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Pre-Study Questions for General Upgrade Class
Welcome to your pre-study homework. For this class, we require you to read through the Gordon West General
Class text (the 2004-2007 question pool) and complete these few pages of study materials. Work on it a few
sections each day, until you’ve finished by class day. Then, in the classroom, we will review the more difficult
questions, actually demonstrate some of the more abstract principles and terms, and almost certainly empower
you to pass the FCC Element 3 exam—now the only requirement to upgrade to the General Class amateur radio
license. Morse code is no longer required to enter the exciting world of HF communications!
The Element 3 topics are admittedly more challenging than those covered by the Technician exam, so you will
need some time to digest the concepts and review the question pool. As you review each question, try to spot
something about the correct answer that you will recognize on the exam. We have arranged for volunteer
examiners to administer the FCC exam on the day following our class session. You are encouraged to take the
exam at this time. If you pass, you will go home with a CSCE that immediately empowers you to operate with
your General Class privileges. (Note: Beginning July 1, 2007, the Element 3 exams will cover a new, more
difficult question pool, so be sure to take and pass your exam before that date!)
The pre-study material in the following pages comes straight out of the Gordon West General Class text.
Completing this material is essential for a successful class experience. The questions in this pre-study guide
follow the exact order of concepts given in the book. Although these pre-study questions are really nothing like
the FCC exam, they will help to “pace” you as you read through the text, and prepare you for the classroom
sessions. Just as you’ve already experienced with the Technician Element 2 exam, the General Class Element 3
exam will also be a multiple choice exam with only 35 questions!
As Gordon explains in the text, every possible question you’ll see on the exam is covered in his text. However,
several questions have become out-of-date and, hence, eliminated, by recent changes in the FCC Rules and
regulations. The table below lists those eliminated questions. The key to absorbing all the remaining questions
in the pool is to take the time to read every question, but look only at the correct answer to that question.
This is very important! We recommend you buy a colored highlighter and highlight the correct answer as you
read it. Take a few seconds to read Gordon’s brief (and often entertaining!) explanation. He often includes tips
for remembering the correct answer. Use his tips, or come up with your own memory cues. But remember:
focus only on the correct answer! That’s the one you want to automatically recognize and select on exam day!
Later, skim each question and answer a second (and maybe even a third) time, and you’ll be almost certain to
remember it on test day!
Before starting, let’s reduce the pool of questions you must study…
Question
As a result of recent
G1A02
rule changes, you
G1A10
can—right now—cross
G1A03
out these 21 questions
G1A06
in your book because
G1D01
they will not appear on
G1D02
your exam:
G1D04
Page
Question
Page
Question
Page
35
35
36
37
39
39
40
G1D11
G1D12
G1B05
G1C01
G1C02
G1F02
G1F03
40
42
45
65
65
86
86
G1F04
G1F10
G1F11
G2F02
G8A06
G4B14
G5B11
87
87
87
93
99
104
117
Good luck and we’re looking forward to seeing you at the class—all ready to go!!
Your HOTARC 2007 Teaching Team
Pre-Study Questions for General Upgrade Class
What are my new privileges? (Pages 35-38)
1. General Class amateurs can transmit in the entire 160-meter band, from 18_ _ to 20_ _ kHz.
2.
General Class amateurs can transmit in the entire 30-meter band, from 10_ _ _ to 10_ _ _ kHz.
3.
General Class amateurs can transmit in the 20-meter band, from 140_ _ to 141_ _ kHz, and
142_ _ to 143_ _ kHz.
4.
General Class amateurs can transmit in the entire 17-meter band, from 18_ _ _ to 18 _ _ _ kHz.
5.
General Class amateurs can transmit in the entire 12-meter band, from 24_ _ _ to 24_ _ _ kHz.
6.
General Class amateurs can transmit in the entire 10-meter band, from 28_ _ _ to 29_ _ _ kHz.
Can a General Class amateur give ham exams? (Pages 39-40)
7.
How many VEs are required to test a Technician Class operator? ______________________________
8.
A Technician Class operator must pass Element ___________________________________________ .
Can I get on-the-air right away? (Pages 41-43)
9.
As a Technician with a CSCE for passing the General exam, you would
identify on 14.035 MHz (Morse code) with your call sign, a slant mark “/”, and __________________ .
10.
When you become a General, how must you ID when operating at a fellow Technician’s
station on the General HF bands? _______________________________________________________
11.
Is it necessary to log the call sign of a visiting amateur operator that talks on your station? __________
How do I stay on the straight and narrow? (Pages 44-48)
12.
The Amateur Auxiliary monitors the airwaves listening for __________________________________ .
13.
Fox Hunts give amateur operators practice at “RDF,” or radio ________________________________ .
14.
FCC rules allow amateurs to retransmit _________________ ____________________ communications.
15.
When may a secret code be used in amateur radio transmissions? ______________________________
16.
A station log would normally include
date and time of contact, radio frequency, and ____________________________________________ .
17.
A station that transmits one-way communications is known as a __________________________ station.
How do I operate on–the-air? (Pages 49-52)
18.
A station that retransmits signals on a
different channel (frequency) is known as a __________________________________________ station.
19.
If radio conditions change and you notice a distant station
is using the same frequency as you, you should ___________________________________________ .
20.
Single-sideband phone (voice) contacts should stay at least __________ kHz apart to avoid interference.
21.
A radio transmission that seriously degrades or interrupts
another’s communications is called _____________________________________________________ .
22.
A “band plan” is a __________________ guideline for using different operating _________________ .
HOTARC General Class Pre-Study Guide
May 2007
Pages 2 of 8
What the VOX? (Pages 53-55)
23.
VOX stands for Voice _______________________________________________________________ .
24.
What do you think an Electronic TR Switch does? __________________________________________
Why do I gotta share? (Pages 56-57)
25.
Amateur radio operators always avoid harmful ____________________________________________ .
26.
Amateur operators can only use abbreviations that do not ________________ the meaning of a message.
27.
Sending “AR” in Morse code means ____________________________________________________ .
Where in the world? (Pages 58-60)
28.
Europe is in ITU Region _____, the U.S. is in ITU Region _____, and Australia is in ITU Region _____.
29.
“ITU” stands for ____________________________________________________________________ .
How can I help? (Pages 61-64)
30.
If a station is heard to be in distress, you should always determine its __________________________ .
31.
In case of an emergency, what power and frequency
limitations must you observe in your transmissions? ________________________________________
32.
In case of a disaster, like a hurricane,
the FCC can declare a temporary _______________________________________________________ .
What’s my power limit? (Pages 65-68)
33.
In almost every band, the maximum transmitting
power a General Class license can use is _____________________________________________ watts.
34.
A change of “3 db” is a __________________-times increase (or decrease).
35.
A field strength meter will measure the RF energy coming from your __________________________ .
What about this new band? (Pages 69-70)
36.
On 60 meters, your signal’s maximum bandwidth should be ______________________________ kHz.
37.
Since we are secondary operators on 60 meters, we must never cause __________________________ .
Signals from heaven? (Pages 72-77)
38.
What does “MUF” stand for? __________________________________________________________
39.
Radio frequencies less than the MUF are usually ____________________________ by the atmosphere.
40.
Name the four atmospheric layers that are important to radio amateurs: _________________________
41.
Which layer absorbs (rather than reflects) most 160 m to 40 m signals during the daylight hours? _____
42.
The Sun makes a complete rotation every _________ days, so
favorable 24 MHz and 28 MHz propagation conditions usually repeat every _______ days..
43.
The highest layer is the ______ layer, and it gives us the longest bounce—almost ____________ miles.
Sunspots in your eyes? (Pages 78-80)
44.
The sunspot cycle is about _________ years long.
45.
High numbers of sunspots ______________ long-distance radio communications in upper HF bands.
HOTARC General Class Pre-Study Guide
May 2007
Pages 3 of 8
46.
Solar flux is a measure of _____________________________________________________________ .
Stormy weather? (Pages 81-85)
47.
The solar K-index measures geomagnetic ________________________________________________ .
48.
The solar _______-index is a daily average value of the ________-index.
49.
Sudden ionospheric disturbances make 160 m, 80 m, and 40 m perform very ____________________ .
50.
Ultraviolet radiation from the sun takes about ______ minutes to reach Earth.
Charged particles take about ________________________ hours to reach Earth.
51.
Geomagnetic disturbances can result in a visible _____________________
and impact radio propagation at latitudes above ________ degrees.
52.
HF signals scattered through several radio paths often sound _________________________________ .
Need a boost? (Pages 86-89)
53.
A power amplifier used in the amateur bands
below 144 MHz (2 meters) may require _________________________________________________ .
54.
The final stage of an amplifier must be tuned to eliminate self- _______________________________ .
55.
The amplifier oscillations are “neutralized” by introducing ___________________________ feedback.
Need some bytes? (Pages 90-95)
56.
The abbreviation “RTTY” stands for ____________________________________________________ .
57.
How far should you tune from an ongoing QSO before starting up a new RTTY contact? ________ Hz
58.
Why does a RTTY contact usually begin by sending “RYRYRY…”? ___________________________
59.
Sending data at faster rates requires _____________________________________________________ .
60.
PSK31 transmissions in the 20 meter band usually occur around __________________________ MHz.
61.
Permissible RTTY data rates vary from ________ bauds on 10 meters and below to ________ kilobauds
on 2 meters and above.
Can I ask what mode you’re in? (Pages 96-100)
62.
The most common voice emission mode used on the HF bands is _______________ , abbreviated SSB.
63.
The current practice is to use the lower sideband, abbreviated ______, on the lower HF frequencies,
that is, the _____-meter band and below. Conversely, the upper sideband, abbreviated ______, is used
on the upper HF frequencies, that is, on the _____-meter band and above.
64.
What radio mode varies the amplitude of the
transmitted signal to convey voice and data information? _____________________________________
Sound good on the air? (Pages 101-106)
65.
A speech processor makes your voice easier to understand at the _____________________________ .
66.
We adjust the microphone gain to see a ____________ movement of the Automatic Level Control
(ALC) meter. This prevents ________________ the modulation of the transmitter.
67.
An over-modulated signal sounds ___________________ and uses more _______________________ .
68.
The best instrument to see the quality of the RF output of a transmitter is an ____________________ .
HOTARC General Class Pre-Study Guide
May 2007
Pages 4 of 8
69.
To test how “true” your radio is at reproducing your voice, you can check its _____________________
with a two-tone test using two audio tones that are not _____________________________________ .
Superheterodyne? (Pages 107-108)
70.
In a radio receiver, the stage that combines
received signals with a stable oscillator signal is called a ____________________________________ .
71.
The receiver stage that sends SSB signals to the
audio frequency (AF) amplifier is called the ______________________________________________ .
Want to mix and multiply? (Pages 109-111)
72.
The radio mode that sends your voice by
changing the amplitude of the transmitted signal is called ___________________________________ .
73.
The radio mode that sends your voice by
changing the frequency of the transmitted signal is called ___________________________________ .
74.
The radio mode that sends your voice by
changing the phase of the transmitted signal is called _______________________________________ .
75.
In a radio transmitter, the stage that combines your voice signals
with an oscillator signal of desired frequency is called a ____________________________________ .
76.
We don’t use FM below 29.5 MHz because the signal __________________ would exceed FCC limits.
Watts up? (Pages 112-114)
77.
The formula for Peak Envelope Power (PEP)
given the peak voltage V and load resistance R is: _________________________________________ .
78.
Three formulas for electrical power P using the voltage V,
load resistance R, and current I are: _____________________________________________________ .
Volts new? (Pages 115-118)
79.
An input or “source” voltage is applied to the _________________________ windings of a transformer.
The output voltage is then seen across a load connected to ____________________________ windings.
80.
The ratios of the voltages (V), number of turns (N), and
impedances (Z) of the primary and secondary coils of a transformer are related:
81.
Draw a simple representation of a voltage sine wave, labeling
the peak voltage VPK, the peak-to-peak voltage VP-P, and the
RMS voltage VRMS.
82.
The relationship between the peak voltage VPK and the
RMS voltage VRMS is given by the formula: VRMS = _______  VPK
VP

VS

My resistor is bleeding! Should I be worried? (Pages 119-123)
83.
In a parallel circuit with many branches, the total current equals the ____________________________
of the currents in all the branches.
84.
A wire-wound resistor is usually not used in radio circuits
because such a resistor also has some ___________________________________________________ .
85.
The bleeder resistor in a power supply is there to discharge the _______________________________ .
HOTARC General Class Pre-Study Guide
May 2007
Pages 5 of 8
86.
The peak-inverse-voltage (PIV) rating of a power supply’s rectifier should be ____________________
times the peak output voltage.
87.
Draw a simple graph depicting the output of a full-wave rectifier circuit:
(Hint: See page 120.)
88.
Draw a simple graph depicting the output of a half-wave rectifier circuit:
(Hint: See pg 122.)
89.
Power supply filters are made using _________________________ and _______________________ .
90.
A diode is like a switch by allowing current when _______________-biased and blocking current when
____________-biased.
Capacity to know? (Pages 124-125)
91.
Surge suppressors in power supplies filter transient voltage spikes with a ________________ capacitor.
92.
One advantage of switching power supplies is that their transformers are _______________________ ,
_________________, and _______________________ compared to a typical linear power supply.
Getting connected? (Pages 126-130)
93.
Appliances using AWG number 12 wiring should be protected with a ________-amp fuse or circuit
breaker.
94.
You should not use your car’s cigarette lighter to power your 100-watt amateur radio,
but rather use a fused connection directly to ______________________________________________ .
95.
A single, well-illuminated solar cell is able to produce about _____________________________ volts.
96.
As with any gasoline-powered motor, safety is of utmost importance, including ___________________
(hazards of carbon monoxide exhaust), __________________________________ (hazards of incorrect
electrical connections), and __________________________________ (hazards from flammable fuel).
What causes that? (Pages 131-133)
97.
Just as resistance in resistors opposes DC, reactance in ________________ and __________________
opposes AC.
98.
Inductors are seen as large reactances by ______-frequency signals (and small reactances by lowfrequency signals). Conversely, capacitors are seen as large reactances by _________-frequency signals
(and small reactances by high-frequency signals).
Are we a match? (Pages 134-138)
99.
Radio operators strive to achieve matched impedances (for example, antenna impedance = transmitter
impedance) so that we can deliver ________________________________________ power to the load.
100.
The impedance of twin-line antenna cable is determined by ___________________________________
and ______________________________________________________________________________ .
101.
_________________________ cable typically has an impedance of 50 or 75 ohms.
102.
A noise-bridge can be used to find an unknown impedance by tuning it for _________________ noise.
Are you well-grounded and well-connected? (Pages 139-142)
103.
You can often eliminate reports of audio-frequency interference by installing ___________________ .
HOTARC General Class Pre-Study Guide
May 2007
Pages 6 of 8
104.
Interference from SSB usually sounds like _______________________________________________ ,
while interference from CW usually sounds like ___________________________________________ .
105.
Station ground wires should always be kept _______________________________________________
and connected to one _______________________________________.
Beam, quad, long-wire, or dipole? (Pages 143-151)
106.
When a horizontal dipole is mounted near the ground (rather than high), most of your signal goes
____________________________________, rather than towards the distant station.
107.
The shortest element on a Yagi antenna is known as the ____________________________________ ,
and is on the side of the boom that points __________________________________ the distant station.
108.
The longest element on a Yagi antenna is known as the _____________________________________ ,
and is on the side of the boom that points __________________________________ the distant station.
109.
What formula can you use to approximate the
length of the driven element for a Yagi antenna?
110.
The “front-to-back ratio” for an antenna design refers to a comparison of the _____________________
in the antenna’s forward direction compared to the opposite direction.
111.
A __________-element quad antenna has about the same performance as a ___________-element Yagi.
112.
While a Yagi’s driven element is about a half-wavelength long, a cubical quad’s driven element is about
a _____________-wavelength long.
113.
While a Yagi’s driven element has two “sides,” a cubical quad’s has ______________________ sides,
and a delta-loop has _____________________________________________________________ sides.
114.
An azimuthal-projection map helps determine the direction to aim you antenna for the _____________
_____________ between two points on the earth.
How do I get my signal from here to there? (Pages 152-156)
115.
The main disadvantage of a random-wire antenna is the likelihood of __________________________ .
116.
An antenna having the ideal SWR of 1:1 means the antenna impedance is _____________ when the
feedline impedance is 50 ohms, and __________________ power is reflected back to your radio.
117.
An antenna having an SWR of 2:1 means the antenna impedance is _____________ when the feedline
impedance is 50 ohms, and __________________ power is reflected back to your radio.
118.
What SWR will result from a 50-ohm feedline being fed
into an antenna having a 10-ohm feedpoint impedance? ______________________________________
119.
What type of coax connector is acceptable for use with UHF and microwave frequencies? __________
Watch out!! (Pages 157-160)
120.
Your body absorbs RF energy best in the range ______ to ______ MHz, but your eye is most easily
damaged by ______ MHz.
121.
“MPE” stands for ___________________________________________________________________ .
122.
“Duty cycle” is the percentage of time that your transmitter is ________________________________ .
123.
When your body absorbs RF energy, the result is it ________________________________________ .
HOTARC General Class Pre-Study Guide
May 2007
Pages 7 of 8
What does the FCC require for RF safety? (Pages 161-164)
124.
A “routine RF environmental evaluation” MUST be performed if your transmitter’s power and
frequencies used exceeds the limits stated in ______________________________________________ .
125.
Where multiple transmitters are located, stations contributing more than ________% of the MPE are
responsible for RF exposure evaluations.
126.
Routine RF environmental evaluations are
needed for HF stations that transmit more than __________ watts PEP on 40m, 80m, and 160m.
127.
As the wavelengths get shorter, the maximum permissible power
before a routine environmental evaluation is needed gets lower, until the _________-centimeter band,
at which point the maximum power begins to increase.
How far away should I stay? (Pages 165-168)
128.
Field strengths are ________________ proportional to the distance from the antenna. So, if the distance
from the antenna is three times as far, the field strength will be ________________________ as much.
129.
Power densities are ________________proportional to the square of the distance from the antenna. So,
if the distance from the antenna is three times as far, the power density will be ____________ as much.
130.
The electric and magnetic field strengths have a fixed impedance relationship of _____________ ohms.
131.
To accurately measure an RF field, you need a calibrated ____________with a calibrated __________ .
What makes sense around RF waves? (Pages 169-172)
132.
For the best RF safety, indoor- or attic-transmitting antennas
should be located as far as possible from _________________________________________________ .
133.
When working on an antenna, always be sure that no one can ________________________________ .
134.
If you mount your big vertical HF antenna on the ground,
what precaution should you take to ensure RF safety? _______________________________________
135.
For maximum RF safety, a high-gain, narrow-beam VHF antenna can be advantageous because
______________________________________________________________________________.
136.
You need to be especially careful with 1270 MHz RF energy
because this frequency is readily absorbed by _____________________________________________ .
Protect Thy Neighbor! (Pages 173-176)
137.
A high-gain, narrow-beam VHF antenna should be mounted __________________________________
as possible to avoid beaming RF energy at your neighbors.
138.
In residential areas, what is the simplest way to reduce
RF exposure to you, your neighbors, and pets? _____________________________________________
139.
For maximum RF safety, where is the
safest location for a vehicle-mounted antenna? _____________________________________________
140.
If your calculations indicate your neighbors are receiving more than the MPE from your antenna, you
can _____________________ your transmitter power or avoid pointing your antenna in their direction.
141.
A dummy load antenna does not radiate the RF energy, but simply converts it to _________________ .
142.
What material would be suitable for the outside housing of an antenna tuner? ____________________
143.
The tallest your antenna can be, and not require notifying the FAA and FCC, is _______________ feet.
HOTARC General Class Pre-Study Guide
May 2007
Pages 8 of 8