ok so i just upgraded to general last month and im trying to figure out the 40 meter band. i keep seeing different numbers thrown around and im not sure which ones actually matter legally vs just being like... guidelines or whatever. my buddy told me i can operate down to 7.125 but then i read somewhere else that phone starts at 7.175 for generals? and then theres the whole band edge thing which honestly confuses me even more. like how close to 7.300 can i actually get without causing problems. i dont want to step on anyone or worse transmit outside the allocation entirely. running a ts-590 if that matters

so the actual FCC allocation for general class phone on 40m starts at 7.175 MHz, your buddy has it wrong or maybe hes thinking of a different band. the upper edge is 7.300 and thats a hard stop, you do not want your signal going above that. thing is with SSB you need to think about where your suppressed carrier frequency is versus where your actual transmitted audio ends up. if youre on USB and you set the dial to 7.300 your voice is going to be spilling above the band edge, so most people stay at least 7.299 or even a bit lower to be safe. the rig doesnt know or care about band edges, thats on you. and yeah there is a difference between the FCC rules which are law and the ARRL band plan which is more like a gentleman's agreement. the phone lower limit for general on 40 is definitely 7.175 per part 97, anything below that on 40m phone is extra class territory

yeah what he said. i made the same mistake when i upgraded, was operating around 7.150 on phone for like two weeks before someone on the air politely told me i wasnt supposed to be there lol. embarasing but whatever, you learn. just save the ARRL band plan PDF to your phone honestly its way easier than trying to remember it all