Adherence to VHF and UHF bandplan essential

VHF and UHF band plans are devised to achieve maximum use of the spectrum allocated to Amateur Radio and adherence to the plans ensures interference-free operation and ultimately that great satisfaction of hearing a weak or satellite signal and make a QSO.

Amateur satellites have a very broad footprint and to ensure world-wide interference-free operation, certain segments of the various frequency bands are set aside for this.

For instance, for FM voice communication with the International space station and other manned space vehicles 145,200 MHz is set aside for simplex operation or 145,200 / 145,800 for transponder type operation.

Please do not use these frequencies for ordinary ground based QSOs. The segment 145,800 - 146,000 MHz is set aside for satellite operation. Please do not use this segment for terrestrial operation. Similarly, the segment 435,000 - 438,000 MHz is also set aside for the amateur satellite service.

The International Amateur Radio Union internationally coordinates band plans by mutual agreement.

Band plans are available on www.sarl.org.za, look in the left hand column for licences, open the page and then click on band plans.

Source: The South African Radio League

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