Amateur Radio for Smart People
Which of the following connectors would be a good choice for a serial data port? [G6B12] A. PL-259 B. Type N C. Type SMA D. DE-9 The answer is D. DE-9. Now, wait a minute! I thought that was a DB-9 serial port connector?! Well, technically no. The “B” refers to the size of the … Read more
If an ammeter calibrated in amperes is used to measure a 3000-milliampere current, what reading would it show? [T5B06] A. 0.003 amperes B. 0.3 amperes C. 3 amperes D. 3,000,000 amperes Don’t panic! This is a simple question about unit conversions, nothing more. Remember your definitions of metric prefixes. Milli means one one-thousandth, or 0.001. … Read more
Which insulating material commonly used as a thermal conductor for some types of electronic devices is extremely toxic if broken or crushed and the particles are accidentally inhaled? [E0A09] A. Mica B. Zinc oxide C. Beryllium Oxide D. Uranium Hexaflouride The answer is C. Beryllium Oxide. One of the hazards we face as radio enthusiasts … Read more
What does the Q signal “QRV” mean? [G2C11] A. You are sending too fast B. There is interference on the frequency C. I am quitting for the day D. I am ready to receive messages Q-codes are one of those things you just have to memorize. There’s no good way around it. I keep a … Read more
What is the most common repeater frequency offset in the 2 meter band? [T2A01] A. Plus 500 kHz B. Plus or minus 600 kHz C. Minus 500 kHz D. Only plus 600 kHz The answer is B. Plus or minus 600 kHz. Recall that the frequency offset is the difference between the repeater’s input frequency, … Read more
Which of the following would be a practical way to estimate whether the RF fields produced by an amateur radio station are within permissible MPE limits? [E0A03] A. Use a calibrated antenna analyzer B. Use a hand calculator plus Smith-chart equations to calculate the fields C. Use an antenna modeling program to calculate field strength … Read more
At what height above ground is an NVIS antenna typically installed? [G9D03] A. As close to 1/2 wavelength as possible B. As close to one wavelength as possible C. Height is not critical as long as it is significantly more than 1/2 wavelength D. Between 1/10 and 1/4 wavelength First off, what the heck is … Read more
Where should an in-line SWR meter be connected to monitor the standing wave ratio of the station antenna system? [T4A05] A. In series with the feed line, between the transmitter and antenna B. In series with the station’s ground C. In parallel with the push-to-talk line and the antenna D. In series with the power … Read more
What is the advantage of including a parity bit with an ASCII character stream? [E8C12] A. Faster transmission rate B. The signal can overpower interfering signals C. Foreign language characters can be sent D. Some types of errors can be detected The definition of a “parity bit” according to Wikipedia is: a bit added to … Read more
Which of the following is an effect of overmodulation? [G8A08] A. Insufficient audio B. Insufficient bandwidth C. Frequency drift D. Excessive bandwidth The answer is D. Excessive bandwidth. Now, for the purposes of getting this question correct on the exam, I’ll just say this: Just remember the connection between overmodulation and excessive bandwidth. The real … Read more
