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A VLF band already exists in the US, but it's not an Amateur Radio allocation yet. A lot of "lowfer" (Low Frequency Experimental Radio) activity occurs in the 160 to 190-kHz region--the so-called 1750-meter band, authorized under Part 15 of the FCC regulations. Right now, you don't need a license to operate on 1750 meters, but there are severe legal restrictions on what you can put on the air there. For starters, you can't run more than 1 W input to the transmitter's final stage, and the entire length of the transmission line and antenna combined cannot exceed 15 meters (approximately 50 feet). That's not much antenna for a band where a half-wavelength antenna would be more than one-half mile long! Hams that operate on 1750 meters sometimes use just their call sign suffix as an ID.
Right now, a few hundred experimenters occupy the band in the US, and several of them have set up CW beacons on 1750 meters (many between 180 and 190 kHz), so you might take a listen if you have a receiver that tunes those nether regions. A lot of equipment for the band is homebrew, but commercial equipment is becoming more available.
For an introduction to an experimental band, see Lowfing on 1750 Meters. See also the list of other articles on VLF.
The ARRL Handbook
The ARRL Antenna Book
QST Magazine
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Suggested keywords for more articles like the ones on this page are: VLF
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