SB QST @ ARL $ARLB002
ARLB002 New 60-Meter Frequencies Available as of February 13
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ARRL Bulletin 2 ARLB002
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT January 16, 2026
To all radio amateurs
SB QST ARL ARLB002
ARLB002 New 60-Meter Frequencies Available as of February 13
The new 60-meter frequencies approved by the FCC in December will become
available to amateurs as of February 13, 2026, along with new power
restrictions on those frequencies. It’s a bit confusing, as different
rules apply to different segments of the band. The changes result from
the FCC’s action to approve a worldwide 60-meter amateur allocation made
by the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2015 (WRC-15).
As of February 13, FCC-licensed amateur operators holding General Class
or higher licenses may operate on a secondary basis anywhere between
5351.5 and 5366.5 kHz, subject to a maximum bandwidth of 2.8 kHz and
maximum transmit power of 9.15 watts ERP (effective radiated power). For
the purpose of computing ERP, the transmitter PEP (peak envelope power)
is multiplied by the antenna gain relative to a half-wave dipole
antenna. A half-wave dipole is presumed to have a gain of 1 (0 dBd).
Amateurs using other antennas must maintain in their station records
either the antenna manufacturer’s data on the antenna gain or
calculations of the antenna gain.
Here’s the confusing part: The existing 60-meter channels centered on
5332, 5348, 5373, and 5405 kHz remain as secondary amateur allocations
with maximum power of 100 watts ERP. However, the old channel at 5358.5
kHz is eliminated as it is now part of the new 5351.5-5366.5 kHz subband
and subject to the lower power limit.
For all 60-meter transmissions, emission bandwidth is limited to 2.8 kHz
or less, and amateurs must not cause harmful interference to, and must
accept interference from, stations authorized by the United States (NTIA
and FCC) and other nations in the fixed service; and all other nations
in the mobile service (except aeronautical mobile). Data or RTTY
emissions in particular must be limited in transmission length so as not
to cause harmful interference. Digital mode operators must be familiar
with offsets in order to stay within the authorized frequencies.
NNNN
/EX
——————————
ARRL Northwestern Division
Director: Mark J Tharp, KB7HDX
kb7hdx@arrl.org [1]
