ok so i just passed my tech exam like three weeks ago and i got my callsign last week which is exciting but im already getting confused about what im actually allowed to do. i know i have HF privileges on 10 meters but i keep reading different things about voice vs CW vs digital and i cant figure out where exactly i can operate. like is there a specific segment of 10m i have to stay in or can i go anywhere on the band?

also someone at the club meeting told me something about needing to id every 10 minutes which i thought was every 15 but maybe i was wrong. i dont want to accidentally break any FCC rules before i even really get started. part 97 is kind of dense to read through honestly

yeah Part 97 can be a wall of text for sure. for 10 meters as a tech you get phone and image from 28.300 to 28.500 MHz, and then CW is available basically across the whole band if i remember right. so you cant just jump on anywhere for SSB, you gotta stay in that upper segment. the 15 minute ID rule is correct by the way - every 15 minutes during a contact AND at the end. whoever told you 10 minutes was thinking of something else or just had it wrong. happens all the time at club meetings lol

honestly the easiest way to get a handle on it is to find the band plan chart, ARRL has one and it lays it out way more clearly than reading the actual rule text. Part 97.119 covers station identification if you wanna look at the actual regulation.

i was in the same boat when i first got my ticket, dont stress too much about memorizing every little thing right away. just look up the ARRL band plan and keep it bookmarked on your phone. thats what i did for the first few months. the ID thing is definately 15 minutes, i triple checked that one because i was paranoid too