Amateur Radio for Smart People
K5HRA 
This time our General question is about, well, s-meters! [G4D06] Where is an S meter found? A. In a receiver B. In an SWR bridge C. In a transmitter D. In a conductance bridge The answer is, A. In a receiver. Now, in most modern transceivers, the receiver and transmitter are packaged in the same … Read more
This question is from the section of the Technician pool relating to operating over the internet… [T8C09] How might you obtain a list of active nodes that use VoIP? A. From the FCC Rulebook B. From your local emergency coordinator C. From a repeater directory D. From the local repeater frequency coordinator The question is … Read more
The Amateur Extra class question of the week comes from sub-element 5 (electrical principles) section C (polar coordinates) [E5C06] In polar coordinates, what is the impedance of a network consisting of a 100-ohm-reactance capacitor in series with a 100-ohm resistor? A. 121 ohms at an angle of -25 degrees B. 191 ohms at an angle … Read more
This weeks’ General question is from sub-element zero (Electrical Safety) section B (Safety in the Shack) [G0B13] What must you do when powering your house from an emergency generator? A. Disconnect the incoming utility power feed B. Insure that the generator is not grounded C. Insure that all lightning grounds are disconnected D. All of … Read more
This week’s Tech question comes from sub-element 2 (Operating Procedures,) group B (Q signals) [T2B10] Which Q signal indicates that you are receiving interference from other stations? A. QRMB. QRNC. QTHD. QSB There’s really no good way to understand what the Q signals mean except to memorize them. I know, I know, it goes against … Read more
The Amateur Extra torture question of the week is taken from sub-element 4 (amateur practices) section C (receiver performance) [E4C07] What does the MDS of a receiver represent? A. The meter display sensitivity B. The minimum discernible signal C. The multiplex distortion stability D. The maximum detectable spectrum If you stop to think about the … Read more
This week’s General Class exam question is from sub-element 6 (Resistors; capacitors; inductors) section B (batteries)… [G6B13] What is an advantage of the low internal resistance of nickel-cadmium batteries? A. Long life B. High discharge current C. High voltage D. Rapid recharge Nickel Cadmium, or NiCd, rechargeable batteries aren’t as popular as they once were, … Read more
This week’s Tech Class question is pulled from sub-element 4 (Amateur radio practices and station set up), section B (AGC) [T4B12] What is the function of automatic gain control or AGC? A. To keep received audio relatively constant B. To protect an antenna from lightning C. To eliminate RF on the station cabling D. An … Read more
Extra question of the day is from sub-element 6 (circuit components) section A (n-type semiconductors) [E6A16] What are the majority charge carriers in N-type semiconductor material? A. Holes B. Free electrons C. Free protons D. Free neutrons First, remember what the N-type designator means. It indicates that the device uses Negatively charged carriers. Protons and … Read more
The General class exam question of the week is from sub-element 6 (circuit components) section A (resistors) [G6A06] What will happen to the resistance if the temperature of a resistor is increased? A. It will change depending on the resistor’s reactance coefficient B. It will stay the same C. It will change depending on the … Read more