHz. Worldwide, operation in this band segment is almost exclusively SSB. On SSB you'll find most activity between 28.400 and 28.500 MHz, with 28.450 - 28.500 MHz most favoured. With good conditions this spreads from 28.300 to above 28.600 MHz.

License Requirements and Privileges

Operating a 10-meter radio requires a valid amateur radio license, with different license classes having varying privileges on the band. Technicians may also operate on the 80, 40 and 15 meter bands using CW, and on the 10 meter band using CW, voice and digital modes.

American Novice and Technician class licensees were granted CW and SSB segments on the 10 meter band as of 21 March 1987. With the elimination of Morse code testing requirements for U.S. amateurs in February 2007, Technician-class licensees who have not passed a code test may operate with up to 200 Watts PEP using CW and SSB modes in a portion of the 10 meter band.

Unless otherwise noted, the maximum power output is 1500 watts PEP. Novice/Technicians are limited to 200 watts PEP on HF bands.

Band Characteristics and Unique Features

The 10 meter band possesses several unique characteristics that distinguish it from other amateur radio frequencies. 10 metres – 28.000–29.700 MHz – 10.71–10.08 m actual · Best long distance (e.g., across oceans) activity is during solar maximum; during periods of moderate solar activity the best activity is found at low latitudes.

10 meters (28.0-29.7 MHz) offers superb long distance contacts (DX) even on very low power (QRP). An antenna for ten meters is smaller and easier to build than for any other HF ham radio bands. In other words, here is a band on which you are likely to get the "biggest bang for the buck" than on any other HF band ... if you are looking for DX that is.

10 Meter Propagation Characteristics

Understanding propagation is crucial for successful 10 meter operations, as this band exhibits unique behavior dependent on solar activity and ionospheric conditions.

Skip Propagation and Ionospheric Effects

Due to its unique spot in the spectrum, 10 meters can occasionally be challenging to work. At peak times of the solar cycle when many sunspots appear on the Sun's surface, 10 meters can be alive with extremely long-distance signals, refracting from the F2 layer in the ionosphere. Generally speaking, the most effective and efficient propagation of 10-meter radio waves takes place during local daylight hours. During periods of increased sunspot activity, band openings may begin well before sunrise and continue into the night.

When there are more sunspots, the sun puts out radiation that charges particles in the earth's ionosphere. Radio waves bounce off of (refract from) these charged particles, and the denser these clouds of ions, the better the HF propagation. When the ionosphere is denser, higher frequencies will refract off it rather than passing through to outer space.

Solar Cycle Impact on 10 Meters

The actual cycle (black line) significantly exceeded the original forecast (dashed). We are now on the descending slope. Right now is a good time for amateur operators and shortwave broadcasters (and listeners), because the world is just coming off the peak, or solar maximum, of Solar Cycle 25.

This is why every 11 years or so when this activity is higher, 10 meters gets exciting. 10 meters is at a high enough frequency, right near the top of the HF spectrum, that radio waves propagate very efficiently when the sunspot count is high.

For example, from mid-1988 to mid-1992 during Cycle 22, the SSN stayed higher than 100. The 10-meter band was open then almost all day, every day, to some part of the world.

The higher HF bands (10m – 17m) will be most effective for skip propagation during the years near solar maximum, occurring on an 11-year cycle. Some of these higher HF bands may not be open during the lower activity portions of the solar cycle. The higher the band frequency, the greater the dependence on high solar activity for the band to open (for signals to be bent back to earth by the ionosphere).

Sporadic E Propagation

The band offers useful short to medium range groundwave propagation, day or night. Due to Sporadic E propagation during the late spring and most of the summer, regardless of sunspot numbers, afternoon short band openings into small geographic areas of up to 1,500 km (1,000 miles) occur. Sporadic E is caused by areas of intense ionization in the E layer of the ionosphere. The causes of sporadic E are not fully understood, but these "clouds" of ionization can provide short-term propagation from 17 metres all the way up to occasional 2 metre openings.

Other modes of propagation, such as sporadic E, may provide sky-wave propagation on the 6 and 10-meter bands, especially during the summer.

Best Times and Conditions for Operation

Because the propagation on 10 meters can vary drastically throughout the day, propagation beacons are very important to gauge the current conditions of the band. You can still find out if there is any activity elsewhere in the world by... - By monitoring 28.200 MHz for any sign of a beacon. The NCDXF/IARU International Beacon Project has 18 beacons scattered around the world. Each beacon transmits once every three minutes, 24 hours a day. The project's website gives details about the transmission schedule and what is transmitted, at what power.

Cycle descents are not cliffs. Historical cycles show that strong high-band conditions persist well into the declining years — Cycle 23, which peaked in 2001, was producing exceptional 10M and 6M events through 2004 and 2005. The rate of decline matters more than whether you're past peak. Near maximum, the bands were often open before you even sat down. Descending, you need to pay more attention to solar flux numbers, K-index, and propagation tools. The operators who stay active and watch conditions carefully will continue to work DX that occasional operators miss entirely.

Operating Modes on 10 Meters

Being a very wide band in HF terms, many different transmission modes can be found on 10 meters. A 10-meter radio supports several modes of operation, including SSB (Single Side Band), CW (Continuous Wave), AM (Amplitude Modulation), FM (Frequency Modulation), and digital modes such as RTTY (Radio Teletype), PSK31 (Phase Shift Keying), and FT8 (Franke-Taylor design, 8-FSK modulation).

SSB Voice Operations

The most popular mode for a 10-meter radio is Single Sideband (SSB). SSB is a voice mode that allows for clear, high-quality communication over long distances. Unlike AM, which is the other common voice mode used on 10-meter radios, SSB provides more power efficiency and better audio quality.

There are two SSB modes: upper sideband (USB) and lower sideband (LSB). USB is used for transmitting at frequencies above 10 MHz, so it's the mode used for phone calls in the 10-meter band.

Amateur radio operators with Novice or Technician licenses can use the frequency range from 28.3 MHz to 28.5 MHz for Phone (voice) communications. Amateur operators with General, Advanced, or Extra radio licenses can use the entire remainder of the 10-meter band, from 28.3 MHz to 29.7 MHz for Morse Code, Phone, or Image transmission.

CW and Digital Modes

At the bottom of the band, from 28.0 MHz to 28.3 MHz, communication is limited to Continuous Wave, or Morse Code. Continuous Wave requires a very narrow bandwidth at 150 Hz, so this section provides ample space for Morse Code communications.

Digital modes, such as PSK-31, are also allowed in the upper portion of the band, with 28.120 being a popular PSK-31 frequency. In addition to SSB, other modes that are popular on 10-meter radios include FM, CW (Morse code), and digital modes such as PSK31 and FT8. Some popular modes on the 10-meter band include SSB (single sideband), FM (frequency modulation), and various digital modes such as FT8 and PSK31.

FM Repeater Operations

For practical reasons of spectrum use the FCC restricts FM to the 10m and higher bands only [10m, 6m, 2m, 1.25m, 70cm, and shorter wavelength bands]. From 29.000 MHz to 29.700, The FM sub-band is usually channelized into repeater and simplex frequencies. The channels are commonly grouped into repeater inputs, simplex, and repeater output frequencies.

Repeater input frequencies: 29.510, 29.520, 29.530, 29.540, 29.550, 29.560, 29.570, 29.580 and 29.590 MHz. Repeater output frequencies: 29.610, 29.620, 29.630, 29.640, 29.650, 29.660, 29.670, 29.680 and 29.690 MHz. Common practice for 10-meter repeaters is to use a 100 kHz negative offset for repeater operation.

Contest and DX Operations

The 3.5, 7, 14, 21 and 28MHz bands are the bands where contests can be found. The 10 meter band is particularly active during major contests and DX operations when band conditions permit.

When 10 is open, it is pretty easy to work lots of people with almost any antenna. Any radio, even those that are low power, can work people on 10M when the sunspot cycle is cooperating.

10 Meter Antennas and Equipment

10 meter amateur radio antennas are designed specifically for the 28-29.7 MHz frequency range and offer unique advantages: Compact Size - Shorter wavelength allows for smaller, more manageable antennas · Excellent DX Performance - Superior long-distance communication during solar maximum · Versatile Propagation - Works well for both local and skip communication · High Gain Potential - Multi-element beams provide significant gain in compact packages · Easy Installation - Smaller size makes installation more feasible for most hams