Amateur Radio for Smart People
This week’s Amateur Extra question is from sub-element 5 (Electrical Principles) group A (characteristics of resonant circuits) [E5A06] What is the magnitude of the circulating current within the components of a parallel LC circuit at resonance? A. It is at a minimum B. It is at a maximum C. It equals 1 divided by the … Read more
The General question of the week is from sub-element 3 (propagation) section C (ionospheric layers) [G3C02] Where on the Earth do ionospheric layers reach their maximum height? A. Where the Sun is overhead B. Where the Sun is on the opposite side of the Earth C. Where the Sun is rising D. Where the Sun … Read more
The Technician question of the week comes from sub-element 7 (antenna measurements) section C (SWR measurement) [T7C05] What is the approximate SWR value above which the protection circuits in most solid-state transmitters begin to reduce transmitter power? A. 2 to 1 B. 1 to 2 C. 6 to 1 D. 10 to 1 Once you … Read more
Today’s exam question comes from the Amateur Extra exam, Sub-element 7 (Practical Circuits) and Section B, (Amplifiers)… [E7B20] What is a parametric amplifier? A. A type of bipolar operational amplifier with excellent linearity derived from use of very high voltage on the collector B. A low-noise VHF or UHF amplifier relying on varying reactance for … Read more
This week’s General Class question comes from sub-element 5 (Electrical Principles) group A (impedance) [G5A10] What unit is used to measure impedance? A. Volt B. Ohm C. Ampere D. Watt Impedance is the measure of opposition to current flow in a circuit when an AC voltage is applied. With that in mind, we can automatically … Read more
This week’s Tech question is from sub-element 5 (Electrical Principles) group A (units) [T5A11] What is the basic unit of electromotive force? A. The volt B. The watt C. The ampere D. The ohm This is one of the fundamental concepts when dealing with electricity, and therefore radio. The standard units that we use to … Read more
From the realm of “Good Operating Practice” we get our question of the week from the Amateur Extra exam. [E2C11] How should you generally identify your station when attempting to contact a DX station working a pileup or in a contest? A. Send your full call sign once or twice B. Send only the last … Read more
This week’s General question comes from the section on circuit components. [G5C14] Which of the following components should be added to an inductor to increase the inductance? A. A capacitor in series B. A resistor in parallel C. An inductor in parallel D. An inductor in series The answer, is D. An inductor in series. … Read more
From the Technician pool today we look at a question relating to a common issue in amateur radio, SWR, or Standing Wave Ratio. [T9B09] What might cause erratic changes in SWR readings? A. The transmitter is being modulated B. A loose connection in an antenna or a feed line C. The transmitter is being over-modulated … Read more
Which of the following is a disadvantage of using wind as the primary source of power for an emergency station? [G4E11] A. The conversion efficiency from mechanical energy to electrical energy is less than 2 percent B. The voltage and current ratings of such systems are not compatible with amateur equipment C. A large energy … Read more
