ok so ive been licensed for about 3 months now, tech class, and i thought i understood the privileges but the more i read part 97 the more confused i get. like i know i have HF privileges on 10 meters but only certain modes? and then someone at my club told me i can also operate on 15 meters with morse code but i cant find where that actually says that in the rules. also whats the deal with operating from a foreign country, my wife and i are going to mexico in the spring and i was wondering if i could bring my HT and use it there or if that completely different rules. i dont want to get in trouble with the fcc or whatever the mexican equivalent is. sorry if this is a dumb question im still figuring all this out

not a dumb question at all, this stuff trips up a lot of new hams. so for HF as a tech you do get some privileges — 10m is the big one where you can do phone (SSB) between 28.300 and 28.500, and yeah you also get CW on parts of 15, 40, 80, and a couple others. the ARRL has a license privileges chart that lays it all out way better than trying to read raw part 97, honestly i'd just bookmark that page. as for mexico, thats the IARP thing — international amateur radio permit. you apply through ARRL and it covers most of the ITU region 2 countries including mexico. but you'll want to double check what modes and bands the mexican regs allow for your license class equivalent because its not always a straight 1 to 1. your HT should be fine for 2m/70cm stuff, just make sure you have the permit paperwork with you.

yeah the 15m CW thing is real, 21.025 to 21.200 i think, been a while since i looked. honestly part 97 is kind of a slog to read straight through, i'd look for a summary. the mexico trip sounds fun though, whats your HT, a baofeng or something nicer