ok so i passed my general exam like two weeks ago and im trying to figure out where i can actually transmit on 40 meters. i know there are portions i cant use but the band plan stuff i found online has like 5 different charts that all look slightly different and im honestly more confused now than before i started looking.

my main thing is i want to do some SSB and maybe try a little digital stuff like FT8. i keep seeing people say stay away from band edges but i dont really understand what the danger is there. like is it just a courtesy thing or can you actually get in trouble. and does the 7.125 lower limit for general SSB phone mean i literally cannot go below that or is there some wiggle room for the signal itself

sorry if this is a dumb question i just dont want to step on anyone or worse get a nastygram from the FCC my first week on HF

not a dumb question at all, this trips up a lot of new generals. so the short version is that for 40m SSB as a general class you're looking at 7.175 to 7.300 MHz, not 7.125 - that lower chunk from 7.125 to 7.175 is extra and above privileges only. double check that because i might have the exact numbers slightly off but thats the ballpark.

the band edge thing is real and its not just courtesy. when you're running USB and you say your operating frequency is 7.300, your actual transmitted signal has sidebands that extend a few khz above that depending on audio bandwidth. so if youre sitting right at 7.300 youre technically putting energy outside the band and that IS a rules violation not just a faux pas. most people say to stay at least 3 khz inside the edge to be safe, some say more.

FT8 on 40m is 7.074 which is going to be outside your general privileges unfortunately. a lot of new generals dont realize that and wonder why theyre not supposed to be there. you'll want to get your extra at some point if digital modes are your thing

yeah what he said about the band edge is the main thing. i learned this the hard way when i was new, set the dial to exactly the band edge thinking i was fine and someone on the repeater pointed out my signal was splattering outside the allocation. felt pretty dumb but better to know early i guess.

the other thing nobody really tells you is that the ARRL band plan and the actual FCC Part 97 rules are not the same document. the band plan is more like a gentlemens agreement about where different modes tend to hang out, the FCC rules are what you can actually get in trouble for. so like the FCC doesnt care if you do SSB in the middle of the CW portion of the band technically speaking, but everyone else will care a lot lol