okay so I passed my general last month and I've been trying to figure out the 40 meter band but honestly the more I read the more confused I get. like I know there's a difference between what the FCC says I can do and what the band plan says but I dont really understand which one I actually have to follow and which one is more like a suggestion

also I keep hearing people say dont operate too close to the band edge but nobody really explains why or what too close even means. is 7.125 too close? what about 7.298 or whatever the top end is for phone. I just dont want to accidentally be somewhere I shouldnt be or step on anyone doing something I didnt know was there

so the short version is the FCC allocation is the law and the band plan is basically a gentlemens agreement that most people follow. as a general on 40m your phone privileges run from 7.175 up to 7.300 MHz, that's the actual legal limit. anything outside that and you're technically in violation regardless of what anyone tells you.

the band edge thing is about your signal not your carrier. if you're running SSB and you're at 7.300 your signal is going to have sidebands extending above that into territory you're not allowed to operate in. the convention is to stay a few kHz inside the edge just to make sure your whole signal is within your allocation. most people say 7.295 or so to be safe on the upper end, and on the lower end for generals on phone 7.178 or so gives you a little breathing room from the extra class only segment below.

honestly just watch the band for a few weeks and you'll start to see where people actually congregate. the band plan makes a lot more sense once you see it in practice.

yeah the band edge thing tripped me up too when i first got my general. what helped me was thinking of it like your voice is wider than just the frequency you tuned to, so if youre on 7.300 your usb signal is basically spilling over the top and thats the problem. same deal on the low end of whatever segment you have access to.

also worth knowing that 40m is kind of a wild west band especially at night when the DX comes in, you'll hear stuff all over the place and sometimes people are operating where they maybe shouldnt be so dont assume everyone you hear is doing it right lol