The 20-meter or 14-MHz amateur radio band is a portion of the shortwave radio spectrum, comprising frequencies stretching from 14.000 MHz to 14.350 MHz.^[1] The 20-meter band is widely considered among the best for long-distance communication (DXing), and is one of the most popular—and crowded—during contests.^[2] Several factors contribute to this, including the band's large size, the relatively small size of antennas tuned to it (especially as compared to antennas for the 40-meter band or the 80-meter band) and its good potential for daytime DX operation even in unfavorable propagation conditions.^[3]

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The Third National Radio Conference was responsible for opening up the 20-meter band to amateur radio operators in the US^[4] on October 10, 1924. The band was allocated on a worldwide basis by the International Radiotelegraph Conference^[5] in Washington, D.C., on October 4, 1927. Its frequency allocation was then 14–14.4 MHz. The allocation was reduced to 14–14.35 MHz by the International Radio Conference of Atlantic City, New Jersey 1947.^[6]