Amateur Radio Allocations and Overlapping Part 15 Bands - An Overview
And a Part 97 versus Part 15 and Permissible Power Comparison

One of the main advantages to reclassifying your operations to Part 97 is interference protection from unlicensed operations (see Sec. 15.5) Licensed services have priority over unlicensed operations.

Reclassifying under Part 97 also provides a way around the Part 15 certification/authorization problem. (see Sec. 15.204) Which states in short that an authorized system includes its marketed antenna and other components and must always be used in its original configuration in which it was authorized, and should not be modified. Amateur equipment does not require certification / authorization, and hams may use equipment that has been certified for another service on amateur frequencies. [Sec. 97.315] Under Part 97 you can legally modify these devices, using (homebrew) pre-amps, RF amplifiers, and high gain antennas.

Another fairly big advantage is the amount of achievable radiated power under Part 97.   As you may know Part 15 operation has effective radiated power (ERP) limits. It also has different (lower) limits for omni-directional antennas.

Amateur Radio has never had or has any type of ERP limits. The wording of Part 97.311(d) which regulates Amateur Spread Spectrum uses the words "transmitter power" which imply peak envelope power (PEP) or carrier power (CP) not effective radiated power (ERP). (If it said radiated power then ERP would be implied). Non-Spread Spectrum modes such as 802.11a or 802.11g have the 1500 Watt PEP limit. Note there are no ERP / EIRP limits for Part 97 operation. There is also no difference for omni-directional or directional setups. The directional antennas sited in the table below are for example purposes. And the EIRP's listed below are only limited by the gain of your antenna.

 

US Amateur Band Allocations
33 Centimeters 
902 - 928 MHz Secondary to industrial, scientific and medical devices; location monitoring service, and government stations.
US Part 15 Band
920 - 928 MHz may not cause interference to other services, and  must accept interference that may cause undesired operation

Our amateur allocations on this band overlap the Part 15 band exactly.  Most equipment you will find is FHSS, with slower speeds and generally older such as the Lucent/NCR WaveLAN and Metricom Ricochet wireless data radios.  Other options include the FreeWave modem, Aerocomm ConnexLink radios.  And now due to the modular architecture of the Atheros chipset, the Ubiquiti SR9.  (The SR9 is 802.11g OFDM/ 802.11b DSSS)

 
Achievable under Part 97: Max. PEP RF power Ant. gain EIRP
900 MHz (spread spectrum) 1 watt w/o using automatic power control (per 97.313) 14 dBd yagi 41.2 watts
900 MHz (spread spectrum) 100 watts using automatic power control (per 97.313) 14 dBd yagi 4,119.5 watts
900 MHz (non spread spectrum i.e 802.11g) 1500 watts  (per 97.313) 14 dBd yagi 37.8 Kilo-watts
Permissible under Part 15: Max. Transmitter RF power Ant. gain (dBi) EIRP (W)
900 MHz 30 dBm (1 W) 6 3.98

 
US Amateur Band Allocations
13 Centimeters
2300 - 2305 MHz Secondary - No primary
2305 - 2310 MHz Secondary to fixed, mobile and radiolocation services
2390 - 2400 MHz Primary
2400 - 2402 MHz Secondary - No primary amateur service
2402 - 2417 MHz Primary
2417 - 2450 MHz Co-secondary with government radiolocation (industrial, scientific and medical are primary)
US Part 15 Band
2400 - 2483.5 MHz  may not cause interference to other services, and  must accept interference that may cause undesired operation

On this band our amateur allocations do not overlap the Part 15 band entirely.  However many 802.11 systems can be user set for frequencies centered below 2.45. 

802.11 Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) - Frequency Mapping
802.11 and other frequency hopping systems such as Proxim's Symphony generally can achieve speeds up to 2 Mbps. Most of these FHSS systems are now obsolete due to 802.11b,a,g. The problem with these under Part 97 is that they are generally factory programmed to hop from 2400 to 2483.5 MHz usually with at least 75 hopping frequencies, separated by at least 25 kHz. In some cases vendors/manufactures such as Proxim would reprogram them if you provide a copy of your ham license. Sometimes drivers for FHSS systems let you control how/where they hop, but for the most part FHSS gear could not be easily user set for frequencies below 2.45. 

802.11b Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) Channel to Frequency Mapping
USA/FCC & Canada regions have 11 total user settable channels allocated. Channels are 22 MHz wide, with speeds up to 11 Mbps. There are three unique non-overlapping channels; 1, 6 & 11. Channels 1-6 land completely within the amateur overlap. Channel 11 is completely outside the amateur segment. 

 802.11g Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) Channel to Frequency Mapping 

802.11g uses the same 2.4 GHz channels as 802.11b but enables speeds up-to 54 Mbps. (Actual occupied bandwidth at 11/54 Mbps is about 16.6 MHz.)  It can co-exist and maintain backwards compatibility with 802.11b. It should be noted that OFDM is Not a Spread Spectrum mode per FCC definition and thus the special spread spectrum Part 97.311 rules need not apply.

 

20 MHz bandwidth @ 11Mbps/ 54 Mbps

10 MHz bandwidth @ 5.5 Mbps/ 24 Mbps

5 MHz bandwidth @ 2 Mbps/ 10 Mbps
802.11/IEEE Channel Center Freq (GHz) Lower Freq (GHz) Upper Freq (GHz) Lower Freq (GHz) Upper Freq (GHz) Lower Freq (GHz) Upper Freq (GHz)
-3** 2.392 2.382 2.402 2.387 2.397 2.3895 2.3945
2.394 2.384 2.404 2.389 2.399 2.3915 2.3965
-2** 2.397 2.387 2.407 2.392 2.402 2.3945 2.3995
2.399 2.389 2.409 2.394 2.404 2.3965 2.4015
-1** 2.402 2.392 2.412 2.397 2.407 2.3995 2.4045
  2.404 2.394 2.414 2.399 2.409 2.4015 2.4065
0** 2.407 2.397 2.417 2.402 2.412 2.4045 2.4095
  2.409 2.399 2.419 2.404 2.414 2.4065 2.4115
1 2.412 2.402 2.422 2.407 2.417 2.4095 2.4145
  2.414 2.404 2.424 2.409 2.419 2.4115 2.4165
2 2.417 2.405 2.427 2.412 2.422 2.4145 2.4195
  2.419 2.409 2.429 2.414 2.424 2.4165 2.4215
3 2.422 2.412 2.432 2.417 2.427 2.4195 2.4245
  2.424 2.414 2.434 2.419 2.429 2.4215 2.4265
4 2.427 2.417 2.437 2.422 2.432 2.4245 2.4295
  2.429 2.419 2.439 2.424 2.434 2.4265 2.4315
5 2.432 2.422 2.442 2.427 2.437 2.4295 2.4345
  2.434 2.424 2.444 2.429 2.439 2.4315 2.4365
6 2.437 2.427 2.447 2.432 2.442 2.4345 2.4395
  2.439 2.429 2.449 2.434 2.444 2.4365 2.4415
7 2.442 2.432 2.452 2.437 2.447 2.4395 2.4445
2.444 2.434 2.454 2.439 2.449 2.4415 2.4465
8 2.447 2.437 2.457 2.442 2.452 2.4445 2.4495
2.449 2.439 2.459 2.444 2.454 2.4465 2.4515
9 2.452 2.442 2.462 2.447 2.457 2.4495 2.4545
2.454 2.444 2.464 2.449 2.459 2.4515 2.4565
10 2.457 2.447 2.467 2.452 2.462 2.4545 2.4595
2.459 2.449 2.469 2.454 2.464 2.4565 2.4615
11 2.462 2.452 2.472 2.457 2.467 2.4595 2.4645
2.464 2.454 2.474 2.459 2.469 2.4615 2.4665

*Europe allows channels 12 & 13. Japan allows channels 12, 13, & 14.
**Channels unassigned but supported by IEEE , and  available in Atheros chipset.  This chipset is used by over 30 different wireless device manufacturers, including Netgear, D-Link and Linksys.  StarOS software by Valemount Networks generally supports the additional features of the Atheros Chipset, along with other driver vendors.  One of these settings is the country code.  Changing the country code to that of a country where the Part 15 bands are different than ours may create a convenient incompatible fork.  For ham radio use this may keep nosey Part15 users out, and/or provide channels that do not overlap the Part 15 channels in the USA.  All of the below country codes (including XX or ## which have been used for "without regulatory constraints") are part of the driver, or "hardware abstraction layer" (HAL).   These are the secrets to unlock all channels supported by the Atheros hardware (2312-2732, 4920-6100 MHz). It is up to the end user to ensure they stay within their region's regulatory channel ranges.  (While IEEE has not assigned channels to these frequencies, however they would equate to 0, -1, -2, etc.)

 

Achievable under Part 97 Max. PEP RF power Ant. gain EIRP
2.4 GHz (spread spectrum i.e. 802.11 or 802.11b) 1 watt w/o using automatic power control (per 97.313) 24 dBi partial parabolic 252.2 watts
2.4 GHz (spread spectrum i.e. 802.11 or 802.11b) 100 watts using automatic power control (per 97.313) 24 dBi partial parabolic 25.1 Kilo-watts
2.4 GHz (non spread spectrum i.e. 802.11g) 1500 watts (per 97.313) 24 dBi partial parabolic 376.8 Kilo-watts
Permissible under Part 15: Max. Transmitter RF power Ant. gain (dBi) EIRP (W)
2.4 GHz omni-directional 30 dBm (1 W) 6 3.98
2.4 GHz directional 29 dBm (800 mW) 9 6.35
28 dBm (640 mW) 12 10.14
27 dBM (500 mW) 15 15.81
26 dBm (400 mW) 18 25.23
25 dBm (320 mW) 21 40.28
24 dBm (250 mW) 24 62.79
23 dBm (200 mW) 27 100.2
22 dBm (160 mW) 30 160.0

 

US Amateur Band Allocations
9 Centimeters
3300 - 3400 MHz Secondary to Radiolocation
3400 - 3500 MHz Co-secondary with Mobile Radiolocation, Fixed Satellite (Space to Earth) is primary
US Part 15 Band
3650 - 3700 MHz Proposed - Fixed Wireless Access

On this band there are no current adjacent Part 15 allocations.  However, a chunk that doesn't appear to overlap our allocations has been proposed. It is possible with transverters to take consumer off the shelf 2.4 GHz 802.11 hardware and have it operate on this ham band.  Ubiquiti Networks has a device for this band too that is compatible with the 802.11 Atheros chipset.  Since the band is unshared by Part 15 there may be some advantages to this, such as fighting interference and to keep out Part 15.  

Teletronics 2.4 to 3.4 GHz UDC3400 Up / Down Converter

802.11

 Center Frequency Lower Frequency Upper Frequency
Channel 2400 MHz 3400 MHz 3400 MHz
-12** 2.312 GHz 3.301 GHz 3.323 GHz
-11** 2.317 GHz 3.306 GHz 3.328 GHz
-10** 2.322 GHz 3.311 GHz 3.333 GHz
-9** 2.327 GHz 3.316 GHz 3.338 GHz
-8** 2.332 GHz 3.321 GHz 3.343 GHz
-7** 2.337 GHz 3.326 GHz 3.348 GHz
-6** 2.342 GHz 3.331 GHz 3.353 GHz
-5** 2.347 GHz 3.336 GHz 3.358 GHz
-4** 2.352 GHz 3.341 GHz 3.363 GHz
-3** 2.357 GHz 3.346 GHz 3.368 GHz
-2** 2.362 GHz 3.351 GHz 3.373 GHz
-1** 2.367 GHz 3.356 GHz 3.378 GHz
0** 2.372 GHz 3.361 GHz 3.383 GHz
1 2.412 GHz 3.401 GHz 3.423 GHz
2 2.417 GHz 3.404 GHz 3.428 GHz
3 2.422 GHz 3.411 GHz 3.433 GHz
4 2.427 GHz 3.416 GHz 3.438 GHz
5 2.432 GHz 3.421 GHz 3.443 GHz
6 2.437 GHz 3.426 GHz 3.448 GHz
7 2.442 GHz 3.431 GHz 3.453 GHz
8 2.447 GHz 3.436 GHz 3.458 GHz
9 2.452 GHz 3.441 GHz 3.463 GHz
10 2.457 GHz 3.446 GHz 3.468 GHz
11 2.462 GHz 3.451 GHz 3.473 GHz
12* 2.467 GHz 3.456 GHz 3.468 GHz
13* 2.472 GHz 3.461 GHz 3.483 GHz
14* 2.484 GHz 3.473 GHz 3.495 GHz

Teletronics 2.4 to 3.5 GHz UDC3500 Up / Down Converter

802.11

 Center Frequency Lower Frequency Upper Frequency
Channel 2400 MHz 3400 MHz 3400 MHz
-12** 2.312 GHz 3.341 GHz 3.363 GHz
-11** 2.317 GHz 3.346 GHz 3.368 GHz
-10** 2.322 GHz 3.351 GHz 3.373 GHz
-9** 2.327 GHz 3.356 GHz 3.378 GHz
-8** 2.332 GHz 3.361 GHz 3.383 GHz
-7** 2.337 GHz 3.366 GHz 3.388 GHz
-6** 2.342 GHz 3.371 GHz 3.393 GHz
-5** 2.347 GHz 3.376 GHz 3.398 GHz
-4** 2.352 GHz 3.381 GHz 3.403 GHz
-3** 2.357 GHz 3.386 GHz 3.408 GHz
-2** 2.362 GHz 3.391 GHz 3.413 GHz
-1** 2.367 GHz 3.396 GHz 3.418 GHz
0** 2.372 GHz 3.401 GHz 3.423 GHz
1 2.412 GHz 3.441 GHz 3.463 GHz
2 2.417 GHz 3.444 GHz 3.468 GHz
3 2.422 GHz 3.451 GHz 3.473 GHz
4 2.427 GHz 3.456 GHz 3.478 GHz
5 2.432 GHz 3.461 GHz 3.483 GHz
6 2.437 GHz 3.466 GHz 3.488 GHz
7 2.442 GHz 3.471 GHz 3.493 GHz
8 2.447 GHz 3.476 GHz 3.498 GHz
9 2.452 GHz 3.481 GHz 3.503 GHz
10 2.457 GHz 3.486 GHz 3.508 GHz
11 2.462 GHz 3.491 GHz 3.513 GHz
12* 2.467 GHz 3.496 GHz 3.508 GHz
13* 2.472 GHz 3.501 GHz 3.523 GHz
14* 2.484 GHz 3.513 GHz 3.535 GHz

 

Achievable under Part 97: Max. PEP RF power Ant. gain EIRP
3.5 GHz (spread spectrum) 1 watt w/o using automatic power control (per 97.313) 25 dBi dish 316.2 watts
3.5 GHz (spread spectrum) 100 watts using automatic power control (per 97.313) 25 dBi dish 31.6 Kilo-watts

 

 

US Amateur Band Allocations
5 Centimeters  
5650 - 5725 MHz  Co-secondary with space research (deep space) service
5725 - 5850 MHz Secondary - No primary
5850 - 5925 MHz Secondary to non-government fixed-satellite service
US Part 15 Band
5150 - 5250 MHz UNII 1 - Indoor (require use of an integrated antenna) may not cause interference to other services, and  must accept interference that may cause undesired operation
5250 - 5350 MHz UNII 1 - Low - - may not cause interference to other services, and  must accept interference that may cause undesired operation
5470 - 5725 MHz UNII 2 - Both outdoor and indoor 802.11a use - may not cause interference to other services, and  must accept interference that may cause undesired operation
5725 - 5825 MHz UNII 3 - Generally used by WISPs - may not cause interference to other services, and  must accept interference that may cause undesired operation
 

Once again, on this band our amateur allocations do not overlap the Part 15 band entirely.  However many 802.11 systems can be user set for frequencies that overlap.

802.11a Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Channel to Frequency Mapping  

There are a number of channels allocated.  It depends on your region and the equipment what channels will be user settable.  Most are non-overlapping channels. Channels are 20 MHz wide with speeds up-to 54 Mbps. (A little space is left on either side of each channel) The first two operate on the (U-NII) Unlicensed - National Information Infrastructure band segments. The first is for indoor applications only and must have integrated antennas. U-NII-2 allows outdoor operations but also has a corresponding low ERP limit. The third segment has complete amateur overlap. It also overlaps the ISM band. This segment is intended for outdoor applications with higher ERP limits under Part 15.247, however if the equipment is only 15.407 (U-NII) certified, a lower ERP limit applies. Not all 802.11a gear is capable of all three segments or all channels listed. It should be noted that OFDM is Not a Spread Spectrum mode per FCC definition and thus the special spread spectrum Part 97.311 rules need not apply.   Channels 132, 136, 140, & 165 are also inaccessible to unlicensed (Part 15) users inside the United States adding inherent security to these channels.

20 MHz bandwidth @ 54 Mbps

10 MHz bandwidth @ 24 Mbps

5 MHz bandwidth @ 10 Mbps
Channel

Center Frequency (GHz)

 Lower Frequency (GHz) Upper Frequency (GHz) Lower Frequency (GHz) Upper Frequency (GHz) Lower Frequency (GHz) Upper Frequency (GHz)
U-NII (1) Lower Band
34 5.170 5.160 5.180 5.165 5.175 5.1675 5.1725
36 5.180 5.170 5.190 5.175 5.185 5.1775 5.1825
38  5.190 5.180 5.200 5.185 5.195 5.1875 5.1925
40 5.189 5.179 5.210 5.184 5.194 5.1865 5.1915
42 5.210 5.200 5.220 5.205 5.215 5.2075 5.2125
44 5.220 5.210 5.230 5.215 5.225 5.2175 5.2225
46 5.230 5.220 5.240 5.225 5.235 5.2275 5.2325
48 5.240 5.230 5.250 5.235 5.245 5.2375 5.2425
U-NII (2) Middle Band
52 5.260 5.250 5.270 5.255 5.265 5.2575 5.2625
56 5.280 5.270 5.290 5.275 5.285 5.2775 5.2775
58 5.300 5.290 5.310 5.285 5.305 5.2975 5.3025
60 5.320 5.310 5.230 5.315 5.225 5.3175 5.3225
H Band (European)
100** 5.500 5.490 5.510 5.495 5.505 5.4975 5.5025
104** 5.520 5.510 5.530 5.515 5.525 5.5175 5.5225
108** 5.540 5.530 5.550 5.535 5.545 5.5375 5.5425
112** 5.560 5.550 5.570 5.555 5.565 5.5575 5.5625
116** 5.580 5.570 5.590 5.575 5.585 5.5775 5.5825
120** 5.600 5.590 5.610 5.595 5.605 5.5975 5.6025
124** 5.620 5.610 5.630 5.615 5.625 5.6175 5.6225
128** 5.640 5.630 5.650 5.635 5.645 5.6375 5.6425
130** 5.650 5.640 5.660 5.645 5.655 5.6475 5.6525
131** 5.655 5.645 5.665 5.650 5.660 5.6525 5.6575
132** 5.660 5.650 5.670 5.655 5.665 5.6575 5.6625
133** 5.665 5.655 5.675 5.660 5.670 5.6625 5.6675
134** 5.670 5.660 5.680 5.665 5.675 5.6675 5.6725
135** 5.675 5.665 5.685 5.670 5.680 5.6725 5.6775
136** 5.680 5.670 5.690 5.675 5.685 5.6775 5.6825
137** 5.685 5.675 5.695 5.680 5.690 5.6825 5.6875
138** 5.690 5.680 5.700 6.685 5.695 5.6875 5.6925
139** 5.695 5.685 5.705 5.690 5.700 5.6925 5.6975
140** 5.700 5.690 5.710 5.695 5.705 5.6975 5.7025
U-NII (3) Upper Band (5.725-5.82 GHz)              
148 5.740 5.730 5.750 5.735 5.745 5.7375 5.7425
149 5.745 5.735 5.755 5.740 5.750 5.7425 5.7475
150 5.750 5.740 5.760 5.745 5.755 5.7475 5.7525
151 5.755 5.745 5.765 5.750 5.760 5.7525 5.7575
152 5.760 5.750 5.770 5.755 5.765 5.7575 5.7625
153 5.765 5.755 5.775 5.760 5.770 5.7625 5.7675
154 5.770 5.760 5.780 5.765 5.775 5.7675 5.7725
155 5.775 5.765 5.785 5.770 5.780 5.7725 5.7775
156 5.780 5.770 5.790 5.775 5.785 5.7775 5.7825
157 5.785 5.775 5.795 5.780 5.790 5.7825 5.7875
158 5.790 5.780 5.800 5.785 5.795 5.7875 5.7875
159 5.795 5.785 5.805 5.790 5.800 5.7925 5.7975
160 5.800 5.790 5.810 5.795 5.805 5.7975 5.8025
161 5.805 5.795 5.815 5.800 5.810 5.8025 5.8075
162 5.810 5.800 5.820 5.805 5.815 5.8075 5.8125
ISM Band (5.725 to 5.850 GHz)              
165 5.825 5.815 5.835 5.820 5.830 5.8225 5.8275
166 5.830 5.820 5.840 5.825 5.835 5.8275 5.8325
167 5.835 5.825 5.845 5.830 5.840 5.8325 5.8375
168 5.840 5.830 5.850 5.835 5.845 5.8375 5.8425
169 5.845 5.835 5.855 5.840 5.850 5.8425 5.8475
170 5.850 5.840 5.860 5.845 5.855 5.8475 5.8525
171 5.855 5.845 5.865 5.850 5.860 5.8525 5.8575
172 5.860 5.850 5.870 5.855 5.865 5.8575 5.8625
173 5.865 5.855 5.875 5.860 5.870 5.8625 5.8675
174 5.870 5.860 5.880 5.865 5.875 5.8725 5.8725
175 5.875 5.865 5.885 5.870 5.880 5.8725 5.8775
176 5.880 5.870 5.890 5.875 5.885 5.8775 5.8825
177 5.885 5.875 5.895 5.880 5.890 5.8825 5.8875
178 5.890 5.880 5.900 5.885 5.895 5.8875 5.8925
179 5.895 5.885 5.905 5.890 5.900 5.8925 5.8975
180 5.900 5.890 5.910 5.895 5.905 5.8975 5.9025
181 5.905 5.895 5.915 5.900 5.910 5.9025 5.9075
182 5.910 5.900 5.920 5.905 5.915 5.9075 5.9125
183 5.915 5.905 5.925 5.910 5.920 5.9125 5.9175

**ETSI Channels allowed in Europe

 

Achievable under Part 97: Max. PEP RF power Ant. gain EIRP
5.7 GHz (non spread spectrum i.e. 802.11a) 1500 watts (per 97.313) 28 dBi dish 946.4 Kilo-watts
Permissible under Part 15: Max. Transmitter RF power Ant. gain (dBi) EIRP (W)
5.15-5.25 GHz 16 dBm (40 mW) 0 0.16
5.25-5.35 GHz 23 dBm (200 mW) 6 0.80
5.725-5.825 GHz omni-directional 30 dBm (1 W) 6 3.98
5.725-5.825 GHz directional** 30 dBm (1 W) 28 630.9**

**Operating as a Part 15.247 device this is an estimated maximum achievable EIRP, you are allowed unlimited antenna gain for point to point. Under Part 15.407 (U-NII) it is 32dBi EIRP. Check your devices classification.

You may need to use directional antennas to avoid interfering with any primary occupants such as government use. (Note: It's technically impossible to interfere with ISM devices as they utilize RF energy for non-communicative purposes.)  As a secondary service you you may not cause harmful interference to primary service stations that may exist in your area, nor may you claim protection from harmful interference from primary stations. Unlicensed Part 15 users may not cause harmful interference to primary or secondary services and also may not claim protection from either.

Reclassifying under Part 97, imposes the standard amateur restrictions. Obviously the communications you make under Part 97 must be to and from licensed amateurs. These communications cannot be made with a pecuniary interest and may not be obscene or indecent. Other misc. Part 97 clarifications

Custom Ham Freqs Main Page Embedded Callsign For ID