General 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 General pool.

Good Luck!

G8B11:

What combination of a mixer's Local Oscillator (LO) and RF input frequencies is found in the output?

The ratio
The average
The sum and difference
The arithmetic product

G2A01:

Which sideband is most commonly used for voice communications on frequencies of 14 MHz or higher?

Upper sideband
Lower sideband
Vestigial sideband
Double sideband

G5B02:

How does the total current relate to the individual currents in each branch of a purely resistive parallel circuit?

It equals the average of each branch current
It decreases as more parallel branches are added to the circuit
It equals the sum of the currents through each branch
It is the sum of the reciprocal of each individual voltage drop

G4E07:

Which of the following may cause receive interference in a radio installed in a vehicle?

The battery charging system
The fuel delivery system
The vehicle control computer
All these choices are correct

G8A04:

What emission is produced by a reactance modulator connected to a transmitter RF amplifier stage?

Multiplex modulation
Phase modulation
Amplitude modulation
Pulse modulation

G6A10:

Which element of a triode vacuum tube is used to regulate the flow of electrons between cathode and plate?

Control grid
Heater
Screen grid
Trigger electrode

G0B05:

Which of the following conditions will cause a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) to disconnect the 120 or 240 Volt AC line power to a device?

Current flowing from one or more of the voltage-carrying wires to the neutral wire
Current flowing from one or more of the voltage-carrying wires directly to ground
Overvoltage on the voltage-carrying wires
All these choices are correct

G3C04:

What does the term "critical angle" mean, as used in radio wave propagation?

The long path azimuth of a distant station
The short path azimuth of a distant station
The lowest takeoff angle that will return a radio wave to Earth under specific ionospheric conditions
The highest takeoff angle that will return a radio wave to Earth under specific ionospheric conditions

G1A08:

Which of the following frequencies is within the General class portion of the 80-meter band?

1855 kHz
2560 kHz
3560 kHz
3650 kHz

G5C01:

What causes a voltage to appear across the secondary winding of a transformer when an AC voltage source is connected across its primary winding?

Capacitive coupling
Displacement current coupling
Mutual inductance
Mutual capacitance

G7C11:

What is meant by the term "software-defined radio" (SDR)?

A radio in which most major signal processing functions are performed by software
A radio that provides computer interface for automatic logging of band and frequency
A radio that uses crystal filters designed using software
A computer model that can simulate performance of a radio to aid in the design process

G2D11:

Which of the following is typical of the lower HF frequencies during the summer?

Poor propagation at any time of day
World-wide propagation during the daylight hours
Heavy distortion on signals due to photon absorption
High levels of atmospheric noise or "static"

G1E10:

Why should an amateur operator normally avoid transmitting on 14.100, 18.110, 21.150, 24. 930 and 28.200 MHz?

A system of propagation beacon stations operates on those frequencies
A system of automatic digital stations operates on those frequencies
These frequencies are set aside for emergency operations
These frequencies are set aside for bulletins from the FCC

G9C13:

Approximately how long is each side of the driven element of a quad antenna?

1/4 wavelength
1/2 wavelength
3/4 wavelength
1 wavelength

G3B11:

What happens to HF propagation when the LUF exceeds the MUF?

No HF radio frequency will support ordinary skywave communications over the path
HF communications over the path are enhanced
Double hop propagation along the path is more common
Propagation over the path on all HF frequencies is enhanced

G2C07:

When sending CW, what does a "C" mean when added to the RST report?

Chirpy or unstable signal
Report was read from an S meter rather than estimated
100 percent copy
Key clicks

G4D09:

What frequency range is occupied by a 3 kHz USB signal with the displayed carrier frequency set to 14.347 MHz?

14.347 to 14.647 MHz
14.347 to 14.350 MHz
14.344 to 14.347 MHz
14.3455 to 14.3485 MHz

G0A02:

Which of the following properties is important in estimating whether an RF signal exceeds the maximum permissible exposure (MPE)?

Its duty cycle
Its frequency
Its power density
All these choices are correct

G7B03:

Which of the following describes the function of a two-input AND gate?

Output is high when either or both inputs are low
Output is high only when both inputs are high
Output is low when either or both inputs are high
Output is low only when both inputs are high

G2B08:

What is the voluntary band plan restriction for U.S. stations transmitting within the 48 contiguous states in the 50.1 to 50.125 MHz band segment?

Only contacts with stations not within the 48 contiguous states
Only contacts with other stations within the 48 contiguous states
Only digital contacts
Only SSTV contacts

G1B08:

When choosing a transmitting frequency, what should you do to comply with good amateur practice?

Ensure that the frequency and mode selected are within your license class privileges
Follow generally accepted band plans agreed to by the Amateur Radio community
Monitor the frequency before transmitting
All these choices are correct

G3A13:

What does the A-index indicate?

The relative position of sunspots on the surface of the sun
The amount of polarization of the sun's electric field
The long-term stability of Earth's geomagnetic field
The solar radio flux at Boulder, Colorado

G4A15:

Which of the following can be a symptom of transmitted RF being picked up by an audio cable carrying AFSK data signals between a computer and a transceiver?

The VOX circuit does not un-key the transmitter
The transmitter signal is distorted
Frequent connection timeouts
All these choices are correct

G2E08:

In what segment of the 20-meter band are most PSK31 operations commonly found?

At the bottom of the slow-scan TV segment, near 14.230 MHz
At the top of the SSB phone segment, near 14.325 MHz
In the middle of the CW segment, near 14.100 MHz
Below the RTTY segment, near 14.070 MHz

G6B08:

How is an LED biased when emitting light?

Beyond cutoff
At the Zener voltage
Reverse biased
Forward biased

G5A05:

How does an inductor react to AC?

As the frequency of the applied AC increases, the reactance decreases
As the amplitude of the applied AC increases, the reactance increases
As the amplitude of the applied AC increases, the reactance decreases
As the frequency of the applied AC increases, the reactance increases

G1D03:

On which of the following band segments may you operate if you are a Technician class operator and have a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) for General class privileges?

Only the Technician band segments until your upgrade is posted in the FCC database
Only on the Technician band segments until your license arrives in the mail
On any General or Technician class band segment
On any General or Technician class band segment except 30 meters and 60 meters

G9B04:

What is the radiation pattern of a dipole antenna in free space in a plane containing the conductor?

It is a figure-eight at right angles to the antenna
It is a figure-eight off both ends of the antenna
It is a circle (equal radiation in all directions)
It has a pair of lobes on one side of the antenna and a single lobe on the other side

G8C10:

How does forward error correction (FEC) allow the receiver to correct errors in received data packets?

By controlling transmitter output power for optimum signal strength
By using the Varicode character set
By transmitting redundant information with the data
By using a parity bit with each character

G7A13:

Which symbol in Figure G7-1 represents a tapped inductor?

Symbol 7
Symbol 11
Symbol 6
Symbol 1

G4B03:

Which of the following is the best instrument to use when checking the keying waveform of a CW transmitter?

An oscilloscope
A field strength meter
A sidetone monitor
A wavemeter

G9A04:

What might cause reflected power at the point where a feed line connects to an antenna?

Operating an antenna at its resonant frequency
Using more transmitter power than the antenna can handle
A difference between feed-line impedance and antenna feed-point impedance
Feeding the antenna with unbalanced feed line

G9D11:

Which of the following is a disadvantage of multiband antennas?

They present low impedance on all design frequencies
They must be used with an antenna tuner
They must be fed with open wire line
They have poor harmonic rejection

G1C01:

What is the maximum transmitting power an amateur station may use on 10.140 MHz?

200 watts PEP output
1000 watts PEP output
1500 watts PEP output
2000 watts PEP output

G4C01:

Which of the following might be useful in reducing RF interference to audio frequency devices?

Bypass inductor
Bypass capacitor
Forward-biased diode
Reverse-biased diode