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!

G5B01:

What dB change represents a factor of two increase or decrease in power?

Approximately 2 dB
Approximately 3 dB
Approximately 6 dB
Approximately 12 dB

G1D09:

How long is a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) valid for exam element credit?

30 days
180 days
365 days
For as long as your current license is valid

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

G1B03:

Which of the following is a purpose of a beacon station as identified in the FCC rules?

Observation of propagation and reception
Automatic identification of repeaters
Transmission of bulletins of general interest to Amateur Radio licensees
Identifying net frequencies

G2B03:

What is good amateur practice if propagation changes during a contact and you notice interference from other stations on the frequency?

Tell the interfering stations to change frequency
Report the interference to your local Amateur Auxiliary Coordinator
Attempt to resolve the interference problem with the other stations in a mutually acceptable manner
Increase power to overcome interference

G9B02:

Which of the following is a common way to adjust the feed-point impedance of a quarter wave ground-plane vertical antenna to be approximately 50 ohms?

Slope the radials upward
Slope the radials downward
Lengthen the radials
Shorten the radials

G9D08:

How does a "screwdriver" mobile antenna adjust its feed-point impedance?

By varying its body capacitance
By varying the base loading inductance
By extending and retracting the whip
By deploying a capacitance hat

G6B06:

What kind of device is an integrated circuit operational amplifier?

Digital
MMIC
Programmable Logic
Analog

G4D02:

Which of the following describes how a speech processor affects a transmitted single sideband phone signal?

It increases peak power
It increases average power
It reduces harmonic distortion
It reduces intermodulation distortion

G5A03:

Which of the following causes opposition to the flow of alternating current in an inductor?

Conductance
Reluctance
Admittance
Reactance

G9C06:

What configuration of the loops of a two-element quad antenna must be used for the antenna to operate as a beam antenna, assuming one of the elements is used as a reflector?

The driven element must be fed with a balun transformer
There must be an open circuit in the driven element at the point opposite the feed point
The reflector element must be approximately 5 percent shorter than the driven element
The reflector element must be approximately 5 percent longer than the driven element

G2A07:

Which of the following statements is true of the single sideband voice mode?

Only one sideband and the carrier are transmitted; the other sideband is suppressed
Only one sideband is transmitted; the other sideband and carrier are suppressed
SSB is the only voice mode that is authorized on the 20-meter, 15-meter, and 10-meter amateur bands
SSB is the only voice mode that is authorized on the 160-meter, 75-meter, and 40-meter amateur bands

G8A07:

Which of the following phone emissions uses the narrowest bandwidth?

Single sideband
Double sideband
Phase modulation
Frequency modulation

G3A11:

How long does it take charged particles from coronal mass ejections to affect radio propagation on Earth?

28 days
14 days
4 to 8 minutes
20 to 40 hours

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

G0A07:

What effect does transmitter duty cycle have when evaluating RF exposure?

A lower transmitter duty cycle permits greater short-term exposure levels
A higher transmitter duty cycle permits greater short-term exposure levels
Low duty cycle transmitters are exempt from RF exposure evaluation requirements
High duty cycle transmitters are exempt from RF exposure requirements

G3C03:

Why is the F2 region mainly responsible for the longest distance radio wave propagation?

Because it is the densest ionospheric layer
Because of the Doppler effect
Because it is the highest ionospheric region
Because of meteor trails at that level

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

G0B11:

Which of the following is good practice for lightning protection grounds?

They must be bonded to all buried water and gas lines
Bends in ground wires must be made as close as possible to a right angle
Lightning grounds must be connected to all ungrounded wiring
They must be bonded together with all other grounds

G4B10:

Which of the following can be determined with a directional wattmeter?

Standing wave ratio
Antenna front-to-back ratio
RF interference
Radio wave propagation

G2C05:

What is the best speed to use when answering a CQ in Morse code?

The fastest speed at which you are comfortable copying, but no slower than the CQ
The fastest speed at which you are comfortable copying, but no faster than the CQ
At the standard calling speed of 10 wpm
At the standard calling speed of 5 wpm

G2E05:

What is the standard sideband used to generate a JT65, JT9, or FT8 digital signal when using AFSK in any amateur band?

LSB
USB
DSB
SSB

G1C04:

Which of the following limitations apply to transmitter power on every amateur band?

Only the minimum power necessary to carry out the desired communications should be used
Power must be limited to 200 watts when using data transmissions
Power should be limited as necessary to avoid interference to another radio service on the frequency
Effective radiated power cannot exceed 1500 watts

G5C02:

What happens if a signal is applied to the secondary winding of a 4:1 voltage step-down transformer instead of the primary winding?

The output voltage is multiplied by 4
The output voltage is divided by 4
Additional resistance must be added in series with the primary to prevent overload
Additional resistance must be added in parallel with the secondary to prevent overload

G7B02:

Which of these classes of amplifiers has the highest efficiency?

Class A
Class B
Class AB
Class C

G4C05:

What might be the problem if you receive an RF burn when touching your equipment while transmitting on an HF band, assuming the equipment is connected to a ground rod?

Flat braid rather than round wire has been used for the ground wire
Insulated wire has been used for the ground wire
The ground rod is resonant
The ground wire has high impedance on that frequency

G4A08:

What is the correct adjustment for the load or coupling control of a vacuum tube RF power amplifier?

Minimum SWR on the antenna
Minimum plate current without exceeding maximum allowable grid current
Highest plate voltage while minimizing grid current
Maximum power output without exceeding maximum allowable plate current

G3B03:

Which of the following applies when selecting a frequency for lowest attenuation when transmitting on HF?

Select a frequency just below the MUF
Select a frequency just above the LUF
Select a frequency just below the critical frequency
Select a frequency just above the critical frequency

G7A11:

Which symbol in figure G7-1 represents an NPN junction transistor?

Symbol 1
Symbol 2
Symbol 7
Symbol 11

G7C16:

Which of the following is a typical application for a Direct Digital Synthesizer?

A high-stability variable frequency oscillator in a transceiver
A digital voltmeter
A digital mode interface between a computer and a transceiver
A high-sensitivity radio direction finder

G1A05:

Which of the following frequencies is in the General class portion of the 40-meter band in ITU Region 2?

7.250 MHz
7.500 MHz
40.200 MHz
40.500 MHz

G8B10:

What is the relationship between transmitted symbol rate and bandwidth?

Symbol rate and bandwidth are not related
Higher symbol rates require wider bandwidth
Lower symbol rates require wider bandwidth
Bandwidth is always half the symbol rate

G1E05:

What types of messages for a third party in another country may be transmitted by an amateur station?

Any message, as long as the amateur operator is not paid
Only messages for other licensed amateurs
Only messages relating to Amateur Radio or remarks of a personal character, or messages relating to emergencies or disaster relief
Any messages, as long as the text of the message is recorded in the station log

G2D05:

Which of the following is a good way to indicate on a clear frequency in the HF phone bands that you are looking for a contact with any station?

Sign your call sign once, followed by the words "listening for a call" - if no answer, change frequency and repeat
Say "QTC" followed by "this is" and your call sign - if no answer, change frequency and repeat
Repeat "CQ" a few times, followed by "this is," then your call sign a few times, then pause to listen, repeat as necessary
Transmit an unmodulated carried for approximately 10 seconds, followed by "this is" and your call sign, and pause to listen - repeat as necessary

G8C13:

What is indicated on a waterfall display by one or more vertical lines on either side of a digital signal?

Long path propagation
Backscatter propagation
Insufficient modulation
Overmodulation