FCC Amateur Radio Extra License

What is the maximum peak envelope power (PEP) output permitted for an amateur station on most amateur bands?

• A500 watts
• B1000 watts
• C1500 watts
• D2000 watts

What is the maximum bandwidth for a data emission on the 60-meter band?

• A60 Hz
• B170 Hz
• C1.5 kHz
• D2.8 kHz

Which of the following frequency segments is available ONLY to Amateur Extra class licensees on the 80-meter band?

• A3.525 - 3.600 MHz
• B3.600 - 3.700 MHz
• C3.600 - 3.650 MHz
• D3.700 - 3.800 MHz

What is the duration of an FCC amateur radio license before renewal is required?

• A5 years
• B7 years
• C10 years
• DLifetime

What does PRB-1 require of state and local regulations affecting amateur radio antennas?

• AStates must allow any antenna without restriction
• BStates and localities must reasonably accommodate amateur radio communications and must c…
• CStates may ban all outdoor amateur antennas
• DThe FCC prohibits all local antenna restrictions

Under FCC Part 97, what is the definition of telecommand of an amateur station?

• AOperating a station by voice over the telephone
• BA one-way transmission to initiate, modify, or terminate functions of a device at a dista…
• CCommunicating through a satellite repeater
• DSending Morse code via an automated keyer

Which of the following is a requirement for an amateur station operating under automatic control?

• AA licensed operator must be present at the control point at all times
• BThe station must be able to be shut down by the licensee or designated control operator
• CAutomatic control is prohibited on all amateur frequencies
• DThe station may only transmit on VHF and above

What is the purpose of a voluntary band plan?

• AIt is a legally enforceable FCC regulation
• BIt helps amateurs share band resources by designating segments for different modes and ac…
• CIt assigns specific frequencies to individual stations
• DIt restricts amateur operators from using certain bands

What is the approximate maximum usable frequency (MUF) if the critical frequency is 8 MHz and the angle of incidence is 45 degrees?

• A8 MHz
• B11.3 MHz
• C16 MHz
• D22.6 MHz

Which ionospheric layer is primarily responsible for long-distance HF communication?

• AD layer
• BE layer
• CF2 layer
• DTroposphere

What causes transequatorial propagation (TEP)?

• AGround wave ducting along the equator
• BIonospheric irregularities near the geomagnetic equator that allow VHF signals to propaga…
• CReflection from meteor trails
• DDiffraction around the curvature of the Earth

What is the skip zone?

• AThe area between the end of ground wave coverage and the beginning of the first skywave r…
• BThe distance a signal travels before losing 3 dB
• CThe area directly below a satellite
• DThe zone where all signals are strongest

What is the primary advantage of using gray-line propagation?

• AIt allows UHF signals to travel further
• BIt provides enhanced long-distance HF propagation along the twilight boundary between day…
• CIt eliminates multipath fading
• DIt increases bandwidth of SSB signals

What is the effect of the D layer on HF radio signals during daytime?

• AIt reflects HF signals back to Earth
• BIt absorbs HF signals, particularly at lower frequencies
• CIt amplifies all radio signals
• DIt has no effect on HF signals

What is near vertical incidence skywave (NVIS) propagation?

• AA technique for bouncing signals off the moon
• BPropagation using signals directed nearly straight up that are reflected by the ionospher…
• CGround wave propagation at microwave frequencies
• DLine-of-sight VHF propagation

What is the impedance of free space?

• A50 ohms
• B75 ohms
• C300 ohms
• D377 ohms

What is the radiation resistance of a half-wave dipole antenna in free space?

• A36.5 ohms
• B50 ohms
• C73 ohms
• D300 ohms

What is the gain of a half-wave dipole antenna over an isotropic radiator?

• A0 dBi
• B2.15 dBi
• C3.0 dBi
• D6.0 dBi

What is the approximate beamwidth of a Yagi antenna with a gain of 20 dBi?

• A180 degrees
• B60 degrees
• C20 degrees
• D5 degrees

What is the primary purpose of a driven element in a Yagi antenna?

• ATo absorb reflected signals
• BTo connect to the feed line and radiate RF energy
• CTo act as a ground plane
• DTo increase the bandwidth of the antenna

What is the effect of adding directors to a Yagi antenna?

• AIt decreases forward gain and increases beamwidth
• BIt increases forward gain and narrows the beamwidth
• CIt only improves the front-to-back ratio without affecting gain
• DIt reduces the antenna's resonant frequency

What type of antenna pattern is produced by two identical vertical antennas spaced one-half wavelength apart and fed 180 degrees out of phase?

• AOmnidirectional pattern
• BFigure-eight pattern broadside to the array
• CCardioid pattern
• DFigure-eight pattern in the plane of the array

What is the characteristic impedance of standard RG-213 coaxial cable?

• A50 ohms
• B75 ohms
• C93 ohms
• D300 ohms

What is the velocity factor of typical solid polyethylene dielectric coaxial cable?

• A0.50
• B0.66
• C0.80
• D1.00

What happens to the input impedance of a quarter-wave transmission line section that is short-circuited at the far end?

• AIt appears as a short circuit
• BIt appears as an open circuit (very high impedance)
• CIt appears as a 50-ohm resistance
• DIt has no effect on impedance

On a Smith chart, where is a pure resistance of the line's characteristic impedance (Z0) located?

• AAt the far left edge
• BAt the center of the chart
• CAt the far right edge
• DAt the top of the chart

What does a point on the outer circumference of a Smith chart represent?

• AA perfect impedance match (SWR = 1:1)
• BA pure reactance (resistance = 0)
• CA pure resistance
• DMaximum power transfer

What is the standing wave ratio (SWR) on a 50-ohm transmission line connected to a 100-ohm purely resistive load?

• A1:1
• B2:1
• C3:1
• D4:1

What is the primary advantage of microstrip transmission line at microwave frequencies?

• AIt can handle extremely high power levels
• BIt can be fabricated directly on printed circuit boards, allowing compact circuit design
• CIt has zero loss at all frequencies
• DIt can only be used for receive applications

What is the total resistance of a 100-ohm and a 200-ohm resistor connected in parallel?

• A66.7 ohms
• B150 ohms
• C200 ohms
• D300 ohms

What is the reactance of a 10 microhenry inductor at a frequency of 7 MHz?

• A43.98 ohms
• B70 ohms
• C439.8 ohms
• D4398 ohms

What is the reactance of a 100 picofarad capacitor at 14 MHz?

• A11.4 ohms
• B113.7 ohms
• C1137 ohms
• D14000 ohms

What is the resonant frequency of a series circuit containing a 10 microhenry inductor and a 100 picofarad capacitor?

• A1.59 MHz
• B5.03 MHz
• C15.9 MHz
• D50.3 MHz

What is the Q factor of a series RLC circuit with R = 10 ohms, L = 50 microhenry, at a resonant frequency of 3.5 MHz?

• A11
• B55
• C110
• D350

What is the purpose of a Pi-network in an RF amplifier output circuit?

• ATo amplify the signal further
• BTo match the amplifier output impedance to the antenna feed line impedance and provide ha…
• CTo convert DC to AC power
• DTo measure output power

What is the primary characteristic of a Butterworth filter response?

• AMaximally flat passband response with no ripple
• BSteepest possible rolloff near the cutoff frequency
• CConstant group delay across all frequencies
• DLinear phase response with ripple in the passband

What is the primary characteristic of a Chebyshev filter compared to a Butterworth filter of the same order?

• AWider passband
• BSteeper rolloff near cutoff but with ripple in the passband
• CLower insertion loss
• DNo stopband attenuation

What is the function of a crystal lattice filter in an IF stage?

• ATo amplify weak signals
• BTo provide a narrow, sharply defined bandpass response for selectivity
• CTo convert RF to audio frequencies
• DTo regulate power supply voltage

What is the purpose of an L-network in impedance matching?

• ATo provide DC blocking
• BTo transform impedance between two different values using an inductor and capacitor
• CTo filter out harmonics above 30 MHz
• DTo amplify weak signals

What is the advantage of a T-network over an L-network for impedance matching?

• AIt uses fewer components
• BIt can match a wider range of impedances and allows independent selection of Q
• CIt has zero insertion loss
• DIt does not require adjustment

What is the Nyquist sampling theorem?

• AA signal must be sampled at least twice per second
• BA signal must be sampled at a rate at least twice the highest frequency component to be a…
• CSampling rate equals the signal frequency
• DDigital signals require no minimum sampling rate

What is aliasing in digital signal processing?

• AA method to improve signal quality
• BThe production of false lower-frequency components when a signal is sampled below the Nyq…
• CThe process of converting analog signals to digital
• DA type of modulation used in SSB

What is the function of an FIR (Finite Impulse Response) filter in a DSP-based receiver?

• ATo amplify the received signal
• BTo provide frequency-selective filtering with a guaranteed stable response and linear pha…
• CTo generate local oscillator signals
• DTo convert digital signals back to analog

What advantage does an IIR (Infinite Impulse Response) filter have over an FIR filter?

• AIt always has linear phase response
• BIt requires fewer coefficients to achieve a given rolloff steepness
• CIt is inherently stable
• DIt has no feedback path

What is the purpose of a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) in a software-defined radio (SDR) transmitter?

• ATo digitize the incoming RF signal
• BTo convert the digitally generated signal to an analog waveform for transmission
• CTo decode Morse code signals
• DTo filter out noise from the received signal

What is the approximate noise figure of a well-designed preamplifier used for weak signal VHF/UHF work?

• A0.5 to 2 dB
• B10 to 15 dB
• C20 to 30 dB
• D50 dB or more

What is the primary purpose of an automatic gain control (AGC) circuit in a receiver?

• ATo maintain a constant audio output level despite varying input signal strengths
• BTo increase the transmitter output power
• CTo tune the receiver to different frequencies
• DTo decode digital signals