ok so i passed my general a few weeks ago and im still trying to figure out the whole frequency thing. i know generals get more of 40m than technicians but i keep second guessing myself before i transmit anywhere. like i know there's the actual FCC allocation and then there's the ARRL band plan which seems different? or at least the numbers dont always match up when i look at different charts online.

mostly asking about phone on 40m. i've been sitting around 7.250 which i think is fine but someone in my club said i should stay away from the band edges and i dont really know what counts as a band edge or how close is too close. is 7.200 actually usable or is that sketchy territory for a general? i have a IC-7300 and the thing lets me tune anywhere so its not like the radio is stopping me from doing something dumb

so the FCC part is actually pretty straightforward once you see it laid out. for 40m phone, generals get 7.225 to 7.300 MHz. that's it for voice. so 7.200 is actually not in your phone privileges as a general — that's the lower edge of the extra class phone segment. easy mistake to make because a lot of older charts floating around online still show the pre-2007 allocations which were different.

as for band edges, the concern is basically that if you're running USB on 7.300 your signal's upper sideband components extend above that. so you could technically be putting energy outside the allocation even if your carrier is right at the edge. most people just give it a few kHz of breathing room. 7.295 or so and you're fine. same thing applies at the bottom of your segment, 7.225 — don't park your carrier right there. your radio won't stop you, which is kind of the whole point of actually knowing this stuff before you key up

yeah what he said. also just a heads up the ARRL band plan is more like a gentlemens agreement on top of the actual legal allocations, it suggests things like keeping certain parts of the band for certain modes or leaving space for DX windows and stuff. it doesnt have the force of law the way the Part 97 allocations do but most people follow it and you'll get grief if you dont lol. the 40m DX window around 7.175-7.200 is a good example, technically some of that is in your general allocation for certain things but its kind of informally reserved and you'll find a lot of activity there that you might not want to step on