ok so i passed my tech exam like two months ago and ive been mostly just listening and doing some local stuff on 2m but i keep reading conflicting things online about what im actually allowed to do. like someone in my club said techs can use some HF but then someone else said only on certain bands and only certain modes? and i read part 97 but honestly it reads like a legal document and i got lost pretty fast.

also theres something about third party traffic and i have no idea what that even means in practice. like if i help relay a message for someone is that third party? what if its just casual conversation and i mention something my neighbor wanted me to pass along, does that count?

im not trying to do anything wrong i just genuinely dont know where the line is and i dont want to get my ticket pulled before ive even really started. anyone been through this or know a good plain english version of the rules?

yeah the tech privileges on HF are real but pretty limited - you get CW on a small slice of 80, 40, 15, and 10 meters, and then on 10m you also get phone and image privileges from 28.300 to 28.500 MHz. so its not nothing but its not a lot either. most techs just stick to VHF/UHF until they upgrade which honestly makes sense just to get comfortable first.

third party traffic is basically when you're transmitting a message on behalf of someone who isnt a licensed amateur. so yeah technically if your neighbor asked you to pass something along thats third party. in practice for casual stuff nobody's gonna care but you're supposed to be aware of it especially if you're doing any kind of formal message handling or if the other station is in a country that doesnt have a third party agreement with the US - that part actually matters and can get you in trouble if you dont check.

for plain english explanations honestly the ARRL has a decent breakdown and the Gordon West study materials go through it in a way that doesnt feel like reading a contract. part 97 is dry but once you know what section to look at its not as bad.

i was in the same boat not that long ago lol. the third party thing tripped me up too. i think the short version is just dont relay messages for random non-hams until you understand the rules better, its not worth the headache especially for something that can wait for a phone call anyway.

the HF stuff on 10m is actually pretty fun when the band opens up, i made a few contacts into south america last winter which was wild for a tech. just gotta check your privileges before you key up on any new frequency, theres a few apps that show you exactly what you're allowed to do based on your license class.