Radar frequency bands and wavelength

World War II Bands
Band Name	Band Frequency	Band Wavelength
VHF	214 – 236 MHz	1.4 to 1.27 meters
P	300 MHz	1 meter
UHF	425-610 MhZ	70.6 to 49.18 cm
L	1250-1380 MhZ	24 to 21.74 cm
S	2700-3900 MHz	11.11 to 7.69 cm
C	5300-5520 MHZ	5.66 to 5.43 cm
X	9,230 – 9,404 MHz	3.25 to 3.19 cm
Ku	16,000 MHz	1.88 cm
Ka	>20,000 MHz	1.5 cm
Q	40,000 MHz	7.5 mm

IEEE Band
Band Name	Band Frequency	Band Wavelength
I Band	0 - 200 MHz	Up to 1.5 meters
G Band	200 - 250 MHz	1.5 to 1.2 meters
P Band	250 - 500 MHz	1.2 meters to 60 cm
L Band	500 - 1,500 MHz	60 to 20 cm
S Band	2,000 - 4,000 MHz	15 to 7.5 cm
C Band	4,000 - 8,000 MHz	7.5 to 3.75 cm
X Band	8,000 - 12,000 MHz	3.75 to 2.5 cm
Ku Band	12,000 - 18,000 MHz	2.5 to 1.67 cm
K Band	18,000 - 26,000 MHz	1.67 to 1.15 cm
Ka Band	26,000 - 40,000 MHz	11.54 to 7.5 mm
V Band	40,000 - 75,000 MHz	7.5mm to 4 mm
W Band	75,000 - 111,000 MHz	4mm to 2.7 mm

NATO Bands (Modern Radar Bands)
Band Name	Band Frequency	Band Wavelength
A Band	0 - 250 MHz	Up to 1.2 meters
B Band	250 - 500 MHz	1.2 to 0.6 meters
C Band	500 - 1000 MHz	60 to 30 cm
D Band	1,000 - 2,000 MHz	30 to 15 cm
E Band	2,000 - 3,000 MHz	15 to 10 cm
F Band	3,000 - 4,000 MHz	10 to 7.5 cm
G Band	4,000 - 6,000 MHz	7.5 to 5 cm
H Band	6,000 - 8,000 MHz	5 to 3.75 cm
I Band	8,000 - 10,000 MHz	3.75 to 3 cm
J Band	10,000 - 20,000 MH	3 to 1.5 cm
K Band	20,000 - 40,000 MHz	15 to 7.5 mm
L Band	40,000 - 60,000 MHz	7.5 to 5 mm
M Band	60,000 - 100,000 MHz	5 to 3 mm

Computing the Frequency of a Wavelength

Frequency = (C / Wavelength)

Where:

Frequency: Frequency of the wave in hertz (hz).
C: Speed of light.
Wavelength: Length of the wave.

NOTE: Both the speed of light and the wavelength have to be in the same measurement units.

Speed of Light (cee) for Reference

29,979,245,800 cm/sec (3 x 1010 approx) 299,792,458 m/sec (300 x 106 approx) 983,571,056 ft/sec (984 x 106 approx) 327,857,019 yards/sec 299,792.458 kilometers/sec 186,282.397 miles/sec (186 x 103 approx) 161,874.977 nautical miles/sec (186 x 103 approx)

EXAMPLE: What is the frequency of a radar with a 3 centimeter wavelength? Because our wavelength is centimetric; we must insert the speed of light in centimeters/sec; thus: (3 x 1010 cm/sec divided by 3 cm) = 10,000,000,000 Hz = 10,000 MHz The frequency of a 3cm radar is approximately 10,000 MHz. More precise numbers can be found by using the exact speeds instead of approximations.

Computing the Wavelength of a Frequency

Wavelength = (C / Frequency)

Where:

Wavelength: Length of the wave.C: Speed of light.Frequency: Frequency of the wave in hertz (hz).

NOTE: Both the speed of light and the wavelength have to be in the same measurement units.

EXAMPLE: What is the Wavelength of a 300 MHz radar in centimeters? First, we must convert from MHz to Hz: 300 MHz * 1,000,000 = 300,000,000 Hz Because our wavelength is centimetric; we must insert the speed of light in centimeters/sec; thus: (3 x 1010 cm/sec divided by 300,000,000 Hz) = 100 cm The wavelength of a 300 MHz radar is approximately 100 cm. More precise numbers can be found by using the exact speeds instead of approximations.