The 2-millimeter band is a portion of the
EHF (
microwave) radio spectrum internationally allocated to
amateur radio and
amateur satellite use. The band is between 134 GHz and 141 GHz.[1]
Due to the lack of
commercial off the shelf radios, amateurs who operate on the 2 mm band must design and construct their own equipment, and those who do, often attempt to set communication distance records for the band.
Allocation
The
International Telecommunication Union allocates 134 GHz to 141 GHz to amateur radio and amateur satellites. Amateurs operate on a primary basis between 134 GHz and 136 GHz and on a secondary basis in the rest of the band. As such, amateurs must protect the
radio astronomy and
radiolocation services from
harmful interference, which share the band with amateurs between 136 GHz and 141 GHz. The ITU's allocations are the same in all three
ITU Regions.[1]
The allocation was introduced as a result of changes at ITU's
World Radiocommunication Conference 2000. Prior to this the amateur allocation was 142-144 GHz Primary and 144-149 GHz Secondary.
Distance records
The first 2 mm distance record, and still standing longest distance achieved on the band, was set by
US stations WA1ZMS and W4WWQ, who established contact at 114.4 kilometres (71.1 mi) on February 26, 2006.[4]
The longest distance achieved on 2 mm in the
United Kingdom was 35.6 kilometres (22.1 mi) between stations G8ACE and G8KQW on January 16 2016.[5]
In
Australia, the 2 mm distance record was 19 kilometres (12 mi) set by stations VK3CV and VK3NH on June 11, 2020.[6]
Some administrations have authorized spectrum for amateur use in this region; others have declined to regulate frequencies above 300 GHz.
v] All allocations are subject to variation by country. For simplicity, only common allocations found internationally are listed. See a band's article for specifics.
[w] HF allocation created at the 1979
World Administrative Radio Conference. These are commonly called the "
WARC bands".
[x] This is not mentioned in the
ITU's Table of Frequency Allocations, but many individual administrations have commonly adopted this allocation under
"Article 4.4".
[y] This includes a currently active footnote allocation mentioned in the ITU's Table of Frequency Allocations. These allocations may only apply to a group of countries.