Kilohertz to megahertz: reconciling two band plans
What this conversion does
It divides by a thousand, which is the single step between the two units. Amateur radio publishes its band edges in megahertz while broadcast schedules often publish in kilohertz, so the same transmission can appear in two documents with quite different-looking numbers. Converting makes them comparable without any assumption about which source is right.
One band, two sets of numbers
The forty metre amateur band spans 7000 to 7200 kHz, which is 7.0 to 7.2 MHz. Neither form is more correct than the other, and both appear on the same operator's desk: a transceiver dial counts in kilohertz because the steps are small, while a licence document lists the limits in megahertz because the band names are derived from them. The conversion is the bridge between those two habits.
Kilohertz to megahertz conversion table
Shortwave broadcast and amateur allocations shown side by side, with the dividing line of a thousand kilohertz made visible.
| Kilohertz (kHz) | Megahertz (MHz) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.001 |
| 10 | 0.01 |
| 100 | 0.1 |
| 530 | 0.53 |
| 1000 | 1 |
| 1700 | 1.7 |
Why shortwave kept the older unit
Shortwave broadcasting grew up around dials marked in metres and in kilohertz, and the published schedules were built on that convention. Amateur and maritime services later standardised on megahertz. Since both are still in daily use, a listener tuning by schedule and reading by dial meets both units within the same minute.
A useful mental landmark
Ten metres of wavelength is about thirty megahertz, and one megahertz is a thousand kilohertz. Holding those two facts makes most shortwave figures estimable in your head — a station on 7100 kHz is on 7.1 MHz, comfortably inside the forty metre band.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert kilohertz to megahertz?
Divide by 1000. So 7100 kHz is 7.1 MHz, and 1000 kHz is exactly 1 MHz. The operation moves the decimal point three places to the left, which for a four-digit number leaves a single digit before the point.
Is 1000 kHz equal to 1 MHz?
Yes, and this is the conversion that most often goes wrong in the other direction. One megahertz is a thousand kilohertz, not a hundred or ten thousand, because the SI prefixes each step by a factor of a thousand.
Why is shortwave measured in metres as well?
Because wavelength and frequency are two views of the same wave. A band at 7 MHz has a wavelength near forty metres, so the band names came from the wavelength while the dials were marked in frequency. Converting between the two requires the speed of light, which the wavelength tools handle.
What does 49 metres mean on a shortwave radio?
It is a band name, derived from its approximate wavelength. The band covers roughly 5900 to 6200 kHz, which is 5.9 to 6.2 MHz. The metre figure is a label rather than a frequency, which is why the two never convert to exactly round numbers.
Can I enter a large kilohertz value?
Yes. Inputs are accepted up to a generous length limit, and values far outside the shortwave range convert without losing precision. Anything at or below zero is rejected, since a frequency of zero cannot be divided into a period.