Many hams feel that they “own” the ham bands. Nothing could be further from the truth, though. In the UHF and microwave regions, we share those bands with other services.
Don’t believe me? Try out the FCC Spectrum Dashboard. According to this website,
The Spectrum Dashboard allows new ways for citizens to search spectrum in the United States. Use the dashboard to find out how spectrum is being used, who owns spectrum licenses around the country, and what spectrum is available in your county.
It covers the frequency range 225 MHz – 3.7 GHz, which are the frequencies generally deemed the best for wireless broadband service, and therefore, the frequencies most sought after right now.
You can do all kinds of searches, including:
- search by frequency band,
- search by service,
- search by location, and
- browse through the spectrum.
I just did a search for frequencies used by the amateur radio service and discovered that we share the 420 – 450 MHz band with the following services:
- Industrial/Business Radio Service
- Public Safety Radio Service
- Radiolocation Service
This is a great tool for any ham interested in spectrum issues.