ok so i passed my general exam like three weeks ago and im still trying to figure out exactly where i'm allowed to operate. i've been reading Part 97 but honestly some of it just goes over my head. like i get that there are sub-bands for different license classes but then there's also the phone vs CW segments and i get confused about which one takes priority or whatever.

my main question i guess is about 40 meters. i want to do SSB but ive seen people say generals cant use the whole phone portion or something? and also is there a rule about how close to the band edge you can get because i've heard you're supposed to stay like 3khz away or something but i couldnt find that in the actual rules. is that just a gentlemans agreement or is it actually law

sorry if this is a dumb question im just trying to not step on anyone or worse get in trouble with the FCC before ive even really gotten started

not a dumb question at all, this stuff trips people up all the time. so on 40m SSB as a general you get 7.175 to 7.300 MHz for phone. extras get the whole 7.125 to 7.300 chunk so theres a portion below 7.175 where you'll hear extra class guys doing phone that you technically cant transmit on yet. you can listen anywhere obviously, just cant key up below 7.175.

the band edge thing is a real thing but its not written into part 97 as a specific number. what the rule actually says is that you have to keep your signal within the band, and since SSB signals are typically around 3kHz wide your carrier frequency needs to be far enough from the edge that the actual signal doesnt spill outside. so if the band starts at 7.000 and you're doing upper sideband, people say stay at 7.003 or higher just to be safe. its not a law that says 3kHz exactly, its just math from the signal width. the FCC doesn't want your sidebands leaking outside the amateur allocation thats all.

honestly just get a copy of the band plan from the ARRL website and tape it next to your radio for a while, way easier than re-reading part 97 every time you want to change bands

yeah what he said. i was in the same boat when i upgraded and the band edge thing confused me for months. one thing i'll add is the FCC doesnt really come knocking for minor stuff like being a few hundred hz inside someone else's territory unless you're being a complete jerk about it, but thats not an excuse to not know the rules obviously. just dont make a habit of operating where you shouldnt be and you'll be fine. welcome to general by the way, 40m is a great band especially at night