60-meter band
| 60-meter band | |
|---|---|
| Frequency range | Four channels near 5.3–5.4 MHz and a 5351.5–5366.5 kHz segment (US) |
| Wavelength | About 56 m |
| Group | HF |
| US license | General and above |
| Operating (US) | |
| Modes | Single-sideband voice (upper sideband), CW, certain data modes |
| Power limit | 100 W PEP ERP on the channels; 9.15 W ERP in the segment |
| Maximum bandwidth | 2.8 kHz |
| Status | Secondary to federal government users |
| Half-wave dipole length | About 87 feet (27 m) |
The 60-meter band is a small amateur allocation near 5.3 MHz, between the 80-meter and 40-meter bands. In the United States it works differently from every other HF band: rather than a continuous range of frequencies, it is a set of four fixed channels, each wide enough for a single voice signal, plus one narrow segment 15 kHz wide, all shared with government users who keep priority. The band fills a useful gap. It reliably covers distances of a few hundred miles at times when 80 meters is noisy and 40 meters skips over nearby stations, which makes it valuable for regional nets and emergency communications.
Sixty meters is not one of the WARC bands and has no single worldwide allocation. Countries opened it in different ways, many as sets of channels. The 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15) then created a narrow worldwide secondary allocation, 5351.5 to 5366.5 kHz, with a low power limit, generally 15 watts EIRP (effective isotropic radiated power). The FCC added that segment to the US rules on February 13, 2026. Because the rules for this band have changed several times, check the current FCC rules and the ARRL band chart before operating.
The US channels
When the band opened to US amateurs in 2003, it consisted of five channels for upper-sideband voice only. Changes in 2012 moved one channel, doubled the power limit and added CW and data. The latest change, effective February 13, 2026, added the 5351.5–5366.5 kHz segment and dropped the old 5358.5 kHz channel, which fell inside it.
| Channel or segment | Center frequency | USB dial frequency | Power limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Channel 1 | 5332.0 kHz | 5330.5 kHz | 100 W PEP ERP |
| Channel 2 | 5348.0 kHz | 5346.5 kHz | 100 W PEP ERP |
| Segment | 5351.5–5366.5 kHz | 9.15 W ERP | |
| Channel 3 | 5373.0 kHz | 5371.5 kHz | 100 W PEP ERP |
| Channel 4 | 5405.0 kHz | 5403.5 kHz | 100 W PEP ERP |
On the channels, the rules place the carrier of a voice or data signal 1.5 kHz below the channel center, which makes voice upper sideband (USB). An SSB radio displays the frequency of its suppressed carrier, so most channel lists give these dial frequencies. CW signals are sent on the channel center frequency. In the segment, signals may go anywhere as long as the whole signal stays inside it. The segment matches the allocation used by many other countries, which makes it useful for contacts with stations abroad, though its power limit is low.
Rules for US operators
Under the FCC's Part 97 rules, 60 meters is open to holders of a General, Advanced or Amateur Extra license. Technicians have no privileges on it. The main rules for the channel arrangement are:
- Power. On the four channels the limit is 100 watts PEP effective radiated power (ERP) relative to a half-wave dipole; in the 5351.5–5366.5 kHz segment it is 9.15 watts ERP. ERP takes the antenna's gain or loss into account as well as the transmitter's output, so with a simple dipole the transmitter may run 100 watts on a channel, and an antenna with gain requires less power.
- Modes. Single-sideband voice, CW and certain data modes, such as PSK31, are permitted. Every signal must fit within 2.8 kHz, and data and RTTY transmissions must be kept short to avoid interference.
- Sharing. Amateurs are secondary users. Federal government stations have priority, and amateur stations must not cause them harmful interference and must accept interference from them. If a government signal appears on a channel, move to another.
Propagation and use
Sixty meters is close to ideal for near-vertical-incidence skywave (NVIS). A dipole mounted low sends most of its signal almost straight up, and the ionosphere returns it over a circle a few hundred miles across, with no skip zone. By day, when 40 meters often skips over stations within a few hundred miles and 80 meters is weakened by absorption, 60 meters frequently covers the whole region. Emergency groups, regional nets and ragchewers value it for exactly that reason.
At night, absorption falls and signals travel farther. Contacts of a thousand miles or more are common after dark, and in winter intercontinental contacts are possible, and the shared segment makes DX easier to arrange than it was when US hams had only channels. Because each channel holds a single voice signal, stations take turns rather than squeezing in alongside one another, and courtesy matters more than usual.
Antennas and equipment
A half-wave dipole for 60 meters is about 87 feet long. For NVIS coverage it is hung fairly low, often only 20 to 30 feet above the ground; higher dipoles and verticals favor longer distances. Many hams instead load an 80-meter dipole, or a doublet fed with ladder line, through an antenna tuner. Because the power limit is stated as effective radiated power, a station using an antenna other than a simple dipole should know that antenna's gain.
Most current HF transceivers can transmit on the 60-meter channels.