Amateur Extra 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 Amateur Extra pool.

Good Luck!

E9E03:

What is the name of the matching system that uses a section of transmission line connected in parallel with the feed line at or near the feed point?

The gamma match
The delta match
The omega match
The stub match

E1F12:

Who may be the control operator of an auxiliary station?

Any licensed amateur operator
Only Technician, General, Advanced or Amateur Extra Class operators
Only General, Advanced or Amateur Extra Class operators
Only Amateur Extra Class operators

E3B05:

Which amateur bands typically support long-path propagation?

160 meters to 40 meters
30 meters to 10 meters
160 meters to 10 meters
6 meters to 2 meters

E8A01:

What is the name of the process that shows that a square wave is made up of a sine wave plus all of its odd harmonics?

Fourier analysis
Vector analysis
Numerical analysis
Differential analysis

E7E03:

How does an analog phase modulator function?

By varying the tuning of a microphone preamplifier to produce PM signals
By varying the tuning of an amplifier tank circuit to produce AM signals
By varying the tuning of an amplifier tank circuit to produce PM signals
By varying the tuning of a microphone preamplifier to produce AM signals

E8C09:

Which is the name of a digital code where each preceding or following character changes by only one bit?

Binary Coded Decimal Code
Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code
Excess 3 code
Gray code

E4A02:

Which of the following parameters would a spectrum analyzer display on the vertical and horizontal axes?

RF amplitude and time
RF amplitude and frequency
SWR and frequency
SWR and time

E7G04:

What is meant by the term op-amp input offset voltage?

The output voltage of the op-amp minus its input voltage
The difference between the output voltage of the op-amp and the input voltage required in the immediately following stage
The differential input voltage needed to bring the open loop output voltage to zero
The potential between the amplifier input terminals of the op-amp in an open loop condition

E7A11:

What type of logic defines "1" as a high voltage?

Reverse Logic
Assertive Logic
Negative logic
Positive Logic

E9F01:

What is the velocity factor of a transmission line?

The ratio of the characteristic impedance of the line to the terminating impedance
The index of shielding for coaxial cable
The velocity of the wave in the transmission line multiplied by the velocity of light in a vacuum
The velocity of the wave in the transmission line divided by the velocity of light in a vacuum

E4B14:

What happens if a dip meter is too tightly coupled to a tuned circuit being checked?

Harmonics are generated
A less accurate reading results
Cross modulation occurs
Intermodulation distortion occurs

E5B08:

What is the phase angle between the voltage across and the current through a series RLC circuit if XC is 100 ohms, R is 100 ohms, and XL is 75 ohms?

14 degrees with the voltage lagging the current
14 degrees with the voltage leading the current
76 degrees with the voltage leading the current
76 degrees with the voltage lagging the current

E2C02:

Which of the following best describes the term self-spotting in regards to HF contest operating?

The generally prohibited practice of posting one's own call sign and frequency on a spotting network
The acceptable practice of manually posting the call signs of stations on a spotting network
A manual technique for rapidly zero beating or tuning to a station's frequency before calling that station
An automatic method for rapidly zero beating or tuning to a station's frequency before calling that station

E7C02:

Which of the following is a property of a T-network with series capacitors and a parallel shunt inductor?

It is a low-pass filter
It is a band-pass filter
It is a high-pass filter
It is a notch filter

E6B11:

What is used to control the attenuation of RF signals by a PIN diode?

Forward DC bias current
A sub-harmonic pump signal
Reverse voltage larger than the RF signal
Capacitance of an RF coupling capacitor

E2E12:

Which type of control is used by stations using the Automatic Link Enable (ALE) protocol?

Local
Remote
Automatic
ALE can use any type of control

E4E12:

What is one disadvantage of using some types of automatic DSP notch-filters when attempting to copy CW signals?

A DSP filter can remove the desired signal at the same time as it removes interfering signals
Any nearby signal passing through the DSP system will overwhelm the desired signal
Received CW signals will appear to be modulated at the DSP clock frequency
Ringing in the DSP filter will completely remove the spaces between the CW characters

E6C06:

Why do CMOS digital integrated circuits have high immunity to noise on the input signal or power supply?

Larger bypass capacitors are used in CMOS circuit design
The input switching threshold is about two times the power supply voltage
The input switching threshold is about one-half the power supply voltage
Input signals are stronger

E5A06:

What is the magnitude of the circulating current within the components of a parallel LC circuit at resonance?

It is at a minimum
It is at a maximum
It equals 1 divided by the quantity 2 times Pi, multiplied by the square root of inductance L multiplied by capacitance C
It equals 2 multiplied by Pi, multiplied by frequency, multiplied by inductance

E9H08:

What is the function of a sense antenna?

It modifies the pattern of a DF antenna array to provide a null in one direction
It increases the sensitivity of a DF antenna array
It allows DF antennas to receive signals at different vertical angles
It provides diversity reception that cancels multipath signals

E2D02:

Which of the following is a good technique for making meteor scatter contacts?

15 second timed transmission sequences with stations alternating based on location
Use of high speed CW or digital modes
Short transmission with rapidly repeated call signs and signal reports
All of these choices are correct

E6A11:

In Figure E6-2, what is the schematic symbol for a P-channel junction FET?

1
2
3
6

E9C08:

What is a folded dipole antenna?

A dipole one-quarter wavelength long
A type of ground-plane antenna
A dipole consisting of one wavelength of wire forming a very thin loop
A dipole configured to provide forward gain

E8B08:

What describes Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing?

A frequency modulation technique which uses non-harmonically related frequencies
A bandwidth compression technique using Fourier transforms
A digital mode for narrow band, slow speed transmissions
A digital modulation technique using subcarriers at frequencies chosen to avoid intersymbol interference

E1E07:

What should a VE do if a candidate fails to comply with the examiner's instructions during an amateur operator license examination?

Warn the candidate that continued failure to comply will result in termination of the examination
Immediately terminate the candidate's examination
Allow the candidate to complete the examination, but invalidate the results
Immediately terminate everyone's examination and close the session

E5D15:

What is the power factor of an R-L circuit having a 45 degree phase angle between the voltage and the current?

0.866
1.0
0.5
0.707

E6F13:

What is a liquid crystal display (LCD)?

A modern replacement for a quartz crystal oscillator which displays its fundamental frequency
A display utilizing a crystalline liquid and polarizing filters which becomes opaque when voltage is applied
A frequency-determining unit for a transmitter or receiver
A display that uses a glowing liquid to remain brightly lit in dim light

E0A03:

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?

Use a calibrated antenna analyzer
Use a hand calculator plus Smith-chart equations to calculate the fields
Use an antenna modeling program to calculate field strength at accessible locations
All of the choices are correct

E6E05:

Which of the following noise figure values is typical of a low-noise UHF preamplifier?

2 dB
-10 dB
44 dBm
-20 dBm

E9D13:

What usually occurs if a Yagi antenna is designed solely for maximum forward gain?

The front-to-back ratio increases
The front-to-back ratio decreases
The frequency response is widened over the whole frequency band
The SWR is reduced

E8D09:

What is considered a good minimum IMD level for an idling PSK signal?

+10 dB
+15 dB
-20 dB
-30 dB

E4C04:

How is the noise figure of a receiver defined?

The ratio of atmospheric noise to phase noise
The ratio of the noise bandwidth in Hertz to the theoretical bandwidth of a resistive network
The ratio of thermal noise to atmospheric noise
The ratio in dB of the noise generated by the receiver to the theoretical minimum noise

E9A12:

How much gain does an antenna have compared to a 1/2-wavelength dipole when it has 6 dB gain over an isotropic antenna?

3.85 dB
6.0 dB
8.15 dB
2.79 dB

E9G08:

What is the process of normalization with regard to a Smith chart?

Reassigning resistance values with regard to the reactance axis
Reassigning reactance values with regard to the resistance axis
Reassigning impedance values with regard to the prime center
Reassigning prime center with regard to the reactance axis

E9B06:

What is the elevation angle of peak response in the antenna radiation pattern shown in Figure E9-2?

45 degrees
75 degrees
7.5 degrees
25 degrees

E1A06:

Where must the carrier frequency of a CW signal be set to comply with FCC rules for 60 meter operation?

At the lowest frequency of the channel
At the center frequency of the channel
At the highest frequency of the channel
On any frequency where the signal's sidebands are within the channel

E1D11:

Which amateur stations are eligible to operate as Earth stations?

Any amateur station whose licensee has filed a pre-space notification with the FCC's International Bureau
Only those of General, Advanced or Amateur Extra Class operators
Only those of Amateur Extra Class operators
Any amateur station, subject to the privileges of the class of operator license held by the control operator

E7F01:

What is meant by direct digital conversion as applied to software defined radios?

Software is converted from source code to object code during operation of the receiver
Incoming RF is converted to a control voltage for a voltage controlled oscillator
Incoming RF is digitized by an analog-to-digital converter without being mixed with a local oscillator signal
A switching mixer is used to generate I and Q signals directly from the RF input

E6D12:

What is the definition of saturation in a ferrite core inductor?

The inductor windings are over coupled
The inductor's voltage rating is exceeded causing a flashover
The ability of the inductor's core to store magnetic energy has been exceeded
Adjacent inductors become over-coupled

E3A13:

Which emission mode is best for aurora propagation?

CW
SSB
FM
RTTY

E2B05:

Which of the following is an advantage of using vestigial sideband for standard fast- scan TV transmissions?

The vestigial sideband carries the audio information
The vestigial sideband contains chroma information
Vestigial sideband reduces bandwidth while allowing for simple video detector circuitry
Vestigial sideband provides high frequency emphasis to sharpen the picture

E2A09:

What do the terms L band and S band specify with regard to satellite communications?

The 23 centimeter and 13 centimeter bands
The 2 meter and 70 centimeter bands
FM and Digital Store-and-Forward systems
Which sideband to use

E7D06:

What is the purpose of Q1 in the circuit shown in Figure E7-3?

It provides negative feedback to improve regulation
It provides a constant load for the voltage source
It increases the current-handling capability of the regulator
It provides D1 with current

E5C02:

How are impedances described in polar coordinates?

By X and R values
By real and imaginary parts
By phase angle and amplitude
By Y and G values

E7H12:

Which of the following must be done to insure that a crystal oscillator provides the frequency specified by the crystal manufacturer?

Provide the crystal with a specified parallel inductance
Provide the crystal with a specified parallel capacitance
Bias the crystal at a specified voltage
Bias the crystal at a specified current

E4D06:

What is the term for unwanted signals generated by the mixing of two or more signals?

Amplifier desensitization
Neutralization
Adjacent channel interference
Intermodulation interference

E1B06:

Which of the following additional rules apply if you are installing an amateur station antenna at a site at or near a public use airport?

You may have to notify the Federal Aviation Administration and register it with the FCC as required by Part 17 of FCC rules
No special rules apply if your antenna structure will be less than 300 feet in height
You must file an Environmental Impact Statement with the EPA before construction begins
You must obtain a construction permit from the airport zoning authority

E3C03:

Which of the following signal paths is most likely to experience high levels of absorption when the A index or K index is elevated?

Transequatorial propagation
Polar paths
Sporadic-E
NVIS

E1C09:

Which of these ranges of frequencies is available for an automatically controlled repeater operating below 30 MHz?

18.110 MHz - 18.168 MHz
24.940 MHz - 24.990 MHz
10.100 MHz - 10.150 MHz
29.500 MHz - 29.700 MHz

E7B02:

What is a Class D amplifier?

A type of amplifier that uses switching technology to achieve high efficiency
A low power amplifier that uses a differential amplifier for improved linearity
An amplifier that uses drift-mode FETs for high efficiency
A frequency doubling amplifier