Practice Exam

E6A02

1. Which of the following semiconductor materials contains excess free electrons?

• A. N-type
• B. P-type
• C. Insulated gate
• D. Bipolar

E6C02

2. What happens when the level of a comparator's input signal crosses the threshold voltage?

• A. The reference level appears at the output
• B. The feedback loop becomes unstable
• C. The IC input can be damaged
• D. The comparator changes its output state

E3A10

3. What determines the speed of electromagnetic waves through a medium?

• A. Birefringence
• B. The index of refraction
• C. Evanescence
• D. Resistance and reactance

E4C01

4. What is an effect of excessive phase noise in an SDR receiver's master clock oscillator?

• A. It limits the receiver's ability to receive strong signals
• B. It can combine with strong signals on nearby frequencies to generate interference
• C. It can affect the receiver's frequency calibration
• D. It decreases the receiver's third-order intercept point

E9F09

5. What impedance does a 1/4-wavelength transmission line present to an RF generator when the line is shorted at the far end?

• A. Very high impedance
• B. The same as the generator output impedance
• C. The same as the characteristic impedance of the transmission line
• D. Very low impedance

E2B04

6. How is color information sent in analog SSTV?

• A. Color is amplitude modulated on the frequency modulated intensity signal
• B. Color is sent in a color burst at the end of each line
• C. Color lines are sent sequentially
• D. Color information is sent on a 2.8 kHz subcarrier

E2C04

7. Which of the following frequencies can be used for amateur radio mesh networks?

• A. The 60-meter band channel centered on 5373 kHz
• B. Cable TV channels 41-43
• C. HF frequencies where digital communications are permitted
• D. Frequencies shared with various unlicensed wireless data services

E7E02

8. What is the function of a reactance modulator?

• A. Produce AM signals by varying a resistance
• B. Produce AM signals by varying an inductance
• C. Produce PM or FM signals by varying a capacitance
• D. Produce PM or FM signals by varying a resistance

E1E07

9. What should a VE do if a candidate fails to comply with the examiner's instructions during an amateur operator license examination?

• A. Immediately terminate everyone's examination and close the session
• B. Warn the candidate that continued failure to comply will result in termination of the examination
• C. Allow the candidate to complete the examination, but invalidate the results
• D. Immediately terminate the candidate's examination

E2A11

10. What type of antenna can be used to minimize the effects of spin modulation and Faraday rotation?

• A. A linearly polarized antenna
• B. An isotropic antenna
• C. A circularly polarized antenna
• D. A log-periodic dipole array

E9E01

11. Which matching system for Yagi antennas requires the driven element to be insulated from the boom?

• A. Gamma
• B. Shunt-fed
• C. Beta or hairpin
• D. T-match

E3B09

12. At what time of year is sporadic-E propagation most likely to occur?

• A. Around the equinoxes, especially the spring equinox
• B. Around the solstices, especially the summer solstice
• C. Around the solstices, especially the winter solstice
• D. Around the equinoxes, especially the fall equinox

E9H11

13. What feature of a cardioid pattern antenna makes it useful for direction-finding antennas?

• A. High radiation angle
• B. A very sharp peak
• C. A single null
• D. Broadband response

E8B10

14. What is frequency division multiplexing (FDM)?

• A. Dividing the transmitted signal into separate frequency bands that each carry a different data stream
• B. Two or more information streams are merged into a digital combiner, which then pulse position modulates the transmitter
• C. The transmitted signal is divided into packets of information
• D. The transmitted signal jumps from band to band at a predetermined rate

E9A08

15. Which frequency band has the smallest first Fresnel zone?

• A. 3.4 GHz
• B. 2.4 GHz
• C. 5.8 GHz
• D. 900 MHz

E5C07

16. Where is the impedance of a pure resistance plotted on rectangular coordinates?

• A. On a line through the origin, slanted at 45 degrees
• B. On a horizontal line, offset vertically above the horizontal axis
• C. On the horizontal axis
• D. On the vertical axis

E5B09

17. What is the relationship between the AC current through a capacitor and the voltage across a capacitor?

• A. Voltage and current are 180 degrees out of phase
• B. Current leads voltage by 90 degrees
• C. Voltage and current are in phase
• D. Voltage leads current by 90 degrees

E7B02

18. What is a Class D amplifier?

• A. An amplifier that uses drift-mode FETs for high efficiency
• B. A low power amplifier that uses a differential amplifier for improved linearity
• C. An amplifier that uses switching technology to achieve high efficiency
• D. An amplifier biased to be relatively free from distortion

E1F10

19. Who may be the control operator of an auxiliary station?

• A. Only General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra class operators
• B. Any licensed amateur operator
• C. Only Technician, General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra class operators
• D. Only Amateur Extra class operators

E6F04

20. What is the photovoltaic effect?

• A. The effect that causes a photodiode to emit light when a voltage is applied
• B. The effect that causes a phototransistor's beta to decrease when exposed to light
• C. The conversion of voltage to current when exposed to light
• D. The conversion of light to electrical energy

E1B02

21. Which of the following is an acceptable bandwidth for digital voice or slow-scan TV transmissions made on the HF amateur bands?

• A. 10 kHz
• B. 20 kHz
• C. 3 kHz
• D. 15 kHz

E2E11

22. What is the difference between direct FSK and audio FSK?

• A. Direct FSK modulates the transmitter VFO
• B. Direct FSK can transmit higher baud rates
• C. All these choices are correct
• D. Direct FSK occupies less bandwidth

E0A12

23. Where should a shock-absorbing lanyard be attached to a tower when working above ground?

• A. Above the climber's head level
• B. To the next lowest set of guys
• C. To the belt of the fall-arrest harness
• D. Even with the climber's waist

E4A06

24. What is the effect of aliasing on a digital oscilloscope when displaying a waveform?

• A. The waveform DC offset will be inaccurate
• B. A false, jittery low-frequency version of the waveform is displayed
• C. Calibration of the vertical scale is no longer valid
• D. Excessive blanking occurs, which prevents display of the waveform

E7D10

25. Why is a switching type power supply less expensive and lighter than an equivalent linear power supply?

• A. The inverter design does not require an output filter circuit
• B. The control circuitry uses less current, therefore smaller heat sinks are required
• C. The high frequency inverter design uses much smaller transformers and filter components for an equivalent power output
• D. It recovers power from the unused portion of the AC cycle, thus using fewer components

E4D10

26. What does a third-order intercept level of 40 dBm mean with respect to receiver performance?

• A. A pair of 1 mW input signals will produce a third-order intermodulation product that is 40 dB stronger than the input signal
• B. Signals less than 40 dBm will not generate audible third-order intermodulation products
• C. The receiver can tolerate signals up to 40 dB above the noise floor without producing third-order intermodulation products
• D. A pair of 40 dBm input signals will theoretically generate a third-order intermodulation product that has the same output amplitude as either of the input signals

E3C01

27. What is the cause of short-term radio blackouts?

• A. Coronal mass ejections
• B. North-oriented interplanetary magnetic field
• C. Solar flares
• D. Sunspots on the solar equator

E6B06

28. Which of the following is a common use of a Schottky diode?

• A. As a VHF/UHF mixer or detector
• B. In oscillator circuits as the negative resistance element
• C. In power supplies as a constant voltage reference
• D. As a variable capacitance in an automatic frequency control circuit

E7G03

29. What is the typical input impedance of an op-amp?

• A. 100 ohms
• B. Very low
• C. Very high
• D. 10,000 ohms

E7H08

30. Which of the following components can be used to reduce thermal drift in crystal oscillators?

• A. NP0 capacitors
• B. Wirewound resistors
• C. Toroidal inductors
• D. Non-inductive resistors

E1C06

31. Which of the following is required in order to operate in accordance with CEPT rules in foreign countries where permitted?

• A. You must identify in the official language of the country in which you are operating
• B. You must append "/CEPT" to your call sign
• C. The US embassy must approve of your operation
• D. You must have a copy of FCC Public Notice DA 16-1048

E7F07

32. What function is performed by a Fast Fourier Transform?

• A. Converting analog signals to digital form
• B. Converting digital signals to analog form
• C. Converting signals from the frequency domain to the time domain
• D. Converting signals from the time domain to the frequency domain

E8A11

33. Which of the following is a measure of the quality of an analog-to-digital converter?

• A. Peak envelope power
• B. Total harmonic distortion
• C. Reciprocal mixing
• D. Power factor

E5A11

34. What is the half-power bandwidth of a resonant circuit that has a resonant frequency of 7.1 MHz and a Q of 150?

• A. 47.3 kHz
• B. 23.67 kHz
• C. 315.6 Hz
• D. 157.8 Hz

E2D03

35. Which of the following digital modes is designed for EME communications?

• A. WSPR
• B. Q65
• C. PACTOR III
• D. MSK144

E1D08

36. Which VHF amateur bands have frequencies authorized for space stations?

• A. 2 meters and 1.25 meters
• B. 2 meters
• C. 6 meters and 2 meters
• D. 6 meters, 2 meters, and 1.25 meters

E9G01

37. Which of the following can be calculated using a Smith chart?

• A. Antenna radiation pattern
• B. Radio propagation
• C. Radiation resistance
• D. Impedance along transmission lines

E8C08

38. How does ARQ accomplish error correction?

• A. Special binary codes provide automatic correction
• B. If errors are detected, redundant data is substituted
• C. Special polynomial codes provide automatic correction
• D. If errors are detected, a retransmission is requested

E1A06

39. What is the required transmit frequency of a CW signal for channelized 60 meter operation?

• A. At the highest frequency of the channel
• B. At the center frequency of the channel
• C. At the lowest frequency of the channel
• D. On any frequency where the signal's sidebands are within the channel

E6D04

40. Why are cores of inductors and transformers sometimes constructed of thin layers?

• A. To reduce power loss from eddy currents in the core
• B. To save cost by reducing the amount of magnetic material
• C. To simplify assembly during manufacturing
• D. To increase the cutoff frequency by reducing capacitance

E4E04

41. How can conducted noise from an automobile battery charging system be suppressed?

• A. By installing ferrite chokes on the charging system leads
• B. By installing a noise suppression resistor and a blocking capacitor at the battery
• C. By installing filter capacitors in series with the alternator leads
• D. By installing a high-pass filter in series with the radio's power lead and a low-pass filter in parallel with the antenna feed line

E8D09

42. What is considered an acceptable maximum IMD level for an idling PSK signal?

• A. -30 dB
• B. +15 dB
• C. +10 dB
• D. +5 dB

E9C14

43. How does the radiation pattern of a horizontally-polarized antenna mounted above a long slope compare with the same antenna mounted above flat ground?

• A. The main lobe takeoff angle increases in the downhill direction
• B. The horizontal beamwidth increases in the uphill direction
• C. The main lobe takeoff angle decreases in the downhill direction
• D. The horizontal beamwidth decreases in the downhill direction

E4B10

44. Which of the following methods measures intermodulation distortion in an SSB transmitter?

• A. Modulate the transmitter using two RF signals having non-harmonically related frequencies and observe the RF output with a spectrum analyzer
• B. Modulate the transmitter using two AF signals having harmonically related frequencies and observe the RF output with a peak reading wattmeter
• C. Modulate the transmitter using two AF signals having non-harmonically related frequencies and observe the RF output with a spectrum analyzer
• D. Modulate the transmitter using two RF signals having harmonically related frequencies and observe the RF output with a logic analyzer

E9B09

45. What type of analysis is commonly used for modeling antennas?

• A. Graphical analysis
• B. Calculus differentiation with respect to physical properties
• C. Mutual impedance analysis
• D. Method of Moments

E9D10

46. How does radiation resistance of a base-fed whip antenna change below its resonant frequency?

• A. Radiation resistance becomes imaginary
• B. Radiation resistance decreases
• C. Radiation resistance increases
• D. Radiation resistance does not depend on frequency

E6E03

47. Which of the following materials supports the highest frequency of operation when used in MMICs?

• A. Silicon dioxide
• B. Silicon
• C. Gallium nitride
• D. Silicon nitride

E7C06

48. What are the characteristics of an elliptical filter?

• A. Gradual passband rolloff with extreme stop-band ripple
• B. Gradual passband rolloff with minimal stop-band ripple
• C. Extremely sharp cutoff with one or more notches in the stop band
• D. Extremely flat response over its pass band with gradually rounded stop-band corners

E7A01

49. Which circuit is bistable?

• A. An AND gate
• B. A bipolar amplifier
• C. A flip-flop
• D. An OR gate

E5D09

50. What happens to reactive power in ideal inductors and capacitors?

• A. Energy is stored in magnetic or electric fields, but power is not dissipated
• B. It is dissipated as heat in the circuit
• C. It is canceled by Coulomb forces in the capacitor and inductor
• D. It is dissipated in the formation of inductive and capacitive fields