ok so i just upgraded to general last month and im trying to figure out where i can actually transmit on 40 meters. i looked at the arrl band plan chart and also the fcc part 97 stuff and honestly its a bit confusing because they dont seem to match up exactly? like the band plan shows certain things but the actual license privileges are different?

anyway i mostly want to do SSB, maybe some digital down the road. someone at the club told me to stay away from the band edges but didnt really explain why. is 7.125 ok to operate from? i feel like ive been just kind of guessing and i dont want to cause problems or step on anyone

yeah this trips up a lot of new generals, dont feel bad. so the actual FCC allocation for general on 40m SSB starts at 7.175 MHz, not 7.125 - that lower chunk from 7.125 to 7.175 is still extra class only for phone. you can operate digital and CW lower in the band though, generals get 7.025 to 7.125 for that.

the band edge thing your club buddy mentioned is real. the issue is your signal has sidebands that extend beyond your carrier frequency, so if youre running LSB and you park right at 7.175 you might actually have audio components sneaking below the edge and technically be out of band. most people leave at least 3khz of breathing room from any edge just to be safe, some rigs also have filters that arent perfectly sharp. its not just about being polite, you can actually get an NOV or worse if the FCC catches you consistently operating out of band even if its accidental

also worth knowing the band plan and the actual regs are two different things. the band plan is kind of a gentlemens agreement about where to find certain modes - like yeah 7.200 is kind of the informal gathering spot for a lot of nets but nothing stops you from doing SSB anywhere in your priv range technically. the FCC part 97 is the law part. the arrl band plan is more like... suggestions that most people follow so things dont get too chaotic

i found when i was first starting out it helped to just listen around for a few weeks before transmitting much. you start to hear where people actually congregate and it makes more sense than staring at a chart