The three IARU region­al orga­ni­za­tions devel­op band plans to offer guid­ance to radio ama­teurs on how the dif­fer­ent oper­at­ing inter­ests and modes of emis­sion can be best accom­mo­dat­ed in the lim­it­ed spec­trum avail­able. Observ­ing band plans is good ama­teur oper­at­ing prac­tice. In most cas­es obser­vance is vol­un­tary although some admin­is­tra­tions incor­po­rate the band plan for their region into nation­al reg­u­la­tions. Also, many con­test spon­sors require that com­peti­tors adhere to band plans.

Of course, if a band plan con­flicts with nation­al reg­u­la­tions the nation­al reg­u­la­tions must be observed.

The IARU/ITU Regions are shown here.

Region 1 Band Plans

Region 2 Band Plan

Region 3 Band Plan