The 17 metre amateur band covers 18.068 to 18.168 MHz. It’s one of the international HF bands allocated to licensed radio amateurs. It is popular for DX and is often considered an excellent alternative to the busy 20 metre band. Although only 100 kHz wide, 17 metres is capable of providing reliable communication over thousands of miles when ionospheric conditions are favourable.
It is one of the quieter amateur bands, particularly attractive to operators who enjoy making international contacts without the heavy congestion of radio contests.
History of the 17 metre band
The band is one of the three amateur bands commonly known as the WARC bands, alongside 30 metres and 12 metres. These bands were allocated to the amateur radio service following the 1979 World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC-79), held in Geneva.
Before these allocations, amateur operators had to make do with the existing HF bands, including 20 metres and 15 metres. The additional bands helped accommodate increasing amateur radio activity and provided useful intermediate frequencies for changing propagation conditions. Unlike the traditional amateur bands, WARC bands are generally kept free from organised contest activity.
Propagation
One of the greatest attractions of 17 metres is its ability to support long-distance communication using relatively modest equipment. The band lies between 20 metres and 15 metres, giving it some characteristics of both.
- During daylight: The band can be excellent for international contacts, particularly during periods of strong solar activity. From Britain, signals may reach continental Europe, North America, Africa and sometimes Australia or the Pacific.
- Around sunrise and sunset: Long-distance propagation can be particularly interesting as ionospheric conditions change.
- During darkness: The band is more likely to close, especially during periods of low solar activity, although night-time openings can occur.
- During high sunspot activity: The band may remain open for extended periods and provide remarkably strong signals over intercontinental distances.
In general, 17 metres is more dependent on daylight and solar activity than 20 metres, but often remains useful when 15 metres is closed.