Technician Class Practice Test

Select the most correct answer for each question, then submit your practice test to check your score. This practice test randomly pulls one question from each topic in the Technician pool.

Good Luck!

T1B08:

Which of the following is a result of the fact that the Amateur Radio Service is secondary in all or portions of some amateur bands (such as portions of the 70 cm band)?

U.S. amateurs may find non-amateur stations in those portions, and must avoid interfering with them
U.S. amateurs must give foreign amateur stations priority in those portions
International communications are not permitted in those portions
Digital transmissions are not permitted in those portions

T3A08:

Which of the following is a likely cause of irregular fading of signals received by ionospheric reflection?

Frequency shift due to Faraday rotation
Interference from thunderstorms
Random combining of signals arriving via different paths
Intermodulation distortion

T1C08:

What is the normal term for an FCC-issued primary station/operator amateur radio license grant?

Five years
Life
Ten years
Twenty years

T0B03:

Under what circumstances is it safe to climb a tower without a helper or observer?

When no electrical work is being performed
When no mechanical work is being performed
When the work being done is not more than 20 feet above the ground
Never

T2B12:

Why are simplex channels designated in the VHF/UHF band plans?

So that stations within mutual communications range can communicate without tying up a repeater
For contest operation
For working DX only
So that stations with simple transmitters can access the repeater without automated offset

T5A13:

In which type of circuit is current the same through all components?

Series
Parallel
Resonant
Branch

T4A10:

What is the source of a high-pitched whine that varies with engine speed in a mobile transceiver's receive audio?

The ignition system
The alternator
The electric fuel pump
Anti-lock braking system controllers

T8A08:

What is the approximate bandwidth of a single sideband (SSB) voice signal?

1 kHz
3 kHz
6 kHz
15 kHz

T7B01:

What can you do if you are told your FM handheld or mobile transceiver is over-deviating?

Talk louder into the microphone
Let the transceiver cool off
Change to a higher power level
Talk farther away from the microphone

T2A10:

What is a band plan, beyond the privileges established by the FCC?

A voluntary guideline for using different modes or activities within an amateur band
A mandated list of operating schedules
A list of scheduled net frequencies
A plan devised by a club to indicate frequency band usage

T6B01:

What class of electronic components uses a voltage or current signal to control current flow?

Capacitors
Inductors
Resistors
Transistors

T7D10:

What is probably happening when an ohmmeter, connected across an unpowered circuit, initially indicates a low resistance and then shows increasing resistance with time?

The ohmmeter is defective
The circuit contains a large capacitor
The circuit contains a large inductor
The circuit is a relaxation oscillator

T8B06:

Which of the following are inputs to a satellite tracking program?

The weight of the satellite
The Keplerian elements
The last observed time of zero Doppler shift
All of these choices are correct

T7C03:

What, in general terms, is standing wave ratio (SWR)?

A measure of how well a load is matched to a transmission line
The ratio of high to low impedance in a feed line
The transmitter efficiency ratio
An indication of the quality of your station's ground connection

T9B02:

What is the impedance of most coaxial cables used in amateur radio installations?

8 ohms
50 ohms
600 ohms
12 ohms

T0A01:

Which of the following is a safety hazard of a 12-volt storage battery?

Touching both terminals with the hands can cause electrical shock
Shorting the terminals can cause burns, fire, or an explosion
RF emissions from the battery
All of these choices are correct

T0C02:

Which of the following frequencies has the lowest value for Maximum Permissible Exposure limit?

3.5 MHz
50 MHz
440 MHz
1296 MHz

T5D01:

What formula is used to calculate current in a circuit?

Current (I) equals voltage (E) multiplied by resistance (R)
Current (I) equals voltage (E) divided by resistance (R)
Current (I) equals voltage (E) added to resistance (R)
Current (I) equals voltage (E) minus resistance (R)

T1D01:

With which countries are FCC-licensed amateur radio stations prohibited from exchanging communications?

Any country whose administration has notified the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) that it objects to such communications
Any country whose administration has notified the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) that it objects to such communications
Any country engaged in hostilities with another country
Any country in violation of the War Powers Act of 1934

T3B09:

What are the frequency limits of the UHF spectrum?

30 to 300 kHz
30 to 300 MHz
300 to 3000 kHz
300 to 3000 MHz

T7A05:

What is the name of a circuit that generates a signal at a specific frequency?

Reactance modulator
Product detector
Low-pass filter
Oscillator

T9A01:

What is a beam antenna?

An antenna built from aluminum I-beams
An omnidirectional antenna invented by Clarence Beam
An antenna that concentrates signals in one direction
An antenna that reverses the phase of received signals

T1A09:

Who selects a Frequency Coordinator?

The FCC Office of Spectrum Management and Coordination Policy
The local chapter of the Office of National Council of Independent Frequency Coordinators
Amateur operators in a local or regional area whose stations are eligible to be repeater or auxiliary stations
FCC Regional Field Office

T5B10:

What is the approximate amount of change, measured in decibels (dB), of a power decrease from 12 watts to 3 watts?

-1 dB
-3 dB
-6 dB
-9 dB

T1E02:

Who may be the control operator of a station communicating through an amateur satellite or space station?

Only an Amateur Extra Class operator
A General class or higher licensee who has a satellite operator certification
Only an Amateur Extra Class operator who is also an AMSAT member
Any amateur whose license privileges allow them to transmit on the satellite uplink frequency

T1F01:

When must the station licensee make the station and its records available for FCC inspection?

At any time ten days after notification by the FCC of such an inspection
At any time upon request by an FCC representative
Only after failing to comply with an FCC notice of violation
Only when presented with a valid warrant by an FCC official or government agent

T4B11:

What is the function of automatic gain control, or AGC?

To keep received audio relatively constant
To protect an antenna from lightning
To eliminate RF on the station cabling
An asymmetric goniometer control used for antenna matching

T8C07:

What is meant by Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) as used in amateur radio?

A set of rules specifying how to identify your station when linked over the internet to another station
A set of guidelines for contacting DX stations during contests using internet access
A technique for measuring the modulation quality of a transmitter using remote sites monitored via the internet
A method of delivering voice communications over the internet using digital techniques

T3C09:

What is generally the best time for long-distance 10 meter band propagation via the F layer?

From dawn to shortly after sunset during periods of high sunspot activity
From shortly after sunset to dawn during periods of high sunspot activity
From dawn to shortly after sunset during periods of low sunspot activity
From shortly after sunset to dawn during periods of low sunspot activity

T2C03:

What should be done when using voice modes to ensure that voice messages containing unusual words are received correctly?

Send the words by voice and Morse code
Speak very loudly into the microphone
Spell the words using a standard phonetic alphabet
All of these choices are correct

T6D02:

What is a relay?

An electrically-controlled switch
A current controlled amplifier
An optical sensor
A pass transistor

T6A03:

What electrical parameter is controlled by a potentiometer?

Inductance
Resistance
Capacitance
Field strength

T6C08:

What is component 9 in figure T2?

Variable capacitor
Variable inductor
Variable resistor
Variable transformer

T5C02:

What is the basic unit of capacitance?

The farad
The ohm
The volt
The henry

T8D05:

Which of the following is an application of APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System)?

Providing real-time tactical digital communications in conjunction with a map showing the locations of stations
Showing automatically the number of packets transmitted via PACTOR during a specific time interval
Providing voice over internet connection between repeaters
Providing information on the number of stations signed into a repeater