Band plan
Band plan is a term from radio technology and describes the division of frequencies as parts of the electromagnetic spectrum into different areas of use. Each band plan defines for its frequency range how parts of this range may be used. A band plan can e.g. B. contain the following information:
- Division into channels or smaller frequency ranges
- Numbering of the channels - designation (e.g. number, letter, ...) of the channels
- Center frequencies of the channels or frequency ranges
- Bandwidth of the channels or the permitted transmission (if no channels are defined)
- Spectral utilization of the permitted bandwidth (how must the transmission be spectrally attenuated around the center frequency)
- permitted types of modulation in the frequency range or channel
- permitted operating mode
- Priority of operating modes or content in the case of shared use of a frequency range.
Band plans are intended to organize frequency usage and keep interference between different users of the same frequency range as low as possible.
Band plan in the amateur radio service
The band plans for the amateur radio service are published and updated internationally by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). They are recommendations and not legally binding. A band plan recommends a maximum bandwidth and modulation types for individual parts of an amateur band. In the past, the types of modulation recommended in individual band segments were recommended in greater detail. However, problems arose with the implementation of newly developed types of modulation.
The band plans are only binding for the members of their respective national association organized in the IARU. In Germany this is the German Amateur Radio Club , in Austria the ÖVSV , in Switzerland the USKA . Although knowledge of the band plans is part of the amateur radio certificate examination in Germany, for example, non-compliance with the band plan is not pursued by the competent authority, the Federal Network Agency . Only in the 50 MHz band was the radio beacon area at the beginning of the amateur band not released for general broadcasting in Germany. However, this official regulation in Germany is legally binding for German radio amateurs and therefore has nothing in common with the other character of band plans in amateur radio.
In amateur radio competitions (i.e. artificially generated traffic), the recommendations of the band plans are often ignored. Individual organizers of such competitions have tried to control compliance with the band plans during competitions, but without success. Thus, during competitions in amateur radio telex, the radio beacons in the 14 MHz range, which are important for monitoring radio weather, are regularly disrupted until they are unusable.