Amateur Radio for Smart People
Sample questions from the Amateur Extra exam pool
Ew, this sounds kind of gross, but this aspect of sideband modulation is on the test! [E2B06] What is vestigial sideband modulation? A. Amplitude modulation in which one complete sideband and a portion of the other are transmitted B. A type of modulation in which one sideband is inverted C. Narrow-band FM transmission achieved by … Read more
Ah, another fine math problem from the Amateur Extra exam (don’t you just love these?) [E5D16] What is the power factor of an RL circuit having a 30 degree phase angle between the voltage and the current? A. 1.73 B. 0.5 C. 0.866 D. 0.577 awasdf This question is a bit tricky, because we have … Read more
The Amateur Extra question of the week comes from the section on frequency allocations and amateur services… [E1D07] Which amateur service HF bands have frequencies authorized to space stations? A. Only 40m, 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m and 10m B. Only 40m, 20m, 17m, 15m and 10m bands C. 40m, 30m, 20m, 15m, 12m and 10m … Read more
The Extra-Extra-Extra Read All About it question of the week is a real beauty. [E8B12] What is digital time division multiplexing? A. Two or more data streams are assigned to discrete sub-carriers on an FM transmitter B. Two or more signals are arranged to share discrete time slots of a data transmission C. Two or … Read more
Today’s question for you studying to be Extra’s is a real doozy, about receivers. [E4D01] What is meant by the blocking dynamic range of a receiver? A. The difference in dB between the noise floor and the level of an incoming signal which will cause 1 dB of gain compression B. The minimum difference in … Read more
This week in the Amateur Extra spectrum, we’ll look at a question from the “band plan” area of the exam [E2C06] During a VHF/UHF contest, in which band segment would you expect to find the highest level of activity? A. At the top of each band, usually in a segment reserved for contests B. In … Read more
Ah, another fine math problem from the Amateur Extra exam (don’t you just love these?) [E5D18] How many watts are consumed in a circuit having a power factor of 0.71 if the apparent power is 500 VA? A. 704 W B. 355 W C. 252 W D. 1.42 mW Remember that the “power factor” of … 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
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
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
