ok so i passed my technician exam like two months ago and ive been on 2m mostly but i keep reading stuff online that contradicts other stuff and im genuinely confused about what bands i actually have access to. like someone in my local club said i can use HF on 10 meters but only certain parts of it? and then someone else said something about 15 meters too but i couldn't find that in part 97 or maybe i just didnt know where to look. also what about digital modes, do i need some kind of extra authorization for that or is it just whatever as long as im in my band privileges. i dont want to accidentally transmit somewhere i shouldnt and get a notice of violation or whatever the FCC calls it. just trying to understand the actual rules here not a summary someone wrote on some random website

yeah the band chart is honestly the clearest way to look at this, the ARRL publishes one and it lays out exactly what a tech can do. so for HF you do get a small slice of 10 meters, specifically 28.000 to 28.500 MHz, but only CW below 28.300 and then SSB phone up to 28.500. there used to be some 15m and 40m CW privileges for techs too but those got grandfathered out for newer licensees if i remember right, so basically if you got your ticket after like 1987 you dont have those. for digital modes you dont need any special authorization, part 97 covers it under the emission types allowed in each band segment, just make sure youre using an authorized emission type for that part of the band. the rules around image and data emissions can get a little specific but for most normal digital stuff like FT8 on 10m you're fine as long as youre in the right portion. seriously though just grab the ARRL band plan PDF, way easier than trying to parse 97.301 and 97.305 yourself

i was in the same boat when i got my tech, the FCC part 97 document is kind of a nightmare to read if you're not used to legal/regulatory language. what finally clicked for me was realizing that 97.301 lists the frequency allocations by license class and 97.305 tells you what emission types you can use where. once you cross reference those two sections it starts making more sense. and honestly just operate, if youre on 146.520 calling CQ you are absolutely fine, the HF stuff is where it gets more nuanced for techs