Technician Sample Questions

Questions from each subelement of the Technician pool. Pick an answer to see whether you're right, how everyone else did, and why.

Technician exam guide

T1 Commission’s rules

Which of the following VHF/UHF band segments are limited to CW only?

  1. 50.0 MHz to 50.1 MHz and 144.0 MHz to 144.1 MHz
  2. 219 MHz to 220 MHz and 420.0 MHz to 420.1 MHz
  3. 902.0 MHz to 902.1 MHz
  4. All these choices are correct

Answer: A, 50.0 MHz to 50.1 MHz and 144.0 MHz to 144.1 MHz. Under the Section 97.305(c) emission table, the bottom 100 kHz of the 6 m band (50.0-50.1 MHz) and of the 2 m band (144.0-144.1 MHz) are reserved for CW only. Phone and data start above those slices, at 50.1 MHz and 144.1 MHz. These CW-only slices sit where weak-signal operators listen for faint signals, such as moonbounce and meteor scatter.

Under which of the following circumstances are one-way transmissions by an amateur station prohibited?

  1. International Morse Code Practice
  2. Announcements of upcoming ham radio operating events
  3. Telecommand or transmissions of telemetry
  4. Broadcasting

Answer: D, Broadcasting. Section 97.113(b) says an amateur station shall not engage in any form of broadcasting, meaning transmissions intended for reception by the general public. One-way transmissions are allowed only where Part 97 specifically permits them. Section 97.111(b) lists the permitted kinds, including station adjustments, telecommand, telemetry, Morse code practice and information bulletins aimed at amateurs.

When may an amateur station transmit without a control operator?

  1. When the transmitting station is an auxiliary station
  2. When using automatic control, such as in the case of a repeater
  3. Never
  4. When the station licensee is away and another licensed amateur is using the station

Answer: C, Never. Section 97.7 says that when transmitting, each amateur station must have a control operator. That person must appear in the ULS licensee database or hold reciprocal authority. There are no exceptions. Even under automatic control a control operator is still responsible; Section 97.109(d) only lets that person be away from the control point.

T2 Operating procedures

What term describes an amateur station that is transmitting and receiving on the same frequency?

  1. Multiplex
  2. Diplex
  3. Simplex
  4. Full duplex

Answer: C, Simplex. Simplex means a station transmits and receives on the same frequency, taking turns, with no repeater in between. Direct station-to-station FM contacts on 146.52 MHz, the national 2 m simplex calling frequency, are a common example. Repeater operation, by contrast, uses separate input and output frequencies.

What type of signaling to a repeater uses two simultaneous audio tones?

  1. CTCSS
  2. D-STAR
  3. DTMF
  4. GMRS

Answer: C, DTMF. DTMF (Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency) is the touch-tone system: each keypad button sends two audio tones at the same time, one from a low-frequency group and one from a high-frequency group. Repeaters use DTMF sequences for control functions, autopatch, and linking commands such as connecting to a node.

What does the term “traffic” refer to in net operation?

  1. Formal messages exchanged by net stations
  2. Operation by mobile or portable stations
  3. The number of stations checking in and out of a net
  4. A count of the number of activations of the net each month

Answer: A, Formal messages exchanged by net stations. In net operation, "traffic" means formal messages that are passed from station to station. They are usually written in a standard format with a preamble, address, text and signature, such as the ARRL radiogram. Traffic nets exist to relay these messages accurately toward their destination.

T3 Radio wave propagation

Which region of the atmosphere can reflect HF radio waves?

  1. The stratosphere
  2. The ionosphere
  3. The electrosphere
  4. The troposphere

Answer: B, The ionosphere. The ionosphere is the upper region of the atmosphere, from about 50 km to several hundred kilometers up, where solar ultraviolet radiation ionizes the gas. Its free electrons bend HF waves back toward Earth, usually called reflection, which allows skip over thousands of kilometers. Daytime ionization favors the higher HF bands; lower bands often reach farther at night.

What is the relationship between wavelength and frequency?

  1. Wavelength is constant at all frequencies
  2. Wavelength gets longer as frequency increases
  3. Wavelength and frequency increase as path length increases
  4. Wavelength gets shorter as frequency increases

Answer: D, Wavelength gets shorter as frequency increases. Wavelength and frequency are inversely related because their product is always the speed of light: c = f x λ. If frequency goes up, wavelength must go down by the same factor. For example, 3.5 MHz has a wavelength of about 86 m, while 146 MHz has a wavelength of about 2 m.

Which of the following types of propagation is most commonly associated with occasional strong signals on the 10-, 6-, and 2-meter bands from beyond the radio horizon?

  1. D region absorption
  2. Backscatter
  3. Sporadic E
  4. Gray-line propagation

Answer: C, Sporadic E. Sporadic E forms when patches of dense ionization appear without warning in the ionosphere's E region. These patches can reflect 10 m, 6 m, and sometimes 2 m signals. Typical paths run about 500 to 1,500 miles, well past the radio horizon. The openings can produce very strong signals that appear and vanish quickly, most often in late spring and summer.

T4 Amateur radio practices

Which of the following is one of the connections required between a computer and a transceiver to operate digital modes?

  1. Computer “line in” to transceiver speaker connector
  2. Computer “line out” to transceiver push-to-talk
  3. Computer “line in” to transceiver push-to-talk
  4. Computer “line out” to transceiver speaker connector

Answer: A, Computer “line in” to transceiver speaker connector. Received audio comes out of the transceiver's speaker or data-out jack. It must go into the computer's line in so the software can decode it. The signal flow runs the other way for transmit: the computer's line out feeds the radio's mic or data input. PTT is a separate keying circuit, not an audio line.

Which of the following conductors is preferred for bonding at RF?

  1. Twisted-pair cable
  2. Copper-clad steel wire
  3. Flat copper strap
  4. Copper braid removed from coaxial cable

Answer: C, Flat copper strap. At RF, current flows on a conductor's surface (skin effect), and even short bonding leads have inductance that raises their impedance. A wide, flat copper strap has a large surface area and low inductance, so it keeps equipment at the same RF potential. That reduces RF in the shack, hum and stray voltages better than round wire of similar weight.

What is a DMR “code plug”?

  1. An upgrade to DMR programming software provided by the radio manufacturer to accommodate new radio models
  2. A Coder-Decoder (CODEC) that converts analog voice data to DMR digital data and vice versa
  3. An adapter cable used to connect a DMR radio to a computer for internet access
  4. Configuration data loaded onto your radio to access repeaters and talkgroups

Answer: D, Configuration data loaded onto your radio to access repeaters and talkgroups. A DMR code plug is the configuration file you build in the manufacturer's programming software (CPS) and write into the radio. It holds channels, frequencies, color codes, time slots, talkgroup IDs, contact lists and your DMR ID. Without one, a DMR radio can't reach repeaters or talkgroups. The name comes from old commercial radios that used physical plug-in modules, but today it is just data.

T5 Electrical principles

Which term describes the rate at which electrical energy is used?

  1. Current
  2. Resistance
  3. Power
  4. Voltage

Answer: C, Power. Power is the rate at which electrical energy is used or delivered. It is measured in watts, where 1 W equals 1 joule per second. In a circuit, P = E x I. For example, a 13.8 V radio drawing 2 A uses 13.8 V x 2 A = 27.6 W. Transmitter output is also rated in watts.

Which is equal to 1,000,000 picofarads?

  1. 1 microfarad
  2. 0.001 microfarads
  3. 1,000,000,000 microfarads
  4. 1000 microfarads

Answer: A, 1 microfarad. Pico means 10^-12 and micro means 10^-6, so the two prefixes differ by a factor of 10^6, a million. That means 1 µF = 1,000,000 pF. Dividing 1,000,000 pF by 1,000,000 gives 1 µF.

What is the resistance of a circuit that draws 4 amperes from a 12-volt source?

  1. 16 ohms
  2. 8 ohms
  3. 3 ohms
  4. 48 ohms

Answer: C, 3 ohms. Use R = E / I. R = 12 V / 4 A = 3 Ω. Check it: 4 A x 3 Ω = 12 V, which matches the source voltage.

T6 Electronic and electrical components

Which of the following battery chemistries is not rechargeable?

  1. Lead-acid
  2. Nickel-cadmium
  3. Lithium-ion
  4. Carbon-zinc

Answer: D, Carbon-zinc. Carbon-zinc cells are primary cells, meant to be used once and then discarded. Their chemical reaction is not designed to be reversed. Trying to recharge them can cause leakage or rupture. The other listed chemistries are secondary cells that are made to be recharged many times.

Which of the following can provide power gain?

  1. Resistor
  2. Reactor
  3. Transformer
  4. Transistor

Answer: D, Transistor. A transistor can deliver more signal power at its output than it receives at its input. A small input current or voltage controls a much larger flow of power drawn from the DC supply, and that controlled flow is what makes amplification possible. Passive parts such as transformers, inductors and resistors can only pass, store or dissipate the power they are given, so they never add power.

What is a relay?

  1. An electrically-controlled switch
  2. A current-controlled amplifier
  3. An inverting amplifier
  4. A pass transistor

Answer: A, An electrically-controlled switch. A relay is a switch operated by electricity. Current through its coil creates a magnetic field that moves the contacts open or closed. This lets a small control signal switch a separate, often larger, circuit, such as for transmit/receive switching or remote antenna selection.

T7 Practical circuits

What can be added to the output of a transceiver to increase the transmitted output power?

  1. A potentiometer
  2. An RF power amplifier
  3. An impedance multiplier
  4. All these choices are correct

Answer: B, An RF power amplifier. An RF power amplifier takes the transceiver's modest output, for example 100 W from an HF rig, and boosts it to a higher level before it goes to the antenna. It connects between the transceiver output and the feed line, and it must be built for the frequencies and modes in use. Other passive devices cannot add power. They can only pass it on, transform it, or waste some of it as heat.

What might be a problem if you receive a report that your audio signal through an FM repeater is distorted or unintelligible?

  1. Your transmitter is slightly off frequency
  2. You are speaking too loudly or too close to the microphone
  3. You are in a bad location
  4. All these choices are correct

Answer: D, All these choices are correct. Each of these can garble FM audio through a repeater. A transmitter slightly off frequency puts part of your signal outside the repeater's receiver passband. Speaking too loudly or too close to the mic causes overdeviation, which sounds distorted and clipped. A poor location produces weak signals and multipath flutter (picket-fencing), which cut up your audio.

What reading on an SWR meter indicates a perfect impedance match between the antenna and the feed line?

  1. 50:50
  2. Full Scale
  3. 1:1
  4. Zero

Answer: C, 1:1. SWR (standing wave ratio) compares the maximum to the minimum voltage along a feed line. With a perfect match there is no reflected power, so voltage is the same everywhere along the line and the ratio is 1:1. Any mismatch raises the reading above 1:1, for example 1.5:1 or 3:1.

T8 Signals and emissions

Which sideband is normally used for 10-meter HF, VHF, and UHF single-sideband communications?

  1. Lower sideband
  2. Suppressed sideband
  3. Upper sideband
  4. Inverted sideband

Answer: C, Upper sideband. By long-standing convention, amateurs use upper sideband on 10 m (and other bands above about 10 MHz), VHF and UHF. Lower sideband is the convention on 160, 80 and 40 m. 60 m is an exception, where USB is used. Following the convention matters because a station on the wrong sideband sounds garbled and is hard to copy.

What mode of transmission is commonly used by amateur radio satellites?

  1. SSB
  2. FM
  3. CW/data
  4. All these choices are correct

Answer: D, All these choices are correct. Amateur satellites use a range of modes. Single-channel FM satellites work much like a repeater in orbit and suit simple handheld stations. Linear transponders relay a slice of spectrum, carrying SSB and CW contacts. Many satellites also send CW or data beacons and telemetry, and some offer packet or other digital services. All three modes are in regular use.

Which of the following is an application of APRS?

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

Answer: A, Providing real-time tactical digital communications in conjunction with a map showing the locations of stations. APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) sends short packet bursts, usually on 144.39 MHz in the US, that carry a station's position, status, weather data or short messages. Software plots these reports on a map, giving real-time tactical awareness of where stations are. This is why APRS is popular for public service events, tracking vehicles and balloons, and emergency work.

T9 Antennas and feed lines

Which of the following describes a type of antenna loading?

  1. Installing a spring in the base of a mobile vertical antenna to make it more flexible
  2. Strengthening the radiating elements of a beam antenna to better resist wind damage
  3. Electrically lengthening by inserting inductors in radiating elements
  4. Inserting a resistor in the radiating portion of the antenna to make it resonant

Answer: C, Electrically lengthening by inserting inductors in radiating elements. Loading means adding components so a physically short antenna resonates as if it were longer. A series inductor (loading coil) in a radiating element adds inductive reactance. That cancels the capacitive reactance of the too-short element and lowers its resonant frequency. Base-, center-, and top-loaded mobile whips all work this way.

In which direction does a half-wave dipole antenna radiate the strongest signal?

  1. Equally in all directions
  2. In the direction of the feed line
  3. Off the ends of the antenna
  4. Broadside to the antenna

Answer: D, Broadside to the antenna. A half-wave dipole has a figure-8 pattern when viewed from above. Maximum radiation is broadside, at right angles to the wire, and there are deep nulls off the ends. A horizontal dipole strung east-west therefore favors stations to the north and south.

What can cause erratic changes in SWR?

  1. Over-modulation
  2. Overload from a strong local station
  3. Loose connection in the antenna or feed line
  4. Local thunderstorm

Answer: C, Loose connection in the antenna or feed line. An SWR reading that jumps around usually means something in the antenna system is making and breaking contact. Common culprits are a loose connector, a corroded joint or a broken conductor that moves in the wind. A real mismatch gives a steady reading, so an erratic one points to an intermittent connection that needs to be found and fixed.

T0 Safety

Which of the following is a safety hazard of a 12-volt storage battery that lacks internal protection circuitry?

  1. Touching both terminals with your hands can cause electrical shock
  2. Shorting the terminals can cause burns, fire, or an explosion
  3. RF emissions from a nearby transmitter can cause the electrolyte to emit poison gas
  4. All these choices are correct

Answer: B, Shorting the terminals can cause burns, fire, or an explosion. A 12 V storage battery can deliver hundreds of amperes into a very low resistance. If a wrench, ring or loose wire shorts the terminals, that current heats the metal fast enough to cause burns or start a fire. Lead-acid cells also give off hydrogen, which a spark can ignite, so the battery can explode. Without protection circuitry, nothing in the battery limits or interrupts that fault current.

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

  1. When the work being done is not more than 20 feet above the ground
  2. When no electrical work is being performed
  3. When no mechanical work is being performed
  4. Never

Answer: D, Never. You should never climb a tower alone. A helper on the ground can call for emergency help if you fall, get stuck or become ill. They can also send up tools, keep people out of the drop zone and watch for hazards you can't see. Accidents and medical problems can happen on any climb, whatever the height or the task, so an observer is always needed.

How does RF radiation differ from ionizing radiation (radioactivity)?

  1. RF radiation is perfectly safe
  2. RF radiation can only be detected with an RF dosimeter
  3. RF radiation is limited in range to a few feet
  4. RF radiation does not have sufficient energy to cause chemical changes in cells and damage DNA

Answer: D, RF radiation does not have sufficient energy to cause chemical changes in cells and damage DNA. Ionizing radiation, such as X-rays, gamma rays and radioactivity, carries enough energy per photon to knock electrons from atoms. That can break chemical bonds and damage DNA. RF photons have far too little energy to do this. The main known RF hazard is heating of body tissue, which is why exposure limits focus on power density, frequency and time.