ok so I passed my general exam like 3 weeks ago and ive been trying to figure out exactly where I can operate on HF. I know theres a chart somewhere but honestly the FCC part 97 document is kind of a wall of text and I keep getting confused about which portions of which bands I actually have access to vs what technicians get vs what extras get.

like for example on 40 meters, can I do SSB anywhere or is there a sub-band thing going on? and what about digital modes, do those count differently under the rules? someone at the club mentioned something about a 200 watt limit for generals in certain segments but I wasnt sure if that was real or if he was pulling my leg. just trying to make sure I dont accidentally transmit somewhere I shouldnt be

yeah the band plan stuff trips up a lot of newly licensed folks, totally normal. so the short version is that as a General you do get HF privileges but they're not the whole band — the FCC carves out certain segments for Extra class only. on 40 meters specifically you can use SSB in the 7.175 to 7.300 MHz range, the lower portion of the phone segment is Extra only. the power limit thing your club guy mentioned is real, at least in some contexts — there are situations where 200W applies in certain segments near the Novice/Tech sub-bands, it's in Part 97.313 if you want to look it up directly.

for digital modes they fall under whatever emission privileges you have for that part of the band, so it's not a separate category exactly, just has to fit within your allocated segment. honestly the ARRL band plan chart is way easier to read than the actual FCC document, just google the ARRL frequency allocations chart and print it out, way clearer than staring at part 97 tables

went through the same thing last year lol. the chart on the arrl website saved me honestly. just dont transmit below 7.175 on 40 phone and youre fine for starters, figure out the rest as you go