Shortwave Radio Bands and Frequencies

Understanding the concept of bands

If you are new to shortwave radio, then the first thing you need to understand is the concept of radio bands.

If you have ever listened to AM or FM radio, then you already know what a band is.

• The AM (Amplitude Modulation) band is the frequency range between 525 – 1705 KHz
• The FM (Frequency Modulation) band is between 87.5 – 108 MHz also known as VHF Band II. In some countries such as Japan it is 76 to 90 MHz and in some Eastern Europe countries 65.8 to 74.0 MHz which is known as OIRT band. Some countries have already discontinued the OIRT band and have changed to the 87.5 to 108 MHz band.

Shortwave radio bands are very similar in concept except there are multiple shortwave bands with their own names like 25 meters, 31 meters, 49 meters, etc. (often abbreviated as 25m, 31m and 49m respectively).

The chart below is a list of the shortwave radio bands used for international shortwave broadcasts and their corresponding frequency ranges.

Shortwave Radio DAY bands

Shortwave Radio NIGHT bands

Source: https://modernsurvivalblog.com, Vikipedia, Grundig