What's the Difference Between HF, VHF, and UHF?

Frequency bands are available in different kinds such as VLF, LF, and EHF. Of all the types of frequency bands, the most common bands are HF, UHF, and VHF. Every frequency band has a different range of wavelength from another. Radio waves behave differently in every frequency band.

To understand the working of every kind of antenna, it is necessary to understand every type of antenna in detail. In this blog, we will discuss the meaning of UHF antenna and other types of antennas. We will also discuss the differences between HF, VHF, and UHF antennas at various points.

Meaning of HF, VHF, and UHF antennas

The full forms of HF, VHF, and UHF are High Frequency, Very high frequency, and Ultra High frequency. We will further discuss these antennas in detail with the system on which these antennas work.

HF, VHF, and UHF spectrum bands show radio waves that have median wavelength as well as median frequency. All these spectrum bands have some similarities and they work similarly to some extent.

High-frequency radio waves are good for a single set of communication needs. On the other hand, UHF and VHF radio waves are insufficient, and vice versa.

• Radio Spectrum

International Telecommunications Union is an organization that regulates the commercial and personal use of the radio spectrum. The radio spectrum ranges from .003MHz to 300,000 MHz. It was earlier decided that the radio spectrum will be divided into frequency ranges that share some properties.

The middle of the spectrum has a high frequency (3-30 MHz), very high frequency (30-300 MHz) and ultra-high frequency (300-3000 MHz).

Who Can Use HF, UHF, and VHF Antenna?

HF radio waves pass from the base unit or any handheld transceiver where they travel into the sky. These radio waves enter Earth’s atmosphere and rebound to the ionosphere. This is an electrically charged layer of the thermosphere and comes back to Earth.

High-frequency radio waves travel higher because they have a longer wavelength of 10 to 100m. HF antennas have longer wavelengths than VHF and UHF antennas. This is the main reason why HF antennas are used in long-distance communications.

Many areas need high-frequency signals such as military training, warfare, and oceanographic exploration. Some activities including vast distances need high-frequency antennas. UHF antennas are used by officials such as EMS, fire, and police on TV channels. They are even used for common purposes such as TVs, phones, and ham radio operators.

In addition, the UHF radios are widely used in other areas such as casinos, construction, health care, warehouses and manufacturing industries. Public safety officials generally use MHz frequencies between 849 and 869 and a ham radio band of 13 cm.

A VHF antenna is used on boars and marine. It helps to contact the nearby boats in some emergencies. One must use channel 16 while making an emergency call. Some fire agencies and forest departments use VHF antennas to get a better two-way radio communications.

hf broadband military antenna and UHF antennas are generally used for short-distance communications. They both have major differences in frequency and wavelength. VHF antennas work between 30 and 300 MHz whereas UHF antenna works between 300 MHz and 3 GHz. These radio waves travel on land. VHF and UHF antennas are normally used in many indoor applications. You must keep these signals to a radius of 1 km.

Which Antennas Work Better?

VHF, HF, and UHF frequency bands are all different from one another. They all have an important purpose and do different tasks. Every frequency band has a different purpose and can be used in different applications. Every antenna works best in its own field while other antennas work well in certain tasks.

Differences Between HF, UHF, and VHF frequency bands

After discussing the meaning, we will further discuss the differences between HF, UHF, and VHF frequency bands in terms of different factors:

• Range

The major difference between all these 3 frequency bands is in terms of range. Normally, UHF waves are smaller than VHF waves. VHF waves are smaller than HF waves. Frequency and wavelength are inversely related.

UHF frequencies have the smallest waves and generate the widest reception. On the other hand, HF frequencies generate the narrowest reception as they generate the biggest waves.

• Battery Life

Higher frequency of the radio waves means more intense use of the energy. Using UHF will wear out the radio equipment. On the other hand, the HF will give more battery life.

• Barriers

UHF waves can travel better than VHF waves through objects such as huge rocks, buildings and large trees.

How Do Radio Waves Travel?

High-frequency waves travel into the atmosphere and come back to their original destination. On the other hand, UHF and VHF waves travel on the surface of the Earth. Travel distance helps to determine the distance you can communicate on each FM broadcast antenna.

Check Out: Difference Between UHF and VHF antenna

Advantages of HF Radio and VHF/UHF Radios

Every mode of radio wave propagation is useful in various settings. HF radio is important in base stations that communicate with each other over a vast distance. Apart from that, the HF radio is also used to communicate in the remotest regions. HF radio communications are not dependent on conventional communications infrastructure.

UHF and VHF radios are good tools for field communication between several locations. They improve communication if there are no objects like mountains and hills to block the signals.

How to improve the signal strength of VHF and UHF two-way radio?

One of the best ways to improve the signal strength of a two-way radio is by improving the performance of an antenna. Wavelengths of UHF Military SATCOM antenna are short and are used in UHF two-way radios. VHF needs a larger antenna to get a better range and travel far.

VHF antennas interfere with other frequencies. The best way to solve this problem is to find the location of the interference. Another way to overcome this problem is bonding. The motors must be constructed on the ground to avoid interruptions.