UHF and other frequencies

Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
1

You state, “Below the assigned frequencies, you have Extremely Low
Frequency from 30-300 hertz, used mainly for submarine communication, and the frequency from 300-3000
Hz, which was thankfully declared unsuitable for long-distance broadcast, except when you shout really
loud.”

Do these (i suppose along with 0-30 hertz) comprise the missing Bands 1 thru 3 alluded to earlier in the column?

2

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/muhf.html

I just thought the moderators needed a break.

3

Sorry, i was up late that nite, and breezed by the first paragraph.

4

[[Do these (i suppose along with 0-30 hertz) comprise the missing Bands 1 thru 3 alluded to earlier in the column?]]

Yes and no. While those low frequencies were left ‘unassigned’ by the International Telecommunications Union for broadcast purposes, they still adhered to the ‘multiples of 10’ principle for mathematical conformity, even in the bands they didn’t name.

5

In the mailbag replay, the following was stated in passing:

  • From 540-1605 kHz is the bandwidth reserved for AM radio,[snip]*

This was true until a few years ago (actually it started at 535), however the AM broadcast band recently added ten frequencies, so the current range is now 535-1705, for station frequencies every ten kilohertz from 540 to 1700. (530 is also used for special low-power stations in the US.)

For completeness sake, below is a recap of the various grouping, including a couple whose names weren’t listed in the original mailbag replay. (Following comes from
Space Physics Acronyms):

UL Ultra Low Frequencies, below 30 Hz, - (Magneto Hydro Dynamic waves)
ELF Extremely Low Frequencies, 30 - 300 Hz, (Radio waves)
VF Voice Frequencies, 0.3 - 3 kHz, (Radio waves)
VLF Very Low Frequencies, 3 - 30 kHz, (Radio waves)
LF Low Frequencies, 30 - 300 kHz, (Radio waves)
MF Medium Frequencies, 0.3 - 3 MHz, (Radio waves)
HF High Frequencies, 3 - 30 MHz, (Radio waves)
VHF Very High Frequencies, 30 - 300 MHz, (Radio waves)
UHF Ultra High Frequencies, 0.3 - 3 GHz, (Radio waves)
SHF Super High Frequencies, 3 - 30 GHz, (Radio waves)
EHF Extremely High Freqiencies, 30 - 300 GHz, (Radio waves)