ok so i just upgraded from tech to general last month and im trying to figure out where i can actually operate on 40 meters. i know there are portions i couldnt touch as a tech but now im not sure exactly where the line is. like i understand there are phone and cw segments but the band plan stuff i keep finding online doesnt always match what the FCC actually says and some of it seems to be voluntary anyway?

also someone at my club mentioned something about staying away from band edges and i didnt really understand why. if 7.125 is the bottom of my phone priv as a general why wouldnt i just park right there. is this just a courtesy thing or is there actual technical reason for it

sorry if this is a dumb question im still figuring all this out

not a dumb question at all, this trips up a lot of new generals. so the FCC part 97 gives you hard limits - for general on 40 phone its 7.175 to 7.300 MHz. the stuff below that down to 7.125 is only for extra class. the band plans you see on the ARRL site and elsewhere are kind of on top of that, they're gentlemans agreements basically, like keeping digital modes in certain spots or not doing phone down near the cw end even if you technically could.

the band edge thing is a real practical concern. your rig isnt perfect, your signal has a little width to it especially on sideband, and if you set your dial to exactly 7.175 youre probably splattering a few kHz in each direction. so if youre right on the edge some of your signal could be outside your authorized segment which is actually an FCC violation. most folks say stay at least 3 kHz inside the edge to be safe, some say 5. its not just courtesy, you can actually get yourself in trouble sitting right on the line.

yeah what he said. i made this mistake early on and had someone call me out on 75 meters when i was like 2 kHz from the edge. wasnt pretty lol. just mentally add a buffer whenever your near a band edge and you'll be fine. also worth downloading the actual part 97 privilege chart from the ARRL, way clearer than trying to read the FCC doc directly