K_band_(IEEE)
K band (IEEE)
Radio frequency band
The IEEE K-band is a portion of the radio spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies from 18 to 27-Gigahertz (GHz). The range of frequencies in the center of the K-band between 18- and 26.5-GHz are absorbed by water vapor in the atmosphere due to its resonance peak at 22.24-GHz, 1.35 cm (0.53 in). Therefore these frequencies experience high atmospheric attenuation and cannot be used for long distance applications. For this reason the original K-band has been split into three bands, Ka-band, K-band, and Ku-band as detailed below.
The K stands for Kurz which stems from the German word for short.