Amateur Radio for Smart People
What type of wave is made up of a sine wave plus all of its odd harmonics? [E8A01] A. A square wave B. A sine wave C. A cosine wave D. A tangent wave Well, the answer to this question is mathematically somewhat complex. The answer is A. A square wave. Rather than try and … Read more
Which type of code is used for sending characters in a PSK31 signal? [G8C12] A. Varicode B. Viterbi C. Volumetric D. Binary Alright, here we are again at a real head scratcher. This is yet another example of something you just “need to know” for the test. In real life you really wouldn’t use this … Read more
If a frequency readout shows a reading of 2425 MHz, what frequency is that in GHz? [T5B13] A. 0.002425 GHZ B. 24.25 GHz C. 2.425 GHz D. 2425 GHz The best way to figure this out is to review our metric prefixes. If you’re into computers at all, you already use “Mega” and “Giga” and … Read more
What do the letters in a satellite’s mode designator specify? [E2A05] A. Power limits for uplink and downlink transmissions B. The location of the ground control station C. The polarization of uplink and downlink signals D. The uplink and downlink frequency ranges Lets look at “mode designators” to understand what the question is about. A … Read more
How should the winding axes of two solenoid inductors be oriented to minimize their mutual inductance? [G6A19] A. In line B. Parallel to each other C. At right angles to each other D. Interleaved The best way to answer this is to imagine the magnetic field lines coming off of a device, much like in … Read more
What are the two components of a radio wave? [T3B03] A. AC and DC B. Voltage and current C. Electric and magnetic fields D. Ionizing and non-ionizing radiation This is a “definition” type of question, one that if I remember correctly was posed to us on day one of my college Electromagnetics class. A “radio … Read more
Digital modes are the topic of this week’s Amateur Extra exam question…. [E8C13] What is one advantage of using JT-65 coding? A. Uses only a 65 Hz bandwidth B. The ability to decode signals which have a very low signal to noise ratio C. Easily copied by ear if necessary D. Permits fast-scan TV transmissions … Read more
What does it mean when a CW operator sends “KN” at the end of a transmission? A. Listening for novice stations B. Operating full break-in C. Listening only for a specific station or stations D. Closing station now The answer is, C. Listening only for a specific station or stations. You would use this “word,” … Read more
What is the correct way to connect a voltmeter to a circuit? A. In series with the circuit B. In parallel with the circuit C. In quadrature with the circuit D. In phase with the circuit Well, first off lets just get rid of C. and D. Neither “in quadrature” or “in phase” really make … Read more
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
