<s>
160-meter	B-Algorithm
band	I-Algorithm
refers	O
to	O
the	O
band	O
of	O
radio	O
frequencies	O
between	O
1.8	O
and	O
2MHz	O
,	O
just	O
above	O
the	O
medium	B-Algorithm
wave	I-Algorithm
broadcast	O
band	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
many	O
decades	O
the	O
lowest	O
radio	O
frequency	O
band	O
allocated	O
for	O
use	O
by	O
amateur	O
radio	O
,	O
before	O
the	O
adoption	O
,	O
at	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
the	O
21stcentury	O
in	O
most	O
countries	O
,	O
of	O
the	O
630	B-Algorithm
-	I-Algorithm
and	O
2200-meter	B-Algorithm
bands	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Amateur	O
operators	O
often	O
refer	O
to	O
160meters	O
as	O
the	O
Top	B-Algorithm
Band	I-Algorithm
It	O
is	O
also	O
sometimes	O
nicknamed	O
the	O
"	O
Gentleman	O
's	O
Band	O
"	O
in	O
contrast	O
to	O
the	O
often-freewheeling	O
activity	O
in	O
the	O
80-	O
,	O
40	B-Algorithm
-	I-Algorithm
and	O
20-meter	B-Algorithm
bands	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
160-meter	B-Algorithm
band	I-Algorithm
is	O
the	O
oldest	O
amateur	O
band	O
and	O
was	O
the	O
staple	O
of	O
reliable	O
communication	O
in	O
the	O
earliest	O
days	O
of	O
amateur	O
radio	O
,	O
when	O
almost	O
all	O
communications	O
were	O
over	O
relatively	O
short	O
distances	O
,	O
and	O
typical	O
operating	O
frequencies	O
were	O
below	O
20MHz	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
high	B-Algorithm
frequency	I-Algorithm
(	O
HF	O
)	O
bands	O
were	O
developed	O
in	O
mid-1920s	O
–	O
along	O
with	O
their	O
smaller	O
,	O
more	O
feasible	O
antennas	O
–	O
160meters	O
fell	O
into	O
a	O
period	O
of	O
relative	O
disuse	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
World	O
WarII	O
,	O
it	O
first	O
seemed	O
that	O
the	O
160-meter	B-Algorithm
band	I-Algorithm
was	O
not	O
coming	O
back	O
,	O
since	O
a	O
large	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
U.S.	O
160-meter	B-Algorithm
band	I-Algorithm
was	O
allocated	O
on	O
a	O
primary	O
basis	O
to	O
the	O
LORAN	O
radio-navigation	O
system	O
that	O
began	O
operating	O
in	O
and	O
around	O
the	O
160-meter	B-Algorithm
band	I-Algorithm
in	O
1942	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
21stcentury	O
allocation	O
of	O
two	O
more	O
bands	O
at	O
lower	O
frequencies	O
,	O
160meters	O
is	O
no	O
longer	O
the	O
only	O
mediumwave	B-Algorithm
band	O
,	O
and	O
no	O
longer	O
the	O
lowest-frequency	O
amateur	O
band	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
serves	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
training-ground	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
630m	B-Algorithm
and	O
2200m	B-Algorithm
bands	I-Algorithm
,	O
where	O
logistical	O
and	O
technical	O
demands	O
are	O
even	O
more	O
extreme	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
size	O
of	O
the	O
safety	O
zone	O
around	O
an	O
antenna	O
depends	O
on	O
several	O
factors	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
power	O
fed	O
to	O
the	O
antenna	O
,	O
but	O
is	O
roughly	O
30	O
–	O
40m	B-Algorithm
(	O
100	O
–	O
130ft	O
)	O
from	O
the	O
center	O
of	O
the	O
lowest	O
radiating	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
antenna	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Inexplicable	O
radio	O
blackouts	O
occur	O
on	O
160meters	O
–	O
sometimes	O
also	O
on	O
the	O
AM	B-Algorithm
broadcast	I-Algorithm
band	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
