ok so I passed my general a few weeks ago and im trying to figure out where i can actually transmit on 40 meters. I know theres a chart somewhere but every time i look at it i get confused because theres the FCC allocation and then theres also like the ARRL band plan and they dont seem to match up exactly or at least i cant figure out which one actually matters legally.

Like can i just operate anywhere in the general portion or are there gentleman's agreements about certain parts of the band i should stay away from. also what does it mean when people say dont operate too close to the band edge, is that a legal thing or just like a courtesy thing. sorry if this is a dumb question

not a dumb question at all, this trips up a lot of new generals. so the FCC allocation is the one that actually matters legally, the ARRL band plan is more of a guideline for what modes tend to be used where. for 40m as a general you can use SSB from 7.175 to 7.300 MHz, everything below 7.175 down to 7.025 is cw/digital and also open to you but that lower chunk is mostly cw in practice.

the band edge thing is both a courtesy and kind of a practical concern. your signal has sidebands, so if youre running upper sideband and you tune to say 7.299 your actual transmitted signal is going to spill above 7.300 which is technically outside your allocation. most rigs have a little slop too so the general advice is stay at least 3khz inside the edge to be safe, some people say 2.5 but id rather give it a bit more room. you'll hear people yelling about lid operations near the edge sometimes on the air so just give yourself a comfortable buffer and youre fine.

yeah what he said about the band edge is right. also just a heads up, 40m during evening hours especially around 7.200 and up gets pretty crowded and theres kind of unofficial watering holes that certain nets and dx stations hang around. nothing illegal about operating there but you might step on someone unintentionally. i'd spend a few nights just listening before you transmit and you'll get a feel for where things are. honestly the best way to learn the band is just lurking for a while