IEEE frequency bands
The Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) has defined as standard IEEE Standard 521-1984, a system of IEEE frequency bands for electromagnetic frequencies used for radio and radar. There is no question that the names of the bands are confusing, and the history is obscure. [1]
The terminology is used widely for radar, especially in civilian systems. The EU-NATO-US frequency bands for a nomenclature that works well in fine-grained radar band discussion, especially in electronic warfare.
The IEEE system is widely used, but lacks some fine granularity needed for discussing detailed radar examples, and only starts at 1 GHz; the designations below for the lower frequencies come from ITU frequency bands. The ITU designations are more useful when discussing radio.
| Frequency range | Wavelength | IEEE band |
|---|---|---|
| 300KHz-3 MHz | 1 km to 100 meters | MF |
| 3-30 MHz | 100 meters to 10 meters | HF |
| 30-300 MHz | 10 meters to 1 meter | VHF |
| 300 MHz -3 GHz* | 1 meter to 10 cm | UHF |
| 1-2 GHz | 30 cm to 15 cm | L band |
| 2-4 GHz | 15 cm to 5 cm | S band |
| 4-8 GHz | 5 cm to 3.75 cm | C band |
| 8-12 GHz | 3.75 cm to 2.5 cm | X band |
| 12-18 GHz | 2.5 cm to 1.6 cm | Ku band |
| 18-26 GHz | 1.6 cm to 1.2 cm | K band |
| 26-40 GHz | 1.6 cm to 750 mm | Ka band |
| 40-75 GHz | 750 mm to 40 mm | V band |
| 75 to 111 GHz | 40 mm to 28mm | W band |
| Above 111 GHz | "millimeter wave" |
- ↑ , Frequency letter bands"Microwave Encyclopedia", Microwaves101, 25 April 2008