Practice Exam

G3C02

1. What is meant by the term "critical frequency" at a given incidence angle?

• A. The frequency at which the signal-to-noise ratio is 6 dB
• B. The highest frequency which is refracted back to Earth
• C. The lowest frequency which is refracted back to Earth
• D. The frequency at which the signal-to-noise ratio approaches unity

G2D08

2. Why do many amateurs keep a station log?

• A. The FCC requires a log of all international third-party traffic
• B. The FCC requires a log of all international contacts
• C. To help with a reply if the FCC requests information about your station
• D. The log provides evidence of operation needed to renew a license without retest

G8A13

3. What is a link budget?

• A. The sum of antenna gains minus system losses
• B. The financial costs associated with operating a radio link
• C. The sum of transmit power and antenna gains minus system losses as seen at the receiver
• D. The difference between transmit power and receiver sensitivity

G8C02

4. Which digital mode is used as a low-power beacon for assessing HF propagation?

• A. MFSK16
• B. WSPR
• C. SSB-SC
• D. PSK31

G6A01

5. What is the minimum allowable discharge voltage for maximum life of a standard 12-volt lead-acid battery?

• A. 8.5 volts
• B. 6 volts
• C. 12 volts
• D. 10.5 volts

G7A12

6. Which symbol in Figure G7-1 represents a solid core transformer?

• A. Symbol 6
• B. Symbol 1
• C. Symbol 7
• D. Symbol 4

G1C07

7. What must be done before using a new digital protocol on the air?

• A. Type-certify equipment to FCC standards
• B. Submit a rule-making proposal to the FCC describing the codes and methods of the technique
• C. Publicly document the technical characteristics of the protocol
• D. Obtain an experimental license from the FCC

G4A07

8. What happens as a receiver's noise reduction control level is increased?

• A. Received frequency may become unstable
• B. Received signals may become distorted
• C. CW signals may become severely attenuated
• D. Received frequency may shift several kHz

G2C11

9. What does the Q signal "QRV" mean?

• A. I am ready to receive
• B. I am quitting for the day
• C. There is interference on the frequency
• D. You are sending too fast

G2E08

10. In what segment of the 20-meter band are most digital mode operations commonly found?

• A. At the top of the SSB phone segment, near 14.325 MHz
• B. In the middle of the CW segment, near 14.100 MHz
• C. At the bottom of the slow-scan TV segment, near 14.230 MHz
• D. Between 14.070 MHz and 14.100 MHz

G0A01

11. What is one way that RF energy can affect human body tissue?

• A. It causes radiation poisoning
• B. It causes the blood count to reach a dangerously low level
• C. It cools body tissue
• D. It heats body tissue

G1A05

12. On which of the following frequencies are General class licensees prohibited from operating as control operator?

• A. 21.275 MHz to 21.300 MHz
• B. 7.125 MHz to 7.175 MHz
• C. 28.000 MHz to 28.025 MHz
• D. All of the above

G1E12

13. When may third-party messages be transmitted via remote control?

• A. Under any circumstances in which third party messages are permitted by FCC rules
• B. Under no circumstances except for emergencies
• C. Only when the message is intended for licensed radio amateurs
• D. Only when the message is intended for third parties in areas where licensing is controlled by the FCC

G7C10

14. What is an advantage of using I-Q modulation with software-defined radios (SDRs)?

• A. The need for high resolution analog-to-digital converters is eliminated
• B. Automatic conversion of the signal from digital to analog
• C. All types of modulation can be created with appropriate processing
• D. Minimum detectible signal level is reduced

G3B09

15. What is the approximate maximum distance along the Earth's surface normally covered in one hop using the F2 region?

• A. 12,000 miles
• B. 1,200 miles
• C. 180 miles
• D. 2,500 miles

G9D09

16. What is the primary use of a Beverage antenna?

• A. Portable direction finding at lower HF frequencies
• B. Directional transmitting for low HF bands
• C. Portable direction finding at higher HF frequencies
• D. Directional receiving for MF and low HF bands

G6B01

17. What determines the performance of a ferrite core at different frequencies?

• A. The ratio of outer diameter to inner diameter
• B. Its conductivity
• C. Its thickness
• D. The composition, or "mix," of materials used

G4B13

18. Which of the following can be measured with an antenna analyzer?

• A. Gain of a directional antenna
• B. Power output from a transmitter
• C. Front-to-back ratio of an antenna
• D. Impedance of coaxial cable

G3A01

19. How does a higher sunspot number affect HF propagation?

• A. A zero sunspot number indicates that radio propagation is not possible on any band
• B. A zero sunspot number indicates undisturbed conditions
• C. Lower sunspot numbers generally indicate greater probability of sporadic E propagation
• D. Higher sunspot numbers generally indicate a greater probability of good propagation at higher frequencies

G9B08

20. How does the feed point impedance of a 1/2 wave dipole change as the feed point is moved from the center toward the ends?

• A. It peaks at about 1/8 wavelength from the end
• B. It steadily decreases
• C. It is unaffected by the location of the feed point
• D. It steadily increases

G0B12

21. What is the purpose of a power supply interlock?

• A. To ensure that dangerous voltages are removed if the cabinet is opened
• B. To shut down the unit if it becomes too hot
• C. To prevent unauthorized changes to the circuit that would void the manufacturer's warranty
• D. To shut off the power supply if too much voltage is produced

G4C05

22. What is a possible cause of high voltages that produce RF burns?

• A. The ground wire has high impedance on that frequency
• B. Flat braid rather than round wire has been used for the ground wire
• C. The ground rod is resonant
• D. Insulated wire has been used for the ground wire

G2A06

23. Which of the following is an advantage of using single sideband, as compared to other analog voice modes on the HF amateur bands?

• A. Very high-fidelity voice modulation
• B. Less bandwidth used and greater power efficiency
• C. Less subject to interference from atmospheric static crashes
• D. Ease of tuning on receive and immunity to impulse noise

G4D07

24. How much must the power output of a transmitter be raised to change the S meter reading on a distant receiver from S8 to S9?

• A. Approximately 2 times
• B. Approximately 1.5 times
• C. Approximately 4 times
• D. Approximately 8 times

G5B02

25. How does the total current relate to the individual currents in a circuit of parallel resistors?

• A. It equals the average of the branch currents
• B. It is the sum of the reciprocal of each individual voltage drop
• C. It decreases as more parallel branches are added to the circuit
• D. It equals the sum of the currents through each branch

G9A02

26. What is the relationship between high standing wave ratio (SWR) and transmission line loss?

• A. There is no relationship between transmission line loss and SWR
• B. High SWR increases loss in a lossy transmission line
• C. High SWR reduces the relative effect of transmission line loss
• D. High SWR makes it difficult to measure transmission line loss

G4E08

27. In what configuration are the individual cells in a solar panel connected together?

• A. Series-parallel
• B. Full-wave bridge
• C. Shunt
• D. Bypass

G5A07

28. What is the term for the inverse of impedance?

• A. Conductance
• B. Admittance
• C. Susceptance
• D. Reluctance

G7B03

29. Which of the following describes the function of a two-input AND gate?

• A. Output is high only when both inputs are high
• B. Output is high when either or both inputs are low
• C. Output is low when either or both inputs are high
• D. Output is low only when both inputs are high

G1B04

30. Which of the following transmissions is permitted for all amateur stations?

• A. Automatic retransmission of other amateur signals by any amateur station
• B. Occasional retransmission of weather and propagation forecast information from US government stations
• C. Encrypted messages, if not intended to facilitate a criminal act
• D. Unidentified transmissions of less than 10 seconds duration for test purposes only

G5C08

31. What is the equivalent capacitance of two 5.0-nanofarad capacitors and one 750-picofarad capacitor connected in parallel?

• A. 1,733 picofarads
• B. 10.750 nanofarads
• C. 576.9 nanofarads
• D. 3,583 picofarads

G1D01

32. Who may receive partial credit for the elements represented by an expired amateur radio license?

• A. Any person who can demonstrate that they once held an FCC-issued General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra class license that was not revoked by the FCC
• B. Any person who previously held an amateur license issued by another country, but only if that country has a current reciprocal licensing agreement with the FCC
• C. Only persons who once held an FCC issued Novice, Technician, or Technician Plus license
• D. Anyone who held an FCC-issued amateur radio license that expired not less than 5 and not more than 15 years ago

G8B12

33. What process combines two signals in a non-linear circuit to produce unwanted spurious outputs?

• A. Intermodulation
• B. Detection
• C. Heterodyning
• D. Rolloff

G2B10

34. Which of the following is good amateur practice for net management?

• A. Transmit the full net roster at the beginning of every session
• B. Always use multiple sets of phonetics during check-in
• C. Have a backup frequency in case of interference or poor conditions
• D. All these choices are correct

G9C04

35. How does antenna gain in dBi compare to gain stated in dBd for the same antenna?

• A. Gain in dBd is 1.25 dBd higher
• B. Gain in dBi is 2.15 dB higher
• C. Gain in dBd is 1.25 dBd lower
• D. Gain in dBi is 2.15 dB lower