ok so i just got my general and im trying to figure out where i can actually transmit on 40 meters. i know theres a band plan but honestly the arrl band plan and the actual fcc allocations seem like two different things and i cant figure out which one actually matters legally. like if i tune down to 7.000 or up near 7.300 am i going to blow past the band edge or is there some buffer i should know about. also someone at my club told me to never transmit right on the band edge because of something with carrier frequency drift or whatever, is that still a thing with modern rigs. im using a fairly new radio so i figure its probably fine but wanted to ask here before i do something dumb

the fcc allocation for general on 40m phone is 7.175 to 7.300, so thats your legal limit. the arrl band plan is just a gentlemans agreement about where different modes tend to hang out, it doesnt have any legal weight but ignoring it will get people grumpy at you real fast especially around 7.200 which can get pretty crowded. the band edge thing is real even with modern radios -- your carrier frequency has to stay within the allocation, so if youre running SSB and your dial says 7.300 your actual signal can punch above that depending on your sideband. most guys stay a few khz inside just to be safe. nothing wrong with being cautious on that

yeah what he said about ssb and the edge is important, took me forever to understand that the dial frequency isnt where all your signal energy is. on USB you're transmitting above the carrier so 7.300 on the dial means youre already tickling the edge or past it. i usually dont go above like 7.297 or so just to give myself room. also just be aware 40m is a shared band so below 7.200 you'll run into foreign broadcast stations at night, not much you can do about it but dont be surprised