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What is my frequency?


If you are on USB and your radio is showing 14.348, your audio is 3 Khz wide, and above your suppressed carrier frequency. If you are closer than 3 Khz to your upper band edge, and on USB, you are out of band.




On the other end of the phone section, if your radio is showing 14.226, your USB signal is from 14.226-14.229, all above 14.225 with a safe margin, so you are OK as a General. This is with a radio that is operating perfectly, and not excessive compression.

If you are a General Class Operator, and at the bottom of your 20m SSB, 14.225 on USB your 3 kc wide USB signal would be from 14.225 to 14.228 would be very close. Remember, your rig shows Suppressed carrier, not center of emission on SSB. 14.226 would be a better choice....




This also applies to LSB, but in reverse. You need to stay 3 Khz away from the lower edge on LSB. For a General Class Operator, a VFO setting of 7.178 is your Lower Limit.




This information is for a properly adjusted radio.

Extract from FCC Reg Part 97

97.307 Emission standards.

(a) No amateur station transmission shall occupy more bandwidth than necessary for the information rate and emission type being transmitted, in accordance with good amateur practice.

(b) Emissions resulting from modulation must be confined to the band or segment available to the control operator. Emissions outside the necessary bandwidth must not cause splatter or keyclick interference to operations on adjacent frequencies.

(c) All spurious emissions from a station transmitter must be reduced to the greatest extent practicable. If any spurious emission, including chassis or power line radiation, causes harmful interference to the reception of another radio station, the licensee of the interfering amateur station is required to take steps to eliminate the interference, in accordance with good engineering practice.

(d) For transmitters installed after January 1, 2003, the mean power of any spurious emission from a station transmitter or external RF power amplifier transmitting on a frequency below 30 MHz must be at least 43 dB below the mean power of the fundamental emission. For transmitters installed on or before January 1, 2003, the mean power of any spurious emission from a station transmitter or external RF power amplifier transmitting on a frequency below 30 MHz must not exceed 50 mW and must be at least 40 dB below the mean power of the fundamental emission. For a transmitter of mean power less than 5 W installed on or before January 1, 2003, the attenuation must be at least 30 dB. A transmitter built before April 15, 1977, or first marketed before January 1, 1978, is exempt from this requirement.

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Part 97 defines spurious emissions as an emission, or frequencies outside the necessary bandwidth of a transmission, the level of which may be reduced without affecting the information being transmitted."

Thus the unused sideband would be considered a spurious emission. Part 97.307 defines spurious emission limits and the part applicable to modern HF equipment states "(d) For transmitters installed after January 1, 2003, the mean power of any spurious emission from a station transmitter or external RF power amplifier transmitting on a frequency below 30 MHz must be at least 43 dB below the mean power of the fundamental emission."

Most current manufactured amateur radios specs are at least 60dB down, so far exceed this 43 dB requirement and by definition the spurious emissions doesn't count as part of the signal bandwidth so the fact that some of the energy falls outside the band, as lomg as it meets these standards, is acceptable.
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Below is a modified format of the ARRL chart, showing only HF to make it easier to see taped on your desk shelf. Print a copy.