[Python] Python 3.12 code in USS on z/OS Mainframe - Non-UTF-8 code on Line 1 issue

I'm new to using Python on z/OS; I am creating a program in a USS directory on our mainframe and using a Rocket Software 3270 emulator; I am trying to use square brackets in my code, but as soon as I add them and do anything they change from brackets to a strange triangular symbols, and then when I try to run the program it either gives me an encoding or syntax error. Here's my test code:

from zoautil_py import datasets

dataset_name = "'CICS.H39808.PROCLIB(S55CTL)'"
results = datasets.read(dataset_name)
lines = results.split('\n')

for line in lines:
print(line[0:4])


Test1 - change to print(line); it compiles and runs fine

For all following tests, put back to print(line[0:4])

Test2 - add '# -- coding: cp1047 --' to the top; results in: SyntaxError: (unicode error) 'utf-8' codec can't decode byte 0x86 in position 0: invalid start byte

Test3 - remove '# -- coding: cp1047 --'; use this command first: iconv -f UTF-8 -t IBM-1047 test1.py >test2.py
resulted in: 132 illegal character sequence(s) for codeset in input file

Test4 - use this command instead: iconv -f IBM-1047 -t UTF-8 test1.py >test3.py Executed with no errors reports; trying to run the program returns: SyntaxError: Non-UTF-8 code starting with '\xc3' in file test3.py on line 1, but no encoding declared

Test5 - add '# -- coding: cp1047 --' to the top; used this command again iconv -f UTF-8 -t IBM-1047 test1.py >test2.py resulted in: 130 illegal character sequence(s) for codeset in input file

Any suggestions? I saw there was a very similar issue raised 5 years ago, but that was in Python 2 and Python 3 changed the source code formatting from ASCII to UTF-8 so I didn't think I'd need to tag my files with utf-8 the way it used to be done; I tried the iconv commands since I saw that recommended in the previously provided answer. If it has something to do with my emulator changing the brackets on me when it shouldn't, I tried looking in my keyboard and other settings and couldn't find anything that would fix it.

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