C band: Definition from Answers.com

*C band*
Frequency Range	NATO: 500 – 1000 MHz IEEE: 4 – 8 GHz

ITU Radio Band Numbers 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ITU Radio Band Symbols ELF SLF ULF VLF LF MF HF VHF UHF SHF EHF NATO Radio bands A B C D E F G H I J K L M IEEE Radar bands HF VHF UHF L S C X K_u K K_a Q V W edit

In biology, a C band is a region of constitutive heterochromatin on a chromosome.

C band is a name given to certain portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, as well as a range of wavelengths of light, used for communications. The IEEE C band and its variations, in particular, are microwave ranges used for certain satellite television broadcasts, and by some Wi-Fi devices, cordless phones, and weather radars. For satellite communications, the lower frequencies used by C Band perform better under adverse weather conditions than the Ku band or Ka band frequencies.^[1]

1 NATO C band
2 IEEE C band
- 2.1 C band variants
3 Optical communications C band
4 See also
5 Notes

NATO C band

The NATO C band is that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum between 500 MHz and 1000 MHz.

IEEE C band

The IEEE C band is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies ranging from 4 to 8 GHz.^[2].

It was the first frequency band allocated for commercial ground-to-satellite communications. A typical C band satellite uses 3.7–4.2 GHz for downlink, and 5.925–6.425 GHz for uplink. C band communication satellites over North America typically have 24 transponders spaced 20 MHz apart. [1] C band is primarily used for open satellite communications, whether for full-time satellite TV networks or raw satellite feeds, although subscription programming also exists. This use contrasts with direct broadcast satellite, which is a completely closed system used to deliver subscription programming to small satellite dishes connected to proprietary receiving equipment.

C band is highly associated with TVRO satellite reception systems, commonly called "big dish" systems since small receiving antennas are not optimal for C-band systems. Typical antenna sizes on C-band capable systems ranges from 7.5 to 12 feet (2.5 to 3.5 meters) on consumer satellite dishes, although larger ones also can be used.

The 5.4 GHz band (5.15–5.35/5.47–5.725/5.725–5.875 GHz) is used for IEEE 802.11a Wi-Fi and cordless phone applications, leading to occasional interference with C band weather radars.

C band variants

Slight variations of C band frequencies are approved for use in various parts of the world.

C Band Variants Around The World
Band	Transmit Frequency (GHz)	Receive Frequency (GHz)
Extended C Band	5.850–6.425	3.625–4.200
Super Extended C Band	5.850–6.725	3.400–4.200
INSAT C Band	6.725–7.025	4.500–4.800
Russian C Band	5.975–6.475	3.650–4.150
LMI C Band	5.7250–6.025	3.700–4.000

Optical communications C band

C band is also used in optical communications to refer to the wavelength range 1530 nm to 1565 nm.

Notes

^ What is C Band page from tech-faq (accessed Aug. 14, 2008)
^ Peebles, Peyton Z. Jr, (1998), Radar Principles, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., p 20.

Radio spectrum

ELF
3 Hz
30 Hz

SLF
30 Hz
300 Hz

ULF
300 Hz
3 kHz

VLF
3 kHz
30 kHz

LF
30 kHz
300 kHz

MF
300 kHz
3 MHz

HF
3 MHz
30 MHz

VHF
30 MHz
300 MHz

UHF
300 MHz
3 GHz

SHF
3 GHz
30 GHz

EHF
30 GHz
300 GHz

v • d • e Electromagnetic spectrum

← shorter wavelengths longer wavelengths → Gamma rays · X-rays · Ultraviolet · Visible · Infrared · Terahertz radiation · Microwave · Radio

Visible (optical)	Violet · Blue · Green · Yellow · Orange · Red

Microwaves	W band · V band · Q band · K_a band · K band · K_u band · X band · S band · C band · L band

Radio	EHF · SHF · UHF · VHF · HF · MF · LF · VLF · ULF · SLF · ELF

Wavelength types	Microwave · Shortwave · Medium wave · Longwave

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C band

Contents

NATO C band

IEEE C band

C band variants

Optical communications C band

See also

Notes