ok so i just upgraded to general last month and im trying to figure out where i can actually transmit on 40 meters. i know there are the fcc allocations and then theres also like... the ARRL band plan? and theyre not the same thing? i was listening around 7.150 and heard a bunch of phone traffic and jumped in but then someone told me that frequency is kind of reserved for something or im too close to the band edge or something idk. i really dont want to cause interference or step on anything i shouldnt be on. is there like one definitive place to look this up or do i just have to memorize it

yeah this trips up a lot of new generals, dont feel bad. so the FCC part 97 rules are the actual legal limits -- as a general you get phone privileges from 7.225 up to 7.300 on 40m. everything below 7.225 down to 7.175 is still general but the band plan kind of steers you away from certain spots. 7.150 isnt a hard rule thing but its kind of in the DX window area that some ops informally respect, especially in the evenings when the band opens up. the ARRL band plan is just a gentlemans agreement basically, nobody can fine you for ignoring it but youll get grief on the air if you park yourself somewhere thats traditionally used for something else. i just keep the ARRL band plan page bookmarked on my phone and check it when im not sure

also watch the band edges man, like dont transmit right at 7.300 because your signal has sidebands and if youre running USB and tuned to 7.299 your upper sideband is actually going outside the allocation. a lot of rigs will let you do it technically but youre out of band at that point. i learned this the hard way when i was new and had somebody point it out to me on the air which was a little embarrassing. general rule i use is stay at least 3 khz inside the edge to be safe