so i passed my technician exam about 3 weeks ago and ive been trying to figure out exactly what i'm allowed to operate on. i know i have VHF/UHF privileges pretty much across the board but the HF stuff is where it gets confusing for me. i was reading Part 97 and there's stuff about phone privileges on 10 meters and some CW segments on other bands but honestly the way its written makes my head spin a little.

my main question is like... if someone invites me to join a net on 40 meters are they just assuming i have a general or higher license? because i thought techs had basically nothing on 40m except maybe some CW sub-band i read about somewhere. also is there anything in Part 97 that specifically says i have to ID every 10 minutes or is that one of those things people say but isnt exactly how the rule reads. sorry if this is a dumb question, just trying to not accidentally break any rules while im still figuring this out

not a dumb question at all, most new techs run into this same wall. so yeah, on 40 meters as a tech you basically have CW privileges only in a small slice around 7.025-7.125 MHz, no phone at all on that band. if someone's inviting you to a voice net on 40m they're probably assuming general, or they don't realize your license class. happens more than you'd think.

on the ID thing — the actual rule in Part 97.119 says you have to ID at the end of each transmission or series of transmissions and at least every 10 minutes during the communication, so both things are kind of true but its specifically worded as "at the end" and "no less than every 10 minutes" during. a lot of people shorthand it as just "every 10 minutes" which isnt wrong but misses the part about end of contact. worth reading 97.119 yourself, its one of the shorter and more readable sections honestly.

yeah the tech HF situation is kind of a bummer tbh, i remember being in the same spot. the ARRL band plan chart is way easier to read than raw Part 97 text if you havent found that yet, just google ARRL band plan and look at the tech column. saves a lot of headache trying to parse the actual regulatory language.

also just a heads up — some of those 40m nets might let you check in just to listen or do traffic handling on VHF relay which some nets do, so worth asking the net control before you assume you're totally locked out