Ham Radio Reference Charts
The tables worth keeping open in a second tab, or printing for the shack wall.
The short answer
The three charts most operators return to are the US amateur band plan, the coax loss table, and the RF exposure limits. The first tells you where you may transmit, the second what reaches the antenna, and the third how far away people need to be.
These pages are deliberately plain. A chart is useful in proportion to how fast you can find the row you need, so there is no preamble on any of them, and every figure states the condition it was measured under. Where a number depends on frequency or cable type, the whole table is there rather than one representative value.
Bands, frequencies and privileges
- US amateur band plan Every band, the privileges each licence class holds on it, and the mode segments.
- Repeater offsets and CTCSS tones Standard offsets by band and the full tone table, for programming a radio by hand.
- License privileges by class: Technician, General and Extra Every band segment, every class, in one table.
- HF band characteristics: what each band does One table that tells you which band to try, and why it is behaving that way.
- Digital mode frequencies by band Dial frequencies for every common digital mode, band by band.
Feedline, wire and connectors
- Coax loss chart Loss per 100 feet by cable type and frequency, with the practical verdict per run length.
- Coax connector chart: UHF, N, BNC, SMA and more The right connector for the frequency, the cable and the weather it will live in.
- Dipole length chart for every HF band Cut three percent long, hang it at final height, then trim.
- Wire gauge and current chart for 12 volt DC Size the wire for voltage drop over the run, then size the fuse to the wire.
- Antenna wire chart: gauge, strength and span At HF the gauge barely matters electrically. Mechanically it decides whether the antenna survives the winter.
Safety limits
- RF exposure limits chart: MPE by frequency The full MPE table, plus what to multiply it by for your mode.
Operating shorthand
- RST signal reports explained Readability one to five, strength one to nine, tone one to nine. Two digits on voice, three on CW.
- Phonetic alphabet for amateur radio Use the standard words. Improvised phonetics work in clear conditions and fail exactly when you need them.
- Q signals used in amateur radio Three letter shorthand that started in commercial radiotelegraphy and never left.
Related
- Calculators, for when you need a figure for your own numbers
- RF exposure evaluation, which the limits chart supports
- Licence classes and what each one grants
Keeping your own cut lengths, SWR sweeps and exposure record? The Station Build & Antenna Planner is the paid version of these pages: 8 printable worksheets you fill in with your own numbers, plus the full PDF, $29.
Disclaimer Researched guidance for planning purposes, not professional engineering, electrical or legal advice. Antenna work, RF exposure, mast and tower work, grounding and battery handling all carry real risk that depends on your specific site and installation. Verify anything safety-critical against current FCC rules, the National Electrical Code and the manufacturer's own documentation, and hire a professional where the job calls for one. We research equipment from published specifications, regulatory documents and verified owner reviews rather than claiming hands-on testing we have not done.