General Class: 2019–2023
Support WaveTalkers: Buy Me A Coffee!

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!


G1B07:

What are the restrictions on the use of abbreviations or procedural signals in the Amateur Service?

Only "Q" signals are permitted
They may be used if they do not obscure the meaning of a message
They are not permitted
Only "10 codes" are permitted

G6B13:

Which of these connector types is commonly used for RF connections at frequencies up to 150 MHz?

Octal
RJ-11
PL-259
DB-25

G5C14:

Which of the following components should be added to an inductor to increase the inductance?

A capacitor in series
A resistor in parallel
An inductor in parallel
An inductor in series

G2A06:

Which of the following is an advantage when using single sideband, as compared to other analog voice modes on the HF amateur bands?

Very high fidelity voice modulation
Less subject to interference from atmospheric static crashes
Ease of tuning on receive and immunity to impulse noise
Less bandwidth used and greater power efficiency

G3C10:

What is Near Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS) propagation?

Propagation near the MUF
Short distance MF or HF propagation using high elevation angles
Long path HF propagation at sunrise and sunset
Double hop propagation near the LUF

G5B11:

What is the ratio of peak envelope power to average power for an unmodulated carrier?

0.707
1
1.414
2.00

G8C02:

Which digital mode is used as a low-power beacon for assessing HF propagation?

WSPR
Olivia
PSK31
SSB-SC

G1A09:

Which of the following frequencies is within the General class portion of the 15-meter band?

14250 kHz
18155 kHz
21300 kHz
24900 kHz

G8A09:

What type of modulation is used by the FT8 digital mode?

8-tone frequency shift keying
Vestigial sideband
Amplitude compressed AM
Direct sequence spread spectrum

G1D03:

On which of the following band segments may you operate if you are a Technician class operator and have a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) for General class privileges?

Only the Technician band segments until your upgrade is posted in the FCC database
Only on the Technician band segments until your license arrives in the mail
On any General or Technician class band segment
On any General or Technician class band segment except 30 meters and 60 meters

G4A12:

Which of the following is a common use for the dual-VFO feature on a transceiver?

To allow transmitting on two frequencies at once
To permit full duplex operation - that is, transmitting and receiving at the same time
To permit monitoring of two different frequencies
To facilitate computer interface

G7B08:

How is the efficiency of an RF power amplifier determined?

Divide the DC input power by the DC output power
Divide the RF output power by the DC input power
Multiply the RF input power by the reciprocal of the RF output power
Add the RF input power to the DC output power

G4C10:

What could be a symptom of a ground loop somewhere in your station?

You receive reports of "hum" on your station's transmitted signal
The SWR reading for one or more antennas is suddenly very high
An item of station equipment starts to draw excessive amounts of current
You receive reports of harmonic interference from your station

G2D04:

Which of the following describes an azimuthal projection map?

A map that shows accurate land masses
A map that shows true bearings and distances from a particular location
A map that shows the angle at which an amateur satellite crosses the equator
A map that shows the number of degrees longitude that an amateur satellite appears to move westward at the equator with each orbit

G4E02:

What is the purpose of a corona ball on an HF mobile antenna?

To narrow the operating bandwidth of the antenna
To increase the "Q" of the antenna
To reduce the chance of damage if the antenna should strike an object
To reduce RF voltage discharge from the tip of the antenna while transmitting

G8B02:

If a receiver mixes a 13.800 MHz VFO with a 14.255 MHz received signal to produce a 455 kHz intermediate frequency (IF) signal, what type of interference will a 13.345 MHz signal produce in the receiver?

Quadrature noise
Image response
Mixer interference
Intermediate interference

G9B11:

What is the approximate length for a 1/2 wave dipole antenna cut for 3.550 MHz?

42 feet
84 feet
132 feet
263 feet

G1E03:

What is required to conduct communications with a digital station operating under automatic control outside the automatic control band segments?

The station initiating the contact must be under local or remote control
The interrogating transmission must be made by another automatically controlled station
No third-party traffic may be transmitted
The control operator of the interrogating station must hold an Amateur Extra Class license

G4D01:

What is the purpose of a speech processor as used in a modern transceiver?

Increase the intelligibility of transmitted phone signals during poor conditions
Increase transmitter bass response for more natural-sounding SSB signals
Prevent distortion of voice signals
Decrease high-frequency voice output to prevent out-of-band operation

G1C02:

What is the maximum transmitting power an amateur station may use on the 12-meter band?

50 watts PEP output
200 watts PEP output
1500 watts PEP output
An effective radiated power equivalent to 100 watts from a half-wave dipole

G3B08:

What does MUF stand for?

The Minimum Usable Frequency for communications between two points
The Maximum Usable Frequency for communications between two points
The Minimum Usable Frequency during a 24-hour period
The Maximum Usable Frequency during a 24-hour period

G0A01:

What is one way that RF energy can affect human body tissue?

It heats body tissue
It causes radiation poisoning
It causes the blood count to reach a dangerously low level
It cools body tissue

G9D03:

In which direction is the maximum radiation from a portable VHF/UHF "halo" antenna?

Broadside to the plane of the halo
Opposite the feed point
Omnidirectional in the plane of the halo
Toward the halo's supporting mast

G4B11:

Which of the following must be connected to an antenna analyzer when it is being used for SWR measurements?

Receiver
Transmitter
Antenna and feed line
All these choices are correct

G0B12:

What is the purpose of a power supply interlock?

To prevent unauthorized changes to the circuit that would void the manufacturer's warranty
To shut down the unit if it becomes too hot
To ensure that dangerous voltages are removed if the cabinet is opened
To shut off the power supply if too much voltage is produced

G5A05:

How does an inductor react to AC?

As the frequency of the applied AC increases, the reactance decreases
As the amplitude of the applied AC increases, the reactance increases
As the amplitude of the applied AC increases, the reactance decreases
As the frequency of the applied AC increases, the reactance increases

G2E02:

How can a PACTOR modem or controller be used to determine if the channel is in use by other PACTOR stations?

Unplug the data connector temporarily and see if the channel-busy indication is turned off
Put the modem or controller in a mode which allows monitoring communications without a connection
Transmit UI packets several times and wait to see if there is a response from another PACTOR station
Send the message, "Is this frequency in use?"

G7C10:

What is an advantage of using I and Q signals in software-defined radios (SDRs)?

The need for high resolution analog-to-digital converters is eliminated
All types of modulation can be created with appropriate processing
Minimum detectible signal level is reduced
Converting the signal from digital to analog creates mixing products

G9A03:

What is the typical characteristic impedance of "window line" parallel transmission line?

50 ohms
75 ohms
100 ohms
450 ohms

G2B06:

What is a practical way to avoid harmful interference on an apparently clear frequency before calling CQ on CW or phone?

Send "QRL?" on CW, followed by your call sign; or, if using phone, ask if the frequency is in use, followed by your call sign
Listen for 2 minutes before calling CQ
Send the letter "V" in Morse code several times and listen for a response, or say "test" several times and listen for a response
Send "QSY" on CW or if using phone, announce "the frequency is in use," then give your call sign and listen for a response

G3A13:

What does the A-index indicate?

The relative position of sunspots on the surface of the sun
The amount of polarization of the sun's electric field
The long-term stability of Earth's geomagnetic field
The solar radio flux at Boulder, Colorado

G7A04:

What is an advantage of a half-wave rectifier in a power supply?

Only one diode is required
The ripple frequency is twice that of a full-wave rectifier
More current can be drawn from the half-wave rectifier
The output voltage is two times the peak output voltage of the transformer

G9C16:

What is a beta or hairpin match?

It is a shorted transmission line stub placed at the feed point of a Yagi antenna to provide impedance matching
It is a 1/4 wavelength section of 75 ohm coax in series with the feed point of a Yagi to provide impedance matching
It is a series capacitor selected to cancel the inductive reactance of a folded dipole antenna
It is a section of 300 ohm twinlead used to match a folded dipole antenna

G6A11:

What happens when an inductor is operated above its self-resonant frequency?

Its reactance increases
Harmonics are generated
It becomes capacitive
Catastrophic failure is likely

G2C01:

Which of the following describes full break-in telegraphy (QSK)?

Breaking stations send the Morse code prosign "BK"
Automatic keyers, instead of hand keys, are used to send Morse code
An operator must activate a manual send/receive switch before and after every transmission
Transmitting stations can receive between code characters and elements