FCC GMDSS Radio Maintainer License

Which FCC element covers basic radio law and operating practice for all commercial radio operator candidates?

• AElement 3
• BElement 1
• CElement 7
• DElement 9

Under FCC Part 80 rules, which entity authorizes the operation of a ship radio station in the United States?

• AThe United States Coast Guard
• BThe Federal Communications Commission
• CThe International Maritime Organization
• DThe National Maritime Center

How many questions must be answered correctly to pass FCC Element 1?

• A16 out of 24
• B18 out of 24
• C20 out of 24
• D22 out of 24

An ITU Radio Regulations distress call has absolute priority over all other transmissions. What is the international VHF distress channel?

• AChannel 13
• BChannel 16
• CChannel 70
• DChannel 22A

Who is responsible for the proper maintenance of station records aboard a compulsorily equipped ship station?

• AThe licensed maintainer only
• BThe master or person responsible for the vessel
• CThe FCC field inspector
• DThe COLEM that issued the license

What is the ITU-defined silent period for the international VHF distress channel?

• AThere is no silent period on VHF Channel 16
• BThree minutes after each hour and half-hour
• CFive minutes after each hour
• DOne minute every fifteen minutes

Which document provides the international frequency allocations binding on FCC licensees?

• AThe SOLAS Convention
• BThe ITU Radio Regulations
• CThe IMO STCW Code
• DThe IALA Buoyage Guide

What is the maximum penalty under the Communications Act for willfully and knowingly transmitting a false distress signal?

• AA written warning only
• BFines and imprisonment, including up to a $250,000 fine and/or imprisonment
• CLoss of operator license only
• DRevocation of ship station license only

Under FCC rules, who may make adjustments to the transmitting equipment of a compulsory ship station?

• AAnyone aboard who has read the manual
• BOnly the holder of a commercial operator license of the appropriate class
• COnly a representative of the equipment manufacturer
• DOnly the captain of the vessel

Which signal indicates a message about the safety of navigation or important meteorological warnings?

• AMAYDAY
• BPAN-PAN
• CSECURITE
• DSEELONCE FINI

What is the proper procedure if you accidentally transmit a false distress alert on DSC?

• ATurn off the radio and ignore the alert
• BCancel the alert immediately by voice on the corresponding distress frequency
• CSend another DSC alert to cancel it
• DWait for the Coast Guard to contact you

What does the abbreviation MMSI stand for in GMDSS?

• AMarine Mobile Service Identity
• BMaritime Mobile Service Identity
• CMarine Maritime Signal Identifier
• DMaritime Mobile Station Indicator

Which FCC rule part governs maritime services, including GMDSS stations?

• APart 15
• BPart 73
• CPart 80
• DPart 97

Is the GMDSS Radio Maintainer's License (DM) issued for a fixed term or for the holder's lifetime?

• AIt expires after five years
• BIt expires after ten years
• CIt is issued for the lifetime of the holder
• DIt must be renewed every two years like a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit

According to Ohm's Law, what is the current through a 24-ohm resistor connected across a 12-volt source?

• A0.5 ampere
• B2 amperes
• C12 amperes
• D288 amperes

What is the power dissipated by a 10-ohm resistor carrying 2 amperes?

• A5 watts
• B20 watts
• C40 watts
• D200 watts

Three 30-ohm resistors are connected in parallel. What is the total equivalent resistance?

• A10 ohms
• B30 ohms
• C90 ohms
• D300 ohms

Two capacitors of 10 microfarads each are connected in series. What is the total capacitance?

• A5 microfarads
• B10 microfarads
• C20 microfarads
• D100 microfarads

An LC tank circuit has L = 100 microhenries and C = 100 picofarads. Approximately what is its resonant frequency?

• A159 kHz
• B500 kHz
• C1.59 MHz
• D5 MHz

A power ratio of 100:1 corresponds to how many decibels?

• A10 dB
• B20 dB
• C40 dB
• D100 dB

Doubling the power output of a transmitter increases the signal level by approximately how many decibels?

• A1 dB
• B3 dB
• C6 dB
• D10 dB

A resonant LC circuit has Q = 50 and a resonant frequency of 5 MHz. What is its approximate bandwidth?

• A10 kHz
• B100 kHz
• C250 kHz
• D5 MHz

What is the wavelength of a 150 MHz radio signal in free space?

• A2 meters
• B5 meters
• C10 meters
• D20 meters

Which type of antenna typically provides omnidirectional coverage in the horizontal plane for a marine VHF installation?

• AA horizontal Yagi
• BA vertical quarter-wave whip
• CA horizontal log-periodic
• DA corner reflector

A coaxial transmission line has a characteristic impedance of 50 ohms. What termination provides a 1:1 SWR?

• A25 ohms
• B50 ohms purely resistive
• C75 ohms
• DAn open circuit

What is the primary purpose of a Faraday shield between transformer windings?

• ATo increase mutual inductance
• BTo reduce capacitive coupling and conducted noise
• CTo improve magnetic coupling
• DTo act as a fuse

Which semiconductor device is forward-biased when its anode is positive with respect to its cathode?

• AA varactor used as a tuning element
• BA standard PN-junction diode
• CA photocell in dark conditions
• DA bipolar transistor base-emitter junction reversed

What is the typical forward voltage drop across a conducting silicon PN-junction diode?

• AAbout 0.2 volt
• BAbout 0.7 volt
• CAbout 1.5 volts
• DAbout 3.3 volts

In an NPN bipolar transistor, which terminals carry approximately the same current?

• ABase and emitter
• BBase and collector
• CCollector and emitter
• DAll three terminals are independent

What does the Greek letter beta represent for a bipolar junction transistor?

• AVoltage gain of a common-base amplifier
• BDC current gain (collector current divided by base current)
• CPower gain in decibels
• DReverse saturation current

Which type of oscillator uses a vibrating piezoelectric element to control its operating frequency with high stability?

• AHartley oscillator
• BColpitts oscillator
• CCrystal-controlled oscillator
• DRC phase-shift oscillator

What does AGC stand for in a radio receiver?

• AAuxiliary Gain Compensation
• BAutomatic Gain Control
• CActive Gate Conductance
• DAdjustable Group Coupling

In a superheterodyne receiver, what circuit produces the intermediate frequency?

• AThe audio amplifier
• BThe mixer combined with a local oscillator
• CThe squelch circuit
• DThe detector stage

What is the principal advantage of single sideband (SSB) over conventional AM for marine HF voice communications?

• AIt uses more bandwidth, giving higher fidelity
• BIt uses less bandwidth and concentrates power in the modulation
• CIt is easier to tune precisely
• DIt does not require an antenna tuner

What emission designator is commonly used for marine SSB voice on the upper sideband?

• AF3E
• BJ3E
• CA3E
• DG3E

Which emission designator describes marine VHF radiotelephony?

• AJ3E
• BF3E
• CA1A
• DP0N

What is the purpose of a squelch circuit in a marine VHF receiver?

• ATo boost weak signals
• BTo mute audio output when no carrier of sufficient strength is present
• CTo filter out FM modulation
• DTo switch the antenna between transmit and receive

Which test instrument is most appropriate for checking the waveform shape and modulation envelope of an SSB transmitter?

• ADigital multimeter
• BWattmeter
• CTwo-tone test with an oscilloscope
• DFrequency counter alone

What is the principal hazard when working on a high-power RF amplifier even with the equipment switched off?

• AMagnetic recording erasure
• BStored charge in high-voltage power supply capacitors
• CRadioactive emissions
• DMechanical resonance

Which instrument directly measures forward and reflected power in a transmission line?

• AField-strength meter
• BDirectional wattmeter
• CLogic probe
• DCapacitance bridge

A 50-ohm transmitter feeds an antenna through a coaxial cable. A directional wattmeter shows 100 W forward and 4 W reflected. What is the SWR?

• AApproximately 1.5:1
• BApproximately 2:1
• CApproximately 1.25:1
• DApproximately 4:1

What component in a switching power supply is most often associated with high-frequency noise on the DC output?

• AThe bleeder resistor
• BInadequate output filter capacitor or poor PCB layout
• CThe thermal cutoff
• DThe chassis ground strap

Which type of modulation is used by Digital Selective Calling (DSC) on VHF Channel 70?

• AAmplitude modulation (AM)
• BFrequency-shift keying (FSK)
• CSingle sideband (SSB)
• DPulse-position modulation

When troubleshooting a transmitter that has low output power, which check should typically be performed first?

• AReplace the modulation transformer
• BVerify primary power supply voltage and antenna SWR
• CReplace the microphone
• DSwap the antenna with a known dummy load only after all other tests

What is the function of a frequency synthesizer used in modern marine transceivers?

• ATo increase audio bandwidth
• BTo generate many stable channel frequencies from a single reference crystal
• CTo boost final amplifier efficiency
• DTo replace the AGC circuit

Which protection device should be installed at the entrance of a long marine antenna feedline to protect equipment from lightning surges?

• AAudio bypass capacitor
• BCoaxial gas discharge tube arrester
• CSeries RF choke only
• DMechanical fuse holder

Which power supply topology converts AC mains to lower DC voltage by switching at high frequency through a small transformer?

• ALinear regulator with mains transformer
• BSwitched-mode power supply (SMPS)
• CHalf-wave doubler
• DDirect AC-to-AC chopper