Can someone break down the practical differences between Technician and General class band privileges? I understand Techs get VHF/UHF and limited HF, while Generals get more HF access.

Specifically looking for:

• Power limits by license class and band
• Mode restrictions (CW vs phone vs digital)
• Which HF bands open up with General upgrade
• Any gotchas or special cases I should know about

Trying to decide if upgrading is worth it for my operating interests.

Key difference: Techs are limited to 200 watts PEP on HF bands regardless of mode, while Generals can use up to 1500 watts PEP on most HF bands. Generals get digital modes and SSB phone access on HF bands below 28 MHz - that's the big upgrade for worldwide communication.

As a Tech, you can operate CW on 40m/15m/10m in narrow segments, plus RTTY/data on 10m, and voice on 10m from 28.3-28.5 MHz. These HF privileges give you worldwide communication depending on band conditions and current propagation - 10m can be amazing when it's open!

The biggest incentive for upgrading to General is those increased HF privileges - if you're interested in emergency communications, having access to most HF bands is almost a necessity for passing traffic depending on propagation conditions. General opens the world of long-distance international communication using voice, CW, or digital modes.