from what i can tell i get 10 meters phone and some other stuff? but someone at the club meeting said techs can also do some CW on lower bands and i had no idea about that. is there like a simple breakdown somewhere or does anyone just know off the top of their head what the actual limits are. also does it matter what mode you're using, like is digital treated differently than voice for the band privileges

also i was wondering if theres some kind of rule about how often you have to identify yourself? i thought it was every 10 minutes but my elmer said something different and now im second guessing everything. i dont want to accidentally break a rule i didnt know about. is there like a plain english version of part 97 somewhere that actually makes sense to a beginner

theres something about a third party agreement between countries for international stuff? but what about domestic, like both people are in the US, is it just fine then? i feel like i read something about the control operator always being responsible which makes sense but i dont know if there are other restrictions im missing. also does it matter what band or mode or is the rule the same across the board

sorry if this is a basic question, ive tried reading the actual Part 97 text and honestly its not exactly light reading

my main question is about phone privileges on 40 meters. i see general class has access to 7.175 to 7.300 but then someone in my club was saying something about how you still need to watch out for certain operating practices near the edges of the band? and also i keep seeing people talking about the 200w vs 1500w limit and when each applies. i thought as a general you just had 1500w across the board but maybe im wrong on that. just trying to make sure im staying legal before i get too deep into this

also theres something in there about power limits and i honestly dont know if that applies differently depending on the band or if its just a blanket rule. i dont want to accidentally do something wrong, especially since ive only had my callsign for a couple weeks. any help appreciated, trying to get this straight before i actually key up for the first time.

like i know i cant do music or broadcast stuff but what exactly counts as prohibited content? im mostly doing simplex on 2m and some 70cm through a repeater and i dont think ive broken any rules but now im second guessing myself. also he mentioned something about obscene language which obviously makes sense but are there other things people commonly mess up without realizing it? i tried reading the actual part 97 text online but its kind of dense

my main questions are around like, how strict is the FCC actually about this stuff, are they actively monitoring or is it mostly other hams that police it. and also whats the deal with encrypted transmissions, someone in my club mentioned you cant encrypt anything but then someone else said theres exceptions. i dont want to accidentally do something wrong and lose my license over something dumb

also what exactly counts as a third party communication and do i need to worry about that yet or is that more of an advanced thing. i just want to make sure im not doing something that could get me in trouble before i even get started. sorry if this is a dumb question

so which is it? is Part 97 enforcement actually a real thing that happens or is it kind of like a speed limit nobody really enforces? i dont want to just ignore the rules obviously but im trying to figure out how seriously to take the "youll get fined" warnings. also does it matter what band or what kind of violation we're talking about? genuinely not sure how any of this works in practice

for example, my buddy and i were doing some simplex stuff last weekend and we went like 12 or 13 minutes between IDs because we were just having a conversation and forgot. is that actually a violation or is there like a grace period or something? i dont want to get in trouble but also it seems like the kind of thing the FCC wouldnt really care about for two guys chatting on 2m.

also whats the deal with third party traffic? i let my wife say hi to his wife over the radio and someone on the repeater later told me i wasnt supposed to do that without some kind of agreement? i have no idea what that even means. any help appreciated

also i saw something online about third party traffic and i have no idea if that applies to me or if its only for certain situations. i was going to let my wife say hi to someone i was talking to in Mexico and then wasnt sure if i was allowed to do that

basically i just want to know where i can actually read the rules in plain english because part 97 itself is kind of dense and im worried im going to accidentally do something wrong

specifically im confused about things like third party traffic, what counts as broadcasting, and whether i can like talk to a friend who has a CB radio or a GMRS radio if im on a linked repeater or something. also somebody at a hamfest told me technicians cant use certain digital modes on HF but i cant find where exactly that says that. is there a plain english version of all this somewhere or does everyone just kind of learn the rules as they go

my elmer keeps saying just dont worry about it and get on the air but i feel like i should actually understand the rules before i start transmitting, you know? is there a plain english version of this somewhere or does everyone just kind of learn as they go

specifically im confused about the 40 meter band because i keep hearing technicians can use part of it too? and then theres the whole thing about phone vs CW privileges and where the lines are. i dont want to accidentally transmit somewhere im not supposed to. is there like a plain english version of this somewhere or do i just have to memorize the band plan chart

like i know techs have HF privileges on 10m but im not totally clear on what modes are allowed there vs what general/extra class guys can do. and then someone at my club mentioned something about needing to identify every 10 minutes and at the end of a contact but i thought it was just every 10 minutes? and does that apply to simplex on 2m too or just HF, i genuinely cannot find a straight answer on this.

also someone told me you cant use your callsign with a portable designator like /M or /P anymore and the FCC got rid of that requirement but then someone else said you still can if you want to. who is right here lol

For example, if I'm having a long ragchew with another ham, is each transmission part of one continuous communication, or do I need to ID after every over? And what about when operating digital modes like FT8 or RTTY?

I want to make sure I'm following the rules correctly - no station may transmit unidentified communications or signals, and I don't want to inadvertently violate Part 97.

also what does it mean when it says "phone" privileges specifically, does that just mean voice or does that include digital stuff like FT8? i tried looking it up on the fcc website and it just sent me in circles. is there like a plain english version of this somewhere that isnt just someone trying to sell me a study guide

i looked at part 97 briefly but honestly that document is not easy to read and i kept getting lost. something about phone privileges on 10m and also some CW stuff? i just dont want to accidentally transmit somewhere im not supposed to. is there like a simple breakdown somewhere or can someone just explain it

also someone at my club mentioned something about phone vs data vs CW segments and how you can only run certain emissions in certain parts of the band? i kind of understood it but not really. and then theres the power limits, i thought General was 1500 watts on HF but someone said theres exceptions on certain bands or near certain frequencies. anyway just looking for someone to explain it in plain english because the actual Part 97 text makes my head spin a little

my main question is about HF — someone at my local club said technicians get some HF privileges but then another guy said it barely matters because its such a narrow slice. and then theres the whole thing about phone vs CW and i got confused. also does the band plan stuff come from the FCC or is that like a separate thing that the ham community just decided on? because i see references to ARRL band plans and i wasnt sure if those are legally binding or just recommendations.

sorry if this is a dumb question im just trying to not accidentally transmit somewhere i shouldnt be

my main question is about 40 meters, like can i use SSB anywhere on 40 or is it just a portion of the band. and also is there anything in part 97 that says i have to ID every 10 minutes even if im just listening to a net and not transmitting. someone at my club told me i dont need to ID if im not transmitting which makes sense but i wanted to double check. also what happens if you accidentally transmit in the wrong part of the band, is that a big deal or does the FCC even care about that stuff for a one time thing