ok so i just upgraded to general last month and im still trying to figure out the whole frequency thing. i know generals get more privelges than tech but im not totally clear on where i can actually transmit on 40 meters. like i know there are phone and cw portions but where do i stay away from the band edges and why does everyone seem to freak out about operating too close to the edge? is there an official document i should be looking at or is it more of a gentlemans agreement type thing? sorry if this is a dumb question

not a dumb question at all, this trips up a lot of newly upgraded generals. so the actual FCC allocation for general on 40m phone is 7.175 to 7.300 MHz, that part is law. but the band edge thing is a real concern because your signal has sidebands — if you're running USB and you park yourself right at 7.300 you're probably splattering above that into the extra portion or beyond, which can cause all kinds of grief. most people just stay a few kHz inside the edge as a buffer, like dont tune up at 7.298 and call it close enough. the ARRL band plan is a good reference but understand that its a recommendation not a rule except where the FCC part 97 actually spells it out. the FCC rules are what matter legally, band plans are just kind of the community agreeing to be organized about things.

yeah what he said. also worth mentioning that 40m is kinda wild at night with the DX coming in from europe and south america so the lower part of the band gets really crowded. i spent like two weeks just listening before i ever transmitted and honestly learned a ton that way. you'll hear people yelling at each other about frequency sometimes lol, nobody actually owns a frequency but that doesnt stop some guys from acting like they do