ok so i passed my general a few weeks ago and im still trying to wrap my head around where i can actually operate. i know there are privileges for each license class but the band plans and the actual allocations seem like two different things? like i looked up the FCC part 97 stuff and then looked at the ARRL band plan and theyre not quite the same and now im more confused than before.

specifically on 40 meters i see people say dont operate too close to the band edge and ive heard stuff about the digital modes taking up certain parts and then phone is somewhere else. is there like a simple explanation for what the rules actually require vs what is just kind of an agreement among operators. and what happens if you transmit like right at 7.125 or whatever, is that actually illegal or just frowned upon

yeah this trips up a lot of new generals, dont feel bad. so the short version is the FCC allocation is the law, thats the hard limit you cannot cross. the band plan is basically a gentlemens agreement that the amateur community uses to keep things organized within those legal limits. you wont get fined for ignoring the band plan but youll probably get an earful on the air.

for 40m as a general your phone priveliges start at 7.175 MHz and go up to 7.300. below that down to 7.025 is where the extras hang out for phone. the digital and cw stuff is down in the lower part. now the band edge thing is real important — your signal has sidebands, so if youre doing USB and you set your dial to 7.300 your actual signal is going above that into frequencies you arent allowed to use. most people stay a few kHz inside the edge just to be safe. the rule of thumb ive always used is stay at least 3 kHz inside the upper edge when running SSB.

what he said about the sidebands is the thing that got me when i first started. i was sitting right on 7.300 thinking i was fine and somebody pointed out my upper sideband was spilling over. kind of embarassing honestly. now i just never go above 7.297 or so and dont even think about it anymore