Practice Exam

T3C09

1. What is generally the best time for long-distance 10 meter band propagation via the F region?

• A. From dawn to shortly after sunset during periods of high sunspot activity
• B. From shortly after sunset to dawn during periods of low sunspot activity
• C. From shortly after sunset to dawn during periods of high sunspot activity
• D. From dawn to shortly after sunset during periods of low sunspot activity

T8D05

2. Which of the following is an application of APRS?

• A. Providing real-time tactical digital communications in conjunction with a map showing the locations of stations
• B. Showing automatically the number of packets transmitted via PACTOR during a specific time interval
• C. Providing voice over internet connection between repeaters
• D. Providing information on the number of stations signed into a repeater

T9B12

3. What is standing wave ratio (SWR)?

• A. The transmitter efficiency ratio
• B. A measure of how well a load is matched to a transmission line
• C. The ratio of amplifier power output to input
• D. An indication of the quality of your station's ground connection

T0C10

4. Why is duty cycle one of the factors used to determine safe RF radiation exposure levels?

• A. It takes into account the thermal effects of the final amplifier
• B. It affects the peak exposure to radiation
• C. It takes into account the antenna feed line loss
• D. It affects the average exposure to radiation

T7A10

5. What device increases the transmitted output power from a transceiver?

• A. All these choices are correct
• B. An impedance network
• C. An RF power amplifier
• D. A voltage divider

T4A05

6. Where should an RF power meter be installed?

• A. At the power supply output
• B. In parallel with the push-to-talk line and the antenna
• C. In the feed line, between the transmitter and antenna
• D. In the power supply cable, as close as possible to the radio

T7B10

7. What might be a problem if you receive a report that your audio signal through an FM repeater is distorted or unintelligible?

• A. All these choices are correct
• B. Your batteries are running low
• C. You are in a bad location
• D. Your transmitter is slightly off frequency

T5B11

8. Which decibel value represents a power increase from 20 watts to 200 watts?

• A. 12 dB
• B. 18 dB
• C. 10 dB
• D. 28 dB

T1C04

9. What may happen if the FCC is unable to reach you by email?

• A. Nothing; there is no such requirement
• B. Revocation of access to the license record in the FCC system
• C. Revocation of the station license or suspension of the operator license
• D. Fine and suspension of operator license

T2A03

10. What is a common repeater frequency offset in the 70 cm band?

• A. Plus or minus 600 kHz
• B. Plus or minus 500 kHz
• C. Plus or minus 1 MHz
• D. Plus or minus 5 MHz

T1B09

11. Why should you not set your transmit frequency to be exactly at the edge of an amateur band or sub-band?

• A. To allow for transmitter frequency drift
• B. To allow for calibration error in the transmitter frequency display
• C. All these choices are correct
• D. So that modulation sidebands do not extend beyond the band edge

T7C09

12. Which of the following causes failure of coaxial cables?

• A. Operation at 100% duty cycle for an extended period
• B. Rapid fluctuation in transmitter output power
• C. Moisture contamination
• D. Solder flux contamination

T5C09

13. How much power is delivered by a voltage of 13.8 volts DC and a current of 10 amperes?

• A. 138 watts
• B. 23.8 watts
• C. 0.7 watts
• D. 3.8 watts

T1D09

14. When may amateur stations transmit information in support of broadcasting, program production, or news gathering, assuming no other means is available?

• A. When such communications are directly related to the immediate safety of human life or protection of property
• B. Never
• C. Where noncommercial programming is gathered and supplied exclusively to the National Public Radio network
• D. When broadcasting communications to or from the space shuttle

T0A09

15. What should be done to all external ground rods or earth connections?

• A. Tune them for resonance on the lowest frequency of operation
• B. Waterproof them with silicone caulk or electrical tape
• C. Bond them together with heavy wire or conductive strap
• D. Keep them as far apart as possible

T4B02

16. Which of the following can be used to enter a transceiver's operating frequency?

• A. The Automatic Frequency Control
• B. The CTCSS or DTMF encoder
• C. All these choices are correct
• D. The keypad or VFO knob

T1A10

17. What is the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES)?

• A. A radio service using amateur frequencies for emergency management or civil defense communications
• B. All these choices are correct
• C. An emergency service using amateur operators certified by a civil defense organization as being enrolled in that organization
• D. A radio service using amateur stations for emergency management or civil defense communications

T5A10

18. Which term describes the rate at which electrical energy is used?

• A. Current
• B. Voltage
• C. Resistance
• D. Power

T1E01

19. When may an amateur station transmit without a control operator?

• A. Never
• B. When using automatic control, such as in the case of a repeater
• C. When the station licensee is away and another licensed amateur is using the station
• D. When the transmitting station is an auxiliary station

T6C09

20. What is component 4 in figure T-2?

• A. Potentiometer
• B. Transformer
• C. Double-pole switch
• D. Variable inductor

T8C03

21. What operating activity involves contacting as many stations as possible during a specified period?

• A. Net operations
• B. Simulated emergency exercises
• C. Public service events
• D. Contesting

T8A10

22. What is the approximate bandwidth of AM fast-scan TV transmissions?

• A. About 3 MHz
• B. About 1 MHz
• C. More than 10 MHz
• D. About 6 MHz

T0B01

23. Which of the following is good practice when installing ground wires on a tower for lightning protection?

• A. Put a drip loop in the ground connection to prevent water damage to the ground system
• B. Make sure all ground wire bends are right angles
• C. Ensure that connections are short and direct
• D. All these choices are correct

T3A04

24. What happens when antennas at opposite ends of a VHF or UHF line of sight radio link are not using the same polarization?

• A. The modulation sidebands might become inverted
• B. Received signal strength is reduced
• C. Signals have an echo effect
• D. Nothing significant will happen

T2B03

25. Which of the following describes a linked repeater network?

• A. A network of repeaters in which signals received by one repeater are transmitted by all the repeaters in the network
• B. Multiple repeaters with the same control operator
• C. A system of repeaters linked by APRS
• D. A single repeater with more than one receiver

T7D02

26. How is a voltmeter connected to a component to measure applied voltage?

• A. In parallel
• B. In quadrature
• C. In series
• D. In phase

T6D03

27. Which of the following is a reason to use shielded wire?

• A. To couple the wire to other signals
• B. To increase the current carrying capability of the wire
• C. To decrease the resistance of DC power connections
• D. To prevent coupling of unwanted signals to or from the wire

T6A11

28. Which of the following battery chemistries is not rechargeable?

• A. Nickel-cadmium
• B. Lead-acid
• C. Carbon-zinc
• D. Lithium-ion

T6B09

29. What are the names for the electrodes of a diode?

• A. Gate and base
• B. Plus and minus
• C. Source and drain
• D. Anode and cathode

T5D02

30. What formula is used to calculate voltage in a circuit?

• A. E= I x R
• B. E = I - R
• C. E= I + R
• D. E= I / R

T3B05

31. What is the relationship between wavelength and frequency?

• A. Wavelength and frequency are unrelated
• B. Wavelength gets longer as frequency increases
• C. Wavelength gets shorter as frequency increases
• D. Wavelength and frequency increase as path length increases

T1F10

32. Who is accountable if a repeater inadvertently retransmits communications that violate the FCC rules?

• A. The owner of the repeater
• B. The control operator of the repeater
• C. The control operator of the originating station
• D. Both the originating station and the repeater owner

T8B07

33. What is Doppler shift in reference to satellite communications?

• A. An observed change in signal frequency caused by relative motion between the satellite and Earth station
• B. A special digital communications mode for some satellites
• C. A change in the satellite orbit
• D. A mode where the satellite receives signals on one band and transmits on another

T9A04

34. What is a disadvantage of the short, flexible antenna supplied with most handheld radio transceivers, compared to a full-sized quarter-wave antenna?

• A. All these choices are correct
• B. It transmits only circularly polarized signals
• C. It has low efficiency
• D. It is mechanically fragile

T2C03

35. What technique is used to ensure that voice messages containing unusual words are received correctly?

• A. Spell the words using a standard phonetic alphabet
• B. Send the words by voice and Morse code
• C. All these choices are correct
• D. Speak very loudly into the microphone