Amateur radio frequency allocation is done by national telecommunications authorities. Globally, the ITU oversees how much radio spectrum is set aside for amateur radio transmissions. Radio amateurs use a variety of transmission modes, including Morse code, radioteletype, data, and voice. Specific frequency allocations vary from country to country and between ITU regions as specified in the current ITU HF frequency allocations for amateur radio. The modes and types of allocations within each range of frequencies is called a bandplan, and may be set by international agreements, national regulations, or agreements between amateur radio operators. Amateur radio operators should first consult their local regulatory body for further information. Some bands may not available or may have restrictions on usage in certain countries or regions. FCC Part 97.301 (courtesy of ARRL) includes a table comparing frequency allocations for all three regions.
| MHz | MHz | MHz | MHz | |
| BAND | LOW | HIGH | SPREAD | MID-BAND |
| 160M | 1.800 | 1.850 | 0.050 | 1.825 |
| 80M | 3.500 | 3.750 | 0.250 | 3.625 |
| 75M | 3.750 | 4.000 | 0.250 | 3.875 |
| 40M | 7.000 | 7.300 | 0.300 | 7.150 |
| 30M | 10.100 | 10.150 | 0.050 | 10.125 |
| 20M | 14.000 | 14.250 | 0.250 | 14.125 |
| 17M | 18.068 | 18.168 | 0.100 | 18.118 |
| 15M | 21.000 | 21.450 | 0.450 | 21.225 |
| 12M | 24.890 | 24.990 | 0.100 | 24.940 |
| CB 1 | 26.965 | 27.405 | 0.440 | 27.185 |
| 10M | 28.000 | 29.700 | 1.700 | 28.850 |
| 6M | 50.000 | 54.000 | 4.000 | 52.000 |
| 2M | 144.000 | 148.000 | 4.000 | 146.000 |
| MURS 2 | 151.820 | 154.600 | 2.780 | 153.210 |
| 1.25M | 222.000 | 225.000 | 3.000 | 223.500 |
| 70CM | 420.000 | 450.000 | 30.000 | 435.000 |
| 33CM | 902.000 | 928.000 | 26.000 | 915.000 |
| 23CM | 1240.000 | 1300.000 | 60.000 | 1270.000 |
