ok so i passed my general back in March and ive been mostly just listening on HF since then trying to figure out where i actually have privileges. i pulled up the part 97 band plan thing and honestly its kind of a mess to read, like the footnotes reference other footnotes and i keep getting lost.

my main question is about 40 meters. i see people talking below 7.175 all the time and im not sure if thats where i should be or if thats extra class territory. also someone at my club told me i cant do any digital modes on certain parts of the band but i dont remember which parts or why. is there like a plain english version of this somewhere or do i have to just memorize the whole chart

the ARRL website has a band plan chart thats way easier to read than the actual part 97 text, worth bookmarking. for 40 meters as a general you basically have phone privileges from 7.175 to 7.300, below that down to 7.025 is CW and data, and the very bottom chunk 7.000 to 7.025 is extra class only for phone but generals can still do CW there i believe. your club guy was probably talking about the sub-bands where certain emission types are restricted, like you cant just fire up SSB anywhere on the band.

honestly the footnotes in part 97 are brutal, ive been licensed since 2009 and i still have to look stuff up sometimes. dont stress too much just get the ARRL chart printed out and keep it near the radio for a while until it sinks in

same boat as you were a few months ago lol. what helped me was just using the arrl frequency chart and also there's a few youtube videos that walk through general class privileges on each band which made way more sense than reading the actual regulation. the digital modes thing is because some portions are designated for specific emission types and you have to match what youre doing to whats allowed in that segment. took me a while to get it straight honestly