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!

E5B07:

What is the phase angle between the voltage across and the current through a series RLC circuit if XC is 500 ohms, R is 1 kilohm, and XL is 250 ohms?

68.2 degrees with the voltage leading the current
14.0 degrees with the voltage leading the current
14.0 degrees with the voltage lagging the current
68.2 degrees with the voltage lagging the current

E9C12:

Which of the following describes an extended double Zepp antenna?

A wideband vertical antenna constructed from precisely tapered aluminum tubing
A portable antenna erected using two push support poles
A center fed 1.25 wavelength antenna (two 5/8 wave elements in phase)
An end fed folded dipole antenna

E9E10:

Which of these choices is an effective way to match an antenna with a 100 ohm feed point impedance to a 50 ohm coaxial cable feed line?

Connect a 1/4-wavelength open stub of 300 ohm twin-lead in parallel with the coaxial feed line where it connects to the antenna
Insert a 1/2 wavelength piece of 300 ohm twin-lead in series between the antenna terminals and the 50 ohm feed cable
Insert a 1/4-wavelength piece of 75 ohm coaxial cable transmission line in series between the antenna terminals and the 50 ohm feed cable
Connect 1/2 wavelength shorted stub of 75 ohm cable in parallel with the 50 ohm cable where it attaches to the antenna

E7F12:

What digital process is applied to I and Q signals in order to recover the baseband modulation information?

Fast Fourier Transform
Decimation
Signal conditioning
Quadrature mixing

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

E9B03:

In the antenna radiation pattern shown in Figure E9-1, what is the front-to-side ratio?

12 dB
14 dB
18 dB
24 dB

E4A05:

What might be an advantage of a digital vs an analog oscilloscope?

Automatic amplitude and frequency numerical readout
Storage of traces for future reference
Manipulation of time base after trace capture
All of these choices are correct

E1A03:

With your transceiver displaying the carrier frequency of phone signals, you hear a station calling CQ on 14.349 MHz USB. Is it legal to return the call using upper sideband on the same frequency?

Yes, because you were not the station calling CQ
Yes, because the displayed frequency is within the 20 meter band
No, the sideband will extend beyond the band edge
No, U.S. stations are not permitted to use phone emissions above 14.340 MHz

E5C04:

Which of the following represents a capacitive reactance in polar coordinates?

A positive real part
A negative real part
A positive phase angle
A negative phase angle

E5D13:

How much power is consumed in a circuit consisting of a 100 ohm resistor in series with a 100 ohm inductive reactance drawing 1 ampere?

70.7 Watts
100 Watts
141.4 Watts
200 Watts

E9G10:

What do the arcs on a Smith chart represent?

Frequency
SWR
Points with constant resistance
Points with constant reactance

E5A16:

What is the resonant frequency of a parallel RLC circuit if R is 33 ohms, L is 50 microhenrys and C is 10 picofarads?

23.5 MHz
23.5 kHz
7.12 kHz
7.12 MHz

E2C06:

During a VHF/UHF contest, in which band segment would you expect to find the highest level of activity?

At the top of each band, usually in a segment reserved for contests
In the middle of each band, usually on the national calling frequency
In the weak signal segment of the band, with most of the activity near the calling frequency
In the middle of the band, usually 25 kHz above the national calling frequency

E7D09:

What is the main reason to use a charge controller with a solar power system?

Prevention of battery undercharge
Control of electrolyte levels during battery discharge
Prevention of battery damage due to overcharge
Matching of day and night charge rates

E6C14:

What is the primary advantage of using a Programmable Gate Array (PGA) in a logic circuit?

Many similar gates are less expensive than a mixture of gate types
Complex logic functions can be created in a single integrated circuit
A PGA contains its own internal power supply
All of these choices are correct

E7B13:

In Figure E7-2, what is the purpose of R?

Emitter load
Fixed bias
Collector load
Voltage regulation

E7C09:

What is a Jones filter as used as part of an HF receiver IF stage?

An automatic notch filter
A variable bandwidth crystal lattice filter
A special filter that emphasizes image responses
A filter that removes impulse noise

E7E06:

Why is de-emphasis commonly used in FM communications receivers?

For compatibility with transmitters using phase modulation
To reduce impulse noise reception
For higher efficiency
To remove third-order distortion products

E4E04:

How can conducted and radiated noise caused by an automobile alternator be suppressed?

By installing filter capacitors in series with the DC power lead and a blocking capacitor in the field lead
By installing a noise suppression resistor and a blocking capacitor in both leads
By installing a high-pass filter in series with the radio's power lead and a low-pass filter in parallel with the field lead
By connecting the radio's power leads directly to the battery and by installing coaxial capacitors in line with the alternator leads

E3A08:

When a meteor strikes the Earth's atmosphere, a cylindrical region of free electrons is formed at what layer of the ionosphere?

The E layer
The F1 layer
The F2 layer
The D layer

E4B15:

Which of the following can be used as a relative measurement of the Q for a series-tuned circuit?

The inductance to capacitance ratio
The frequency shift
The bandwidth of the circuit's frequency response
The resonant frequency of the circuit

E7A04:

How many flip-flops are required to divide a signal frequency by 4?

1
2
4
8

E8B09:

What is meant by deviation ratio?

The ratio of the audio modulating frequency to the center carrier frequency
The ratio of the maximum carrier frequency deviation to the highest audio modulating frequency
The ratio of the carrier center frequency to the audio modulating frequency
The ratio of the highest audio modulating frequency to the average audio modulating frequency

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

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

E9F03:

Why is the physical length of a coaxial cable transmission line shorter than its electrical length?

Skin effect is less pronounced in the coaxial cable
The characteristic impedance is higher in a parallel feed line
The surge impedance is higher in a parallel feed line
Electrical signals move more slowly in a coaxial cable than in air

E7H09:

What type of frequency synthesizer circuit uses a phase accumulator, lookup table, digital to analog converter, and a low-pass anti-alias filter?

A direct digital synthesizer
A hybrid synthesizer
A phase locked loop synthesizer
A diode-switching matrix synthesizer

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

E9H04:

What is an advantage of using a shielded loop antenna for direction finding?

It automatically cancels ignition noise in mobile installations
It is electro statically balanced against ground, giving better nulls
It eliminates tracking errors caused by strong out-of-band signals
It allows stations to communicate without giving away their position

E8C08:

How does ARQ accomplish error correction?

Special binary codes provide automatic correction
Special polynomial codes provide automatic correction
If errors are detected, redundant data is substituted
If errors are detected, a retransmission is requested

E7G06:

Which of the following is the most appropriate use of an op-amp active filter?

As a high-pass filter used to block RFI at the input to receivers
As a low-pass filter used between a transmitter and a transmission line
For smoothing power supply output
As an audio filter in a receiver

E1C05:

When may an automatically controlled station originate third party communications?

Never
Only when transmitting RTTY or data emissions
When agreed upon by the sending or receiving station
When approved by the National Telecommunication and Information Administration

E3C11:

What does VOACAP software model?

AC voltage and impedance
VHF radio propagation
HF propagation
AC current and impedance

E2E06:

What is the most common data rate used for HF packet?

48 baud
110 baud
300 baud
1200 baud

E1D01:

What is the definition of the term telemetry?

One-way transmission of measurements at a distance from the measuring instrument
Two-way radiotelephone transmissions in excess of 1000 feet
Two-way single channel transmissions of data
One-way transmission that initiates, modifies, or terminates the functions of a device at a distance

E6E04:

Which is the most common input and output impedance of circuits that use MMICs?

50 ohms
300 ohms
450 ohms
10 ohms

E6D02:

What is the equivalent circuit of a quartz crystal?

Motional capacitance, motional inductance, and loss resistance in series, all in parallel with a shunt capacitor representing electrode and stray capacitance
Motional capacitance, motional inductance, loss resistance, and a capacitor representing electrode and stray capacitance all in parallel
Motional capacitance, motional inductance, loss resistance, and a capacitor representing electrode and stray capacitance all in series
Motional inductance and loss resistance in series, paralleled with motional capacitance and a capacitor representing electrode and stray capacitance

E8A09:

How many levels can an analog-to-digital converter with 8 bit resolution encode?

8
8 multiplied by the gain of the input amplifier
256 divided by the gain of the input amplifier
256

E6B06:

Which of the following is a common use of a hot-carrier diode?

As balanced mixers in FM generation
As a variable capacitance in an automatic frequency control circuit
As a constant voltage reference in a power supply
As a VHF/UHF mixer or detector

E8D06:

Which of the following indicates likely overmodulation of an AFSK signal such as PSK or MFSK?

High reflected power
Strong ALC action
Harmonics on higher bands
Rapid signal fading

E2B09:

What hardware, other than a receiver with SSB capability and a suitable computer, is needed to decode SSTV using Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM)?

A special IF converter
A special front end limiter
A special notch filter to remove synchronization pulses
No other hardware is needed

E1E03:

What is a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator?

A person who has volunteered to administer amateur operator license examinations
A person who has volunteered to prepare amateur operator license examinations
An organization that has entered into an agreement with the FCC to coordinate amateur operator license examinations
The person who has entered into an agreement with the FCC to be the VE session manager

E4D04:

Which of the following may reduce or eliminate intermodulation interference in a repeater caused by another transmitter operating in close proximity?

A band-pass filter in the feed line between the transmitter and receiver
A properly terminated circulator at the output of the transmitter
A Class C final amplifier
A Class D final amplifier

E0A07:

How may dangerous levels of carbon monoxide from an emergency generator be detected?

By the odor
Only with a carbon monoxide detector
Any ordinary smoke detector can be used
By the yellowish appearance of the gas

E2D09:

Which of these digital modes has the fastest data throughput under clear communication conditions?

AMTOR
170 Hz shift, 45 baud RTTY
PSK31
300 baud packet

E3B12:

What is the primary characteristic of chordal hop propagation?

Propagation away from the great circle bearing between stations
Successive ionospheric reflections without an intermediate reflection from the ground
Propagation across the geomagnetic equator
Signals reflected back toward the transmitting station

E4C13:

How does a narrow-band roofing filter affect receiver performance?

It improves sensitivity by reducing front end noise
It improves intelligibility by using low Q circuitry to reduce ringing
It improves dynamic range by attenuating strong signals near the receive frequency
All of these choices are correct

E6A07:

Which of the following indicates that a silicon NPN junction transistor is biased on?

Base-to-emitter resistance of approximately 6 to 7 ohms
Base-to-emitter resistance of approximately 0.6 to 0.7 ohms
Base-to-emitter voltage of approximately 6 to 7 volts
Base-to-emitter voltage of approximately 0.6 to 0.7 volts

E6F06:

Which of these materials is affected the most by photoconductivity?

A crystalline semiconductor
An ordinary metal
A heavy metal
A liquid semiconductor

E2A14:

What technology is used to track, in real time, balloons carrying amateur radio transmitters?

Radar
Bandwidth compressed LORAN
APRS
Doppler shift of beacon signals