| Common name | Frequencies | Modulation | Frequency range | Notes |
|---|
| Longwave | 148.5–283.5 kHz | Amplitude Modulation (AM) | Low frequency (LF) | Mostly used in Europe, North Africa, and Asia |
AM radio
(Mediumwave) | 525–1606.5 kHz,
525–1705 kHz in N. America | Amplitude Modulation (AM) | Medium Frequency (MF) | Usually speech and news, where a lower bandwidth will suffice; long range at night due to the ionosphere increasing in altitude |
| Shortwave | 5.9–26.1 MHz | Mostly AM and single-sideband (SSB) modes | High Frequency (HF) | Very long range through "skipping". Standard time frequencies can be heard here. |
| VHF low (TV) | 54–88 MHz | vestigial sideband modulation for analog video, and FM for analog audio; 8-VSB or OFDM for digital broadcast | Very High Frequency (VHF) band I | Channels 2 through 6 are from 54–88 MHz (except 72–76 MHz). |
| FM radio | 87.5–108 MHz,
76–90 MHz in Japan | Frequency Modulation (FM) | VHF band II | Usually music, due to the clarity and high bandwidth of FM. Relatively short range |
| VHF high (TV) | 174–216 MHz | vestigial sideband modulation for analog video, and FM for analog audio; 8-VSB or OFDM for digital broadcast | VHF band III | Channels 7–13 use 174–216 MHz. |
| UHF (TV) | 470–806 MHz | vestigial sideband modulation for analog video, and FM for analog audio; 8-VSB or OFDM for digital broadcast | Ultra High Frequency (UHF) | Channels 14–69 use 470–806 MHz, except for the radio astronomy band at 608–614 MHz where channel 37 would be |