Courtesy of

NASA Imagine the Universe

Source
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html

Although all electromagnetic waves are identical in nature, to observe

every type of radiation in the EM spectrum a wide range of instruments
is required, as shown in this diagram.

Radio/Microwave Spectrum

Radio astronomers rely on the lower energy end of the EM spectrum,

where the wave range in lengths from kilometers to centimeters—and in
some cases to slightly less than millimeters (called submilliter). These
waves are often referred to as radio and microwaves. When they are used
to probe distance objects by echo location techniques, they are also called
radar, which is an acronym for “radio detection and ranging.”

The radio/microwave spectrum is arbitrarily divided into various

categories according to frequency range.

Frequency Name Application

3-300 Hz Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) telegraph,
teletypewriter
300-3kHz Voice Frequency (VF) telephone circuitry
3kHz-30kHz Very Low Frequency (VLF) high fidelity
30kHz-300kHz Low Frequency (LF) maritime mobile,
navigational
radio broadcast
300kHz-3MHz Medium Frequency (MF) land and maritime
radio broadcast /
AM radio
(550 kHz -1600 kHz)
3MHz-30MHz High Frequency (HF) amateur radio/
maritime and
aeronautical
mobile
30MHz-300MHz Very High Frequency (VHF) maritime and
aeronautical mobile/
amateur radio,
TV broadcast,
Meteorological
communication/
FM: (88MHz - 108 MHz)
300MHz-3GHz Ultrahigh Frequency (UHF) TV, military,
long-range radar
3GHz-30GHz Superhigh Frequency (SHF) space, satellite
and microwave
communication
30GHz--300GHz Extremely High Frequency (EHF) radio astronomy, radar

Microwave oven uses about 12cm wavelength. Microwave communication

is good to about 30 km line-of-sight.

Radio Broadcast bands: AM: 550 kHz - 1600 kHz

FM: 88MHz - 108 MHz

While AM signals reflect off the ionosphere, FM waves does not. As a

result, AM stations can be detected farther away than FM stations. The
tradeoff is that FM signals are stronger since they doesn't modulate in
amplitude (power) like AM signals do. As its name implies, FM modulates
frequency while keeping amplitude (power) at its maximum.
RADAR

Doppler radar can be divided into several different categories according

to the wavelength of the radar. The different bands are L, S, C, X and K.
Radar designations originate from the days of WWII.

Band Frequency Typical

Designation Range Usage

VHF 50-330 MHz Very long-range surveillance

UHF 300-1,000 MHz Very long-range surveillance
L 1-2 GHz Long-range surveillance,
enroute traffic control
S 2-4 GHz Moderate-range surveillance,
terminal traffic control,
long-range weather
C 4-8 GHz Long-range tracking,
airborne weather
X 8-12 GHz Short-range tracking,
missile guidance, mapping,
marine radar, airborne intercept
Ku 12-18 GHz High resolution mapping,
satellite altimetry
K 18-27 GHz Little used (H 2 0 absorption)
Ka 27-40 GHz Very high resolution mapping,
airport surveillance
mm 40-100+ GHz Experimental

(Source: http://www.aewa.org/Library/rf_bands.html)
from AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics)
L band radars operate on a wavelength of 15-30 cm and a frequency of
1-2 GHz. L band radars are mostly used for clear air turbulence studies.

S b a n d radars operate on a wavelength of 8-15 cm and a frequency of 2-

4 GHz. Because of the wavelength and frequency, S band radars are not
easily attenuated. This makes them useful for near and far range weather
observation. The National Weather Service (NWS) uses S band radars on a
wavelength of just over 10 cm. The drawback to this band of radar is that
it requires a large antenna dish and a large motor to power it. It is not
uncommon for a S band dish to exceed 25 feet in size.

C b a n d radars operate on a w a velength of 4-8 cm and a frequency of 4-8

GHz. Because of the wavelength and frequency, the dish size does not
need to be very large. This makes C band radars affordable for TV
stations. The signal is more easily attenuated, so this type of radar is best
used for short range weather observation. Also, due to the small size of
the radar, it can therefore be portable like the University of Oklahoma's
Doppler on Wheels. (DOW) The frequency allows C band radars to create
a smaller beam width using a smaller dish. C band radars also do not
require as much power as an S band radar. The NWS transmits at 750,000
watts of power for their S band, where as a private TV station such as
KCCI-TV in Des Moines only broadcasts at 270,000 watts of power with
their C band radar.

X b a n d radars operate on a wavelength of 2.5-4 cm and a frequency of 8-

12 GHz. Because of the smaller wavelength, the X band radar is more
sensitive and can detect smaller particles. These radars are used for
studies on cloud development because they can detect the tiny water
particles and also used to detect light precipitation such as snow.. X band
radars also attenuate very easily, so they are used for only very short
range weather observation. Most major airplanes are equipped with an X
band radar to pick up turbulence and other weather phenomenon. This
band is also shared with some police speed radars and some space r a d a r s .

K b a n d radars operate on a wavelength of .75-1.2 cm or 1.7-2.5 cm and a

corresponding frequency of 27-40 GHz and 12-18 GHz. This band is split
down the middle due to a strong absorption line in water vapor. This
band is similar to the X band but is just more sensitive. This band also
shares space with police radars.
 (Source: http://www.everythingweather.com/weather-radar/bands.shtml)

The Experimental microwave band is further designated by the

following scheme:

Band Designation Frequency (GHz)

Q 36 - 46
V 46 - 56
W 56 - 100

In addition, the frequency range 40 - 60 GHz is sometimes referred to as

band U.

(Source: http://www.eec.com.tw/e-micro.htm)