3 centimetres

Band: 3cm
Bands
160m 80m 60m 40m 30m 20m 17m 15m 12m 10m 6m 4m 2m 1.25m 70cm 33cm 23cm 3cm
Band Privileges
US Extra	10000-10500
US Advanced	10000-10500
US General	10000-10500
US Technician	10000-10500
UK (all)	{{{UK}}}

This band is also known as the 10 GHz band. In the United States, it extends from 10.0 to 10.5 GHz.

Equipment

Commercially-manufactured gear for 10 GHz is nearly nonexistent. Amateur radio operators typically modify microwave gear intended for adjacent commercial bands. Because of the small wavelength, extremely high gain antennas are practical. Typical 10 GHz antennas are dishes with gain of 30 to 40 dB, which means that very little power is required for high-quality voice communication.

Modulation

Although FM used to be widely used on this band, it has been largely supplanted by SSB.

Propagation

Although propagation on the band is largely line-of-sight, significant troposphere ducting does occur. Long-distance contacts have been made over hundreds of kilometres across Lake Superior.

Most 10 GHz QSOs are made through prearranged schedules, on nets, or during contests. Because of the high-gain antennas used, contacts are typically point-to-point, rather than initiated through calling CQ.