RADIO ASTRONOMY FREQUENCY ALLOCATIONS

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RADIO ASTRONOMY FREQUENCY ALLOCATIONS

This section shows frequencies allocated for radio astronomy in the European Union. This is by
international agreement. Certain scientifically important frequency bands are kept clear of radio
transmissions, allowing radio astronomers to detect the faint signals from cosmic sources.
In practice, there is still some interference. Some of these frequency bands are close in frequency to legal,
high power transmitters. High signal levels out of the radio astronomy bands can still desensitize radio
telescope receivers. All practical transmitters also radiate a small fraction of power away from their
allocated frequencies, called 'spurious' signals. These spurious signals are very small, but still many times
larger than the signals radio astronomers are trying to detect. For these reasons the most sensitive radio
telescopes are as far away from civilization as possible and normally make use of very good filters.
Radio Astronomy frequency allocations don't mean that you can ONLY use these frequencies for radio
astronomy. Any frequency for which the atmosphere is transparent can be used. The problem is that other
frequencies are assigned to other services which might cause interference to your radio telescope. The 88 108 MHz FM broadcast band is a good example of this.
Jupiter's most interesting radiation is between about 15Mhz and 30MHz. In this range there is only one
very small, officially allocated band. To study Jupiter's radiation in this band, the radio astronomer has to
contend with transmissions from all over the world as well as computer- and television interference. The
radio astronomer is forced to work outside the allocated frequency range and has to learn to distinguish
between all kinds of noise and that coming from Jupiter.
In most cases, interesting frequencies have been set aside for radio astronomy. This is thanks to the hard
work of radio astronomers through the years to keep these frequencies clear of terrestrial and satellite
transmissions. In future their work will become harder as commercial demands on frequency usage make
it very difficult for regulators to justify allocating frequencies for scientific purposes.

Table of frequency allocations for European radio astronomers:

Frequency band

Designation

Radio astronomy use

13.36 - 13.41 MHz

HF

25.55 - 25.67 MHz

HF

37.5 - 38.25 MHz

VHF

73 - 74.6 MHz

VHF

1. Solar wind observations.

2. Continuum observations.

150.05 - 153 MHz

VHF

1. Continuum observations.
2. Pulsar observations.
3. Solar observations.

322 - 328.6 MHz

UHF

1. Continuum observations.
2. VLBI

Comments

Continuum observations

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406.1 - 410 MHz

UHF

1. Continuum observations.
2. Pulsar observations.

608 - 614 MHz

UHF

1. Continuum observations.
2. VLBI

1400 - 1427 MHz **

L-band

Spectral line observations

1660 - 1660.5 MHz

L-band

VLBI

1660.5 - 1668.4 MHz

L-band

1668.4 - 1670 MHz

L-band

1718.8 - 1722.2 MHz

L-band

2655 - 2690 MHz

S-band

2690 - 2700 MHz

S-band

3260 - 3267 MHz

S-band

3332 - 3339 MHz

S-band

3345.8 - 3352.5 MHz

S-band

4800 - 4990 MHz

C-band

4990 - 5000 MHz

C-band

5000 - 5030 MHz

C-band

6650 - 6675.2 MHz

C-band

10.6 - 10.68 GHz

X-band

1. Continuum meausurements.
2. VLBI

10.68 - 10.7 GHz

X-band

1. Continuum observations.
2. VLBI

14.47 - 14.5 GHz

Ku-band

1. Spectral line observations.

2. VLBI

15.2 - 15.35 GHz

Ku-band

15.35 - 15.4 GHz

Ku-band

22.01 - 22.21 GHz

Ka-band

Spectral line observations

Water line.

22.21 - 22.5 GHz

Ka-band

Spectral line observations

Water line.

22.91 - 22.86 GHz

Ka-band

Spectral line observations

21cm hydrogen line

1. VLBI
2. Line observations.
3. Continuum observations.

Continuum observations

Continuum observations
1. Continuum observations.
2. VLBI
VLBI

VLBI
1. Continuum observations.
2. VLBI

1. Methyl Formate
2. Ammonia

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23.07 - 23.12 GHz

Ka-band

23.6 - 24.0 GHz

Ka-band

31.2 - 31.3 GHz

Ka-band

Continuum observations

31.3 - 31.5 GHz

Ka-band

Continuum observations

31.5 - 31.8 GHz

Ka-band

Continuum observations

36.43 - 36.5 GHz

Ka-band

Spectral line observations

42.5 - 43.5 GHz

Q-band

Spectral line observations

Silicon monoxide and

many other lines.

48.94 - 49.04 GHz

Q-band

Spectral line observations

Carbon monosulphide

51.4 - 54.25 GHz

V-band

58.2 - 59 GHz

V-band

72.77 - 72.91 GHz

V-band

Spectral line observations

Formaldehyde line.

86 - 92 GHz

W-band

92 - 94 GHz
95 - 100 GHz

Spectral line observations

1. Spectral line observations
2. Continuum observations

Ammonia line

1. Hydrogen
cyanide
2. Hydroxil

1. Spectral line observations.

2. Continuum obserations.
Spectral line observations.

Diazenylium and many

other lines.

1. Spectral line observations.

2. Continuum observations.

** Note that frequencies above 1GHz (1000MHz) are collectively referred to as microwave frequencies.
Microwave frequencies are further classified as L-band, S-band, C-band, etc.

References
1. Frequency range 29.7 MHz to 105 GHz and associated European table of frequency
allocations and utilisations. June 1994. Revised March 1995 and February 1998.
2. Table of frequencies allocated to radio astronomy, the Earth exploration satellite, and space
research. http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/vla/html/rfa.htm
3. Basics of Space Flight - Chapter 6: Electromagnetic phenomena. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/basics
/bsf6-3.html

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