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 there are band edges and stuff and ive heard people say dont operate too close to the edge but i dont really understand why or where the line actually is. like is it 7.000 or 7.025 or what. and then theres the whole thing about phone vs cw portions and i keep seeing different charts online that dont quite match up. some say 7.125 for phone some say 7.175 i dont know which one is current. also does the band plan even matter legally or is it just like a gentlemens agreement kind of thing

so the actual FCC allocation for general class on 40m phone starts at 7.175 MHz, that changed back in 2007 i think when they restructured the HF privileges. anything below 7.175 down to 7.025 is cw and digital for generals. the reason people say stay away from band edges is partly because your rig might not be perfectly calibrated and you could accidentally drift outside your authorized segment, and also some older rigs can act a bit funny right at the edge. as for the band plan vs the actual allocation — the allocation is law, the band plan is more of a coordination thing the ARRL publishes. like 7.200 being kind of the unofficial gathering spot for certain nets, thats band plan not FCC rule. you cant get in trouble for ignoring the band plan as long as youre in your actual licensed segment, but people will definitely give you grief on the air if you park on a traditional frequency for something else.

yeah I was confused about the exact same thing when I upgraded. one thing that helped me was just downloading the ARRL band plan pdf and keeping it open on my second monitor when im operating. also honestly just listening before transmitting for a while helped me get a feel for where activity actually is versus where it technically can be. 40m is kind of a mess anyway especially at night when the skip changes and suddenly youve got stations from everywhere piling on the same frequencies lol