4-meter band

The 4-metre (70 MHz) band is an amateur radio frequency band in the lower very high frequency (VHF) spectrum.

The 4-metre band has a unique character and because very few countries have an allocation there, very little dedicated commercial amateur equipment is available. Therefore, most amateurs active on the band are interested in home construction or modification of private mobile radio (PMR) equipment. As a result, there is a lot of camaraderie on the band and long ragchews are the norm, as long as there is some local activity.

History

Before World War II, British radio amateurs had been allocated a band at 56 MHz. After the war ended, they were allocated the 5-metre band (58.5 MHz to 60 MHz) instead. This only lasted until 1949, as by then the 5-metre band had been earmarked for BBC Television broadcasts.

In 1956, after several years of intense lobbying by the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB), the 4-metre band was allocated to British radio amateurs as a replacement for the old 5-metre band allocation. For several years the 4-metre band allocation was only 200 kHz wide—from 70.2 MHz to 70.4 MHz. It was later extended to 70.025 MHz to 70.7 MHz. The band limits were subsequently moved to today's allocation of 70.0 MHz to 70.5 MHz.