ok so i passed my general exam like three weeks ago and ive been trying to figure out exactly what frequencies im allowed to use. i read through part 97 but honestly its kind of hard to parse, like i get the basic idea but then theres all these sub-bands and allocations and i keep second guessing myself before i transmit anywhere.

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

yeah the FCC band plan chart is really what you want, ARRL has a pretty readable version on their website that color codes it by license class. the part 97 language is written for lawyers basically, not for people who just want to get on the air.

for 40 meters specifically, technicians only get CW privileges on a small slice down at the bottom, like 7.025 to 7.125 i think, something like that. as a general you have a much bigger chunk for phone, i want to say it starts around 7.175 going up. the key thing to just burn into your head is that extra class ops have the lower parts of most bands and general/tech are pushed a bit higher. once you know that pattern it starts to make more sense. just keep the chart open on your phone for a while until it clicks

honestly same boat as you were a few months ago lol. what helped me was just downloading the actual ARRL band plan as a pdf and keeping it next to the radio. after a few weeks of checking it before every QSO i just kind of memorized it without trying. the part 97 document itself is kind of a beast to read straight through