| Take a FCC Ham License Extra Class Qualification in Four Weeks! |
| Below is my Little Experience of Successfully
Taking a US FCC Ham Radio Extra Class License
in just Four weeks. My baptised name is Philip, protestant Episcopal Church member, but my nationality is Japanese, I was born and bred in Japan. And to me, English is not my mother tongue but a foreign language. As I have loved learning English and have been learning English in Japan by every possible means since I was a small kid of 10, reading Mickey Mouse cartoons, Blondy, listening to BBC, Voice of America, Radio Australia, and English broadcasts of Radio Japan, etc, English is still a foreign language even after fifty years of study. So you will find a multitude of usage and grammatical mistakes in my English. Philip Yoshitaka Shibuya A I 4 L A |
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| Just as I have mentioned above, I was vaguely
thinking that it would be next to impossible
to take exams for and obtain a US Ham Radio
License, Extra Class Qualification in just
four weeks, expecially because, 1) English is not my mother tongue. 2) There's no opportunity to go and sit for FCC VEC exams, far away from the United States Continent. 3) Extra class is the highest ham radio qualification, and is something I can dream about, but far from the reach of someone like myself. Even though I have now lots of good American friends and/or English speaking friends throughout the world, I have never heard of someone who has attempted to take a FCC's ham radio license from abroad. So it was with a little surprise that I was able to obtain this coveted license in so short a time as four weeks! Now here is my story. One day when I was browsing internet webpages, I came across a Practice Test Column of QRZ.Com, that famous Ham Radio Callsign Directory page on the Internet. I was not very sure about the result of my test, but I first challenged the easiest ham radio test on the site; TECHNICIAN CLASS TEST; I had never prepared anything for this test whatsoever. There were 35 questions, and I was able to answer correctly thirty questions out of thirty-five, and that without any preparations at all. This greatly surprised me, and caused me to think that I would be able to succeed in passing other tests like general and extra class tests if I ever try to study for them hard. My analysis of this result started; A scientific scrutiny of this result shows; The reason I was able to obtain such a high mark in Technician Practice Test is; 1) Most of the content is something I have learned through my ham radio life of thirty years./Like radio waves are reflected by F2 layer of the ionosphere... 2) Through my proficiency of English, especially through what I have acquired during my internet life of five years since May 2000, my ability of English developed so tremendously as to make my English near-native level. Most of what is asked in Technician class exams can be judged and answered on common sense basis! That was my judgment as regards the cause and effect of my having taken such a high score in my first Technician class sham exam on QRZ.com. I tried testing myself again and again on this QRZ website, and one day I ran across one Internet Webpage in Japan informing me of the schedule of FCC VEC tests that were to be held on May 22nd,2005 in Ikeda City in Osaka prefecture, during the period when Kansai Ham Festival was held. I have decided to make use of this opprotunity and take FCC VEC tests without fail! I emailed Mr. Tsuboi JA4CZM, a representative VE in my area, and applied for FCC exams, and he advised me to get in touch with FCC through its weibsite, and to get a FRN number because I live in Japan and do not have a US Social Security number. I did just as he advised me to. |
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| Below I would like to describe how easy it
was to obtain US ham radio tests in comparison
with the Japanese counterparts, And the purpose of my mentioning this experience of mine will help those who live in the United Sates or anywhere in the world, to understand how easy it is and/or what little efforts will make it possible for them to obtain extra class licenses! |
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| STEP 1 HOW TO TACKLE A SEEMINGLY TOUGH AND HARD TO APPROACH QUESTIONS:Technician Class | ||||||||||||
| A BRIEF CHECKING OF THE VOLUME OF EACH HAM
CLASS TESTS IN ARRL'S QUESTION POOL
SHOWS: 1) TECHNICIAN CLASS QUESTIONS ---67 PAGES IN TEXT FILE FORMAT. 2) GENERAL CLASS QUESTIONS --- 69 PAGES IN TEXT FILE FORMAT. 3) EXTRA CLASS QUESTIONS --- 108 PAGES IN TEXT FILE FORMAT. At first it seemed almost impossible to go through all these questions and answers in a short time like two weeks and pass all these tests. But as I know I am such a person as always try something nobody else dares to, so I have started to challenge these tough tests -- Just as I mentioned above, it appeared next to impossible to read through all the questions and answers printed out from ARRL Question Pools; I only did just as I tried last time; THROUGH TESTING MYSELF BY MAKING USE OF QRZ COM PRACTICE TESTS. 1) For the first three days, I was able to answer correctly only 40-50 percent of the 35 questions. I was often disappointed but was not totally defeated spiritually. 2) After three days I began to answer correctly 70 -75 percent of the questions. "Pass Assured" Mark was displayed. 3) After a week I began to answer correctly 80-85 percent of the questions, "Pass Assured" Marks always appeared. My frank impression about the questions asked in Technician class test is that this test is easy enough, especially after going on the air as a Japanese ham radio operator for the past 35 plus something years. However, I don't say it is a piece of cake, because some questions concerning how to make QSO through the VHF or UHF repeaters, and/or the spaceships, it is something I know nothing about at all. Or ham radio band plans of the United States. I had to work hard to learn and memorize those special problems pertaining to the United States Ham Radio World. Other questions were comparatively easy to answer because most of the questions concerned how to communicate or how to make use of your radios. |
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| STEP 2 HOW TO TACKLE A SEEMINGLY TOUGH AND HARD TO APPROACH QUESTIONS:General Class | ||||||||||||
| After I practiced many hours most of the
technical class questions through QRZ. Com
I tried to test my ability at AA9PW and W8MHB's
practice test sites.and I found that I would be okay to some extent, but that I would fail if I did not work hard. It was because I was not always successful if I tried to test myself at those sites other than QRZ. Com practice test sites. So just before I went to sit for Fcc tests, I tried to check up my ability at AA9PW and W8MHB test sites also. QRZ. Com has a tendency of testing the same questions again and again, whereas AA9PW or W8MHB's sites test different kinds of questions each time, so either test was extremely excellent in building up my ability of challenging these tests. All the time necessary to pass a General Class is much less than time necessary for taking a Technician Class test, because most of the questions asked is very similar, and by the time you have acquired Technical Class knowledge, you are ready and able to answer General Class questions without much difficulty. One more addition to my advice to you is: QRZ. Com's way of teaching how to answer VEC ham tests, is that you learn whether you answered right or not is instantly shown after clicking one of the four buttons, while AA9PW's or W8MHB's way is exactly like that of the actual tests; the test result is shown after you have answered all the questions, so you don't know if you have reached the passable line or not until you have answered all the questions. I would like to say that if you practice for three to five days in preparation for your General Class test, that will be well enough, and you don't have to worry about the outcome of your test if you can go through General Class test material for about the same number of days as I did. As regards Element 1 Morse code test, I would liike to mention in passing. I tried to go through the practice tests only twice at AA9PW's website and the recent test of 5 WPM( words per minute) is so slow in comparison with the former code tests I experienced in Japanese ham tests, I had no difficulty in copying all the ham QSO contents, and so I had no worry about this code test at all. I believe I made a solid copy in the actual test. |
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| STEP 3 HOW TO TACKLE A SEEMINGLY TOUGH AND HARD TO APPROACH QUESTIONS: Extra Class | ||||||||||||
| As I was so successful in passing the above-mentioned
two ham radio qualitication tests; Technical
Class and General Class Tests, I decided
to take another chance of taking an Extra
Class test that was going to take place in
Tokyo about two weeks later. To me it seemed that I would be able to succeed in Extra Class test if I used the same method; MAKING 120 PERCENT USE OF QRZ.COM PRACTICE TESTS! Last time I was not able to take an extra class test at the same time as other tests because of my lack of time and energy to prepare for all the four tests, so I had to end where I passed Element1, Element 2 and Element 3 tests, for which tests I was given a CSCE( Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination) enabling me to get a General Class license. And sure enough, my close friend, Mr. Joe Leikhim, K4SAT, let me know that I got a US callsign K I 4 K K J, ten days after I succeeded in passing the above-mentioned three tests. But my initial intention and wish were to take an Extra Class license, so I again gathered all my courage, energy and efforts to take the toughest of the ham radio tests in the United States, Extra Class Test; It seemed to me; The most difficult part of the Extra Class Test was MATHEMATICS, and/or Calculation questions. The second toughest questions were Basic Electronics questions concerning Electronics parts and circuits. The third toughest questions were again the band plans for Extra Class Operators. Other questions regarding Special abbreviations and languages peculiar to this ham qualification did not seem to be too difficult for me. So with this recognition about the extra class test in mind, I started to study and prepare for the test which was about eighteen days ahead. I began with the same method, using QRZ. com test site as my main place for my study. For the first three days, I got real miserable test results -- 30 to 40 percent marks in each test. If you don't have a strong will to push on, you will be too disappointed to continue your study. But I never gave it up and went on learning one item after another. I admit I am a very patient person indeed! After I learned one piece of radio knowledge after another; I was able to summarize what items to learn to succeed in obtaining passable pieces of radio knowledge; Even though you come across 860 different questions in the ARRL's Question Pool for Extra Class; You don't have to memorize each of all these questions: 1) It's okay if you only go through some questions, and if you learn some breath and tendency of these questions, you don't bother to memorize each of those questions, because you can completely depend upon your ham radio common sense, and you already know the answers to such questions as how to anwer CQ calls by DX stations and/or at contests. 2) If you learn how to calculate Q, or how to calculate Frequency by making use of the formula F=1/2ΞqkbAand a couple of other formulas, you are able to answer correctly four to five questions without any labor at all. All you need is to prepare an electronic calculator at your hand. 3) Other questions concerning EME QSO's, Test Equipments, RACES, Phase Mudulation, SSB modulation, electronics cirucuits, how to use transistors and IC's, you have to learn one by one. However, as I continued to study and memorize each of the Extra Class questions I learned that we don't have to memorize 860 questions and answers. Just by learning by heart the following 50 questions and answers, and 36 pieces of radio information, you will be able to obtain passable marks all right. So with a firm determination and cofidence I reveal the secrects of successfully passing Extra Class Test just in two weeks here! |
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| FIFTY VITAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS YOU MUST MEMORIZE TO MAKE THEM YOUR OWN; YOU CAN BECOME AN EXTRA CLASS OPERATOR; | ||||||||||||
| 1)E5A13(C) What is the half-power bandwidth of a parallel resonant circuit that has a resonant frequency of 7.1 MHz and a Q of 150? ANSWER= 47.3 kHz 7100 DIVIDED BY 150 EQUALS 47.3 KHz. 2)E7G03 (D) What are the advantages of using an op-amp instead of LC elements in an audio filter? ANSWER= Op-amps exhibit gain rather than insertion loss 3)E7F07j(A) What type of circuit does NOT make a good marker generator? ANSWER= A sinusoidal crystal oscillator 4)E7D04 (C) How is the positive feedback coupled to the input in a Colpitts oscillator? ANSWER= Through a capacitive divider 5)E9C07 (B) Which of the following is the best description of a resonant rhombic antenna? ANSWER=Bidirectional; four-sided, each side approximately one wavelength long; open at the end opposite the transmission line connection 6)E9D18 (B) What happens at the base feed-point of a fixed length HF mobile antenna as the frequency of operation is lowered? ANSWER= The resistance decreases and the capacitive reactance increases 7)E4B07 (D) If a frequency counter with a specified accuracy of +/- 1.0 ppm reads 432,100,000 Hz, what is the most the actual frequency being measured could differ from the reading? ANSWER= 432.1 Hz 8)E4C09 (C) What is meant by the dynamic range of a communications receiver? C. The ratio between the minimum discernible signal and the largest tolerable signal without causing audible distortion products. 9)E3C07 (A) How much farther does the VHF/UHF radio-path horizon distance exceed the geometric horizon? ANSWER= By approximately 15% of the distance 10)E3A07 (B) What frequency range would you normally tune to find EME stations in the 2-meter band? ANSWER= 144.000 - 144.100 MHz 11)E9B09 (B) What type of computer program is commonly used for modeling antennas? ANSWER= Method of Moments 12)E5I05 (D) What is an optocoupler? ANSWER= An LED and a phototransistor 13)What is the characteristics of crystal lattice filter? Answer= It has a narrow bandwidth and a sharp skirt curve. 14)E5C13 (D) What are the curved lines on a Smith chart? ANSWERPortions of reactance circles 15)What is a magnetic field? Answer= The space through which a magnetic force acts. 16)E1B07 (B)[97.15(a) If an amateur antenna structure is located in a valley or canyon, what height restrictions apply? ANSWER=The structure must be no higher than 200 feet above the ground level at its site 17)E1D08 (A) [97.407(b)] What type of emergency can cause limits to be placed on the frequencies available for RACES operation? ANSWER= An emergency during which the President's War Emergency Powers are invoked 18)E2A01 (C) What is the direction of an ascending pass for an amateur satellite? ANSWER= From south to north 19)E2B18 (B) What is the approximate bandwidth of a slow-scan TV signal? ANSWER= 2 kHz 20)E2D01 (B) What does CMD: mean when it is displayed on the video monitor of a packet station? ANSWER=The TNC is in command mode, ready to receive instructions from the keyboard 21)E2E11(D) What is the Baudot code? ANSWER=The International Telegraph Alphabet Number 2 (ITA2) which uses five data bits 22)E3B06 (B) What amateur band consistently yields long-path enhancement using a modest antenna of relatively high gain? ANSWER=20 meters 23)E3B05 (C) On what amateur bands can long-path propagation provide signal enhancement? ANSWER=160 to 10 meters 24)E4D06 (B) How can noise from an electric motor be suppressed? ANSWER=Install a brute-force, AC-line filter in series with the motor leads 25)E4E06 (A) What is a sense antenna? ANSWER=. A vertical antenna added to a loop antenna to produce a cardioid reception pattern 26)E5H13 (D) What is the power factor of an RL circuit having a 45 degree phase angle between the voltage and the current? ANSWER= 0.707 27)E6D17 (A) What is the principle advantage of liquid-crystal display (LCD) devices? ANSWER= They consume low power 28)E6E07 (A) What is the characteristic impedance of circuits in which MMICs are designed to work? ANSWER= 50 ohms 29)E7A05 (D) What is the characteristic function of an astable multivibrator? ANSWER=It alternates between two unstable states 30)E8B12 (B) What is the modulation index of an FM-phone transmitter producing a maximum carrier deviation of 6 kHz when modulated with a 2-kHz modulating frequency? ANSWER= 3 / 6 DIVEDED BY 2 EQUALS 3 31)E9A04 (D) Which of the following antennas has no gain in any direction? ANSWER= Isotropic radiator 32)E9C16 (C) If only a modest on-ground radial system can be used with an eighth-wavelength- high, inductively loaded vertical antenna, what would be the best compromise to minimize near-field losses? ANSWER= A wire-mesh screen at the antenna base, an eighth-wavelength square 33)E3A03 (A) When scheduling EME contacts, which of these conditions will generally result in the least path loss? ANSWER When the moon is at perigee. /perigee=the nearest point/apogee= the farthest point 34)E9A14 (B) How is antenna efficiency calculated? ANSWER= (radiation resistance / total resistance) x 100% 35)E5A04 (D) When the inductive reactance of an electrical circuit equals its capacitive reactance, what is this condition called? Answer=Resonance 36)E8D06 (D) If an RMS reading AC voltmeter reads 65 volts on a sinusoidal waveform, what is the peak-to-peak voltage? ANSWER= 184 volts 37)E5A07 (B) What is the magnitude of the current at the input of a series R-L-C circuit at resonance? ANSWER= It is at a maximum 38)E6A13 (C) How does DC input impedance on the gate of a field-effect transistor compare with the DC input impedance of a bipolar transistor? ANSWER= An FET has high input impedance; a bipolar transistor has low input impedance 39)E8A13 (D) What would be the most accurate way of measuring the RMS voltage of a complex waveform? ANSWER=By measuring the heating effect in a known resistor 40)E9D16 (D) Why is a loading coil often used with an HF mobile antenna? ANSWER=To tune out the capacitive reactance 41)E8C12 (A) What spread-spectrum communications technique alters the center frequency of a conventional carrier many times per second in accordance with a pseudo-random list of channels? ANSWER= Frequency hopping 42)E8B14 (A) In a pulse width-modulation system, why is the transmitter's peak power much greater than its average power? ANSWER= The signal duty cycle is less than 100% 43)E7A13 (A) In a negative-logic circuit, what level is used to represent a logic 1? ANSWER= A low level 44)E6B22 (B) What type of bias is required for an LED to produce luminescence? ANSWER= Forward bias 45)E5E03 (A) In polar coordinates, what is the impedance of a network comprised of a 300-ohm- reactance capacitor, a 600-ohm-reactance inductor, and a 400-ohm resistor, all connected in series? ANSWER=. 500 ohms, /__37_degrees__ 46)E2C05 (A) What does a Maidenhead gridsquare refer to? ANSWER=. A two-degree longitude by one-degree latitude square, as part of a world wide numbering system 47)E9A13 (A) How can the approximate beamwidth of a beam antenna be determined? A. Note the two points where the signal strength of the antenna is down 3 dB from the maximum signal point and compute the angular difference 48)E8D10 (B) What is meant by circularly polarized electromagnetic waves? ANSWER= Waves with a rotating electric field 49)E2E03 (C) How is Forward Error Correction implemented? ANSWER= By transmitting extra data that may be used to detect and correct transmission errors 50)E9C13 (B) In the H field antenna radiation pattern shown in Figure E9-2, what is the front-to-back ratio? ANSWER= 28 dB |
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| ADDITIONAL VITAL 36 PIECES OF KNOWLEDGE TO BE MEMORIZED FOR YOUR SUCCESS IN EXTRA CLASS TEST; | ||||||||||||
| *A sinusoidal crystal oscillator does not
produce harmonics, so it is not suitable
for serving as a marker generator. *Hartley Oscillator's feedback is done through tapped coil, whereas Colpitts' feedback is done through a capacitive divider *"mean" in radio technology means "average", so mean power is average power. *E4B05 (A) If a frequency counter with a specified accuracy of +/- 0.1 ppm reads 146,520,000 Hz, what is the most the actual frequency being measured could differ from the reading? ANSWER= 14.652 Hz (Frequency counter's accuracy is either +/- -10 ppm, +/- -1.0 ppm, or +/- -0.1ppm, if the accuracy is +/-10 ppm it is 1464.2Hz, +/-1.0ppm 146.52Hz,+/- 0.1 ppm 14.652 Hz) *E3B09 (A) At what time of day is gray-line propagation most prevalent? ANSWER= Twilight, at sunrise and sunset *E1G05 (D) [97.303(f)(1)] Amateur stations may not transmit in which frequency segment if they are located north of Line A? Answer=420-430 MHz *E8A11 (A) What is the RMS value of a 340-volt peak-to-peak pure sine wave? ANSWER= 120-V AC *E6B04 (A) What type of semiconductor diode varies its internal capacitance as the voltage applied to its terminals varies? ANSWER= Varactor *E4E10 (C) What type of terrain can cause errors in direction finding? ANSWER=Varied terrain *E5C07 (D) On the Smith chart shown in Figure E5-1, what is the only straight line shown? ANSWER=The resistance axis *Calculation formula for Q Q=R divided by 2x3.14x frequency in megaheltz x inductance in microhenry *Calculation of power ratio; Memorize the following numerals: -1dB=0.794 -2dB= 0.63 -3dB=0.5 1dB=1.25 2dB=1.58 3dB=2 These are rather hard to memorize but you may as well begin with -3dB=0.5 and 3dB=2 *Amateur satellites ascend from south to north/descend from north to south. E2A01 (C) What is the direction of an ascending pass for an amateur satellite? ANSWER= From south to north E2A02 (A) What is the direction of a descending pass for an amateur satellite? ANSWER= From north to south *E2B05 (D) What is the bandwidth of a vestigial sideband AM fast-scan television transmission? ANSWER=6 MHz *E4A10 (D) What can a logic probe indicate about a digital logic circuit? ANSWER=The high and low logic states *E4C11 (B) If you measured the MDS of a receiver, what would you be measuring? ANSWER=The minimum discernible signal (MDS), or the weakest signal that the receiver can detect *E5B06 (A) What is the time constant of a circuit having two 100-microfarad capacitors and two 470-kilohm resistors all in series? ANSWER= 47 seconds (TIME CONSTANT) E5B01(B) What is the term for the time required for the capacitor in an RC circuit to be charged to 63.2% of the supply voltage? A. An exponential rate of one B. One time constant C. One exponential period D. A time factor of one *E5D06 (D) What is the relationship between the current through and the voltage across a capacitor? ANSWER=Current leads voltage by 90 degrees *E5I11 (A) Which material is affected the most by photoconductivity? ANSWER= A crystalline semiconductor *1)E7G01 (B) What determines the gain and frequency characteristics of an op-amp RC active filter? ANSWER=The values of capacitances and resistances external to the op-amp *2)E7G08 (A) When designing an op-amp RC active filter for a given frequency range and Q, what steps are typically followed when selecting the external components? ANSWER= Standard capacitor values are chosen first, the resistances are calculated, then resistors of the nearest standard value are used *E8A08 (B) What is the peak voltage at a common household electrical outlet? ANSWER= 170 volts *E9A01 (C) Which of the following describes an isotropic radiator? ANSWER= A theoretical radiator used to compare other antennas THIS ANTENNA HAS NO GAIN, AND NO DIRECTIVITY. *E9A03 (B) How much gain does a 1/2-wavelength dipole have over an isotropic radiator? ANSWER=About 2.1 dB *E5C08 (C) What is the process of normalizing with regard to a Smith chart? ANSWER= Reassigning impedance values with regard to the prime center *E7D14 (B) What are the important characteristics of a three-terminal regulator? ANSWER=Maximum and minimum input voltage, maximum and minimum output current and maximum output voltage *E4D07 (B) What is a major cause of atmospheric static? ANSWER=Thunderstorms *E5A07 (B) What is the magnitude of the current at the input of a series R-L-C circuit at resonance? ANSWER= It is at a maximum *E8D09 (D) Which of the following best describes electromagnetic waves traveling in free space? ANSWER= Changing electric and magnetic fields propagate the energy across a vacuum *E5I10 (B) Which material will exhibit the greatest photoconductive effect when infrared light shines on it? ANSWER=Lead sulfide PLEASE BE CAREFUL: WHEN INFRARED LIGHT SHINES ON IT, LEAD SULFIDE IS AFFECTED, WHEREAS VISIBLE LIGHT SHINES ON IT, CADMIUM SULFIDE IS AFFTEDTED, SUBSTANCE MOST GREATLY AFFECTED BY PHOTOCONDUCTIVITY IS A CRYSTALLINE SEMICONDUCTOR. *E5I10 (B) Which material will exhibit the greatest photoconductive effect when infrared light shines on it? ANSWER=Lead sulfide *E7A12 (D) In a positive-logic circuit, what level is used to represent a logic 1? ANSWER=A high level In a positive-logic circuit, a high level is 1= 2.2-5.5 V a low level = 0.0 --1.8 V/whereas in a negative-logic circuit the reverse is true. *E6A10 (A) In Figure E6-2, what is the schematic symbol for a P-channel junction FET? ANSWER= 1 *E4C06 (C) What is the term for the blocking of one FM phone signal by another, stronger FM phone signal? ANSWER= Capture effect *E8B17 (C) Which of the following describe the three most-used symbols of an ITU emission designator? ANSWER=Type of modulation, nature of the modulating signal and type of information to be transmitted *E4C02 (A) What is the term for the reduction in receiver sensitivity caused by a strong signal near the received frequency? ANSWER= Desensitization *E9C19 (A) What strongly affects the shape of the far-field, low-angle elevation pattern of a vertically polarized antenna? ANSWER= The conductivity and dielectric constant of the soil (A GOOD HINT= If you find the word "the far-field in connection with a vertically polarized antenna, find the word "the soil" in an answer among the multiple choices, the answer is it!) *E5D06jand E5D07jare both rather liable to cause mistakes/When electricity goes through the capacitor, the current goes 90 degress faster, while it goes through inductance the voltage goes 90 degrees faster. When the circuit is in resonant status, they are in the same phase. *E5D06 (D) What is the relationship between the current through and the voltage across a capacitor? ANSWER Current leads voltage by 90 degrees *E5D07 (A) What is the relationship between the current through an inductor and the voltage across an inductor? ANSWER= Voltage leads current by 90 degrees *E5A10 (C) What is the relationship between the current through a resonant circuit and the voltage across the circuit? A. The voltage leads the current by 90 degrees B. The current leads the voltage by 90 degrees C. The voltage and current are in phase D. The voltage and current are 180 degrees out of phase |
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| 53 MORE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS THAT WILL MAKE YOUR SUCCESS DECISIVE IN YOUR EXTRA CLASS TEST IF YOU HAVE A LITTLE MORE TIME AND ENERGY; I ASSURE YOU WILL RAISE 10 POINTS BY LEARNING THE FOLLOWING; | ||||||||||||
| 1*E3A05 (A) What transmit and receive time sequencing is normally used on 144 MHz when attempting an earth-moon-earth contact? A. Two-minute sequences, where one station transmits for a full two minutes and then receives for the following two minutes B. One-minute sequences, where one station transmits for one minute and then receives for the following one minute C. Two-and-one-half minute sequences, where one station transmits for a full 2.5 minutes and then receives for the following 2.5 minutes D. Five-minute sequences, where one station transmits for five minutes and then receives for the following five minutes 2cf. E3A06 (C) What transmit and receive time sequencing is normally used on 432 MHz when attempting an EME contact? A. Two-minute sequences, where one station transmits for a full two minutes and then receives for the following two minutes B. One-minute sequences, where one station transmits for one minute and then receives for the following one minute C. Two and one half minute sequences, where one station transmits for a full 2.5 minutes and then receives for the following 2.5 minutes D. Five minute sequences, where one station transmits for five minutes and then receives for the following five minutes *Points to Remember; in EME QSO time for transmission and for reception is 2 minutes each on 144 MHz whereas it is 2.5 minutes on 432 MHZ. 3*E8C14 (C) What controls the spreading sequence of an amateur spread-spectrum transmission? A. A frequency-agile linear amplifier B. A crystal-controlled filter linked to a high-speed crystal switching mechanism C. A binary linear-feedback shift register D. A binary code which varies if propagation changes 4*E9C03 (C) What is the radiation pattern of two 1/4-wavelength vertical antennas spaced 1/2-wavelength apart and fed in phase? A. Omnidirectional B. Cardioid unidirectional C. Figure-8 broadside to the antennas D. Figure-8 end-fire in line with the antennas 5cf.*E9C04 (D) What is the radiation pattern of two 1/4-wavelength vertical antennas spaced 1/4-wavelength apart and fed 180 degrees out of phase? A. Omnidirectional B. Cardioid unidirectional C. Figure-8 broadside to the antennas D. Figure-8 end-fire in line with the antennas 6*E9C05 (D) What is the radiation pattern for two 1/4-wavelength vertical antennas spaced 1/8-wavelength apart and fed 180 degrees out of phase? A. Omnidirectional B. Cardioid unidirectional C. Figure-8 broadside to the antennas D. Figure-8 end-fire in line with the antennas * be aware of the above difference/ very complicated! 7*E1B09 (A) [97.15a] If you are installing an amateur radio station antenna at a site within 5 miles from a public use airport, what additional rules apply? A. You must evaluate the height of your antenna based on the FCC Part 17 regulations B. No special rules apply if your antenna structure will be less than 200 feet in height C. You must file an Environmental Impact Statement with the Environmental Protection Agency before construction begins D. You must obtain a construction permit from the airport zoning authority 8*E1E09 (A) [97.207] Which amateur service HF bands have frequencies authorized to space stations? A. Only 40m, 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m and 10m B. Only 40 m, 20 m, 17m, 15 m and 10 m bands C. 40 m, 30 m, 20 m, 15 m, 12 m and 10 m bands D. All HF bands 9*E2B02 (C) How many horizontal lines make up a fast-scan television frame? A. 30 B. 60 C. 525 D. 1050 10*E2C08 (A) Why are received spread-spectrum signals so resistant to interference? A. Signals not using the spectrum-spreading algorithm are suppressed in the receiver B. The high power used by a spread-spectrum transmitter keeps its signal from being easily overpowered C. The receiver is always equipped with a special digital signal processor (DSP) interference filter D. If interference is detected by the receiver it will signal the transmitter to change frequencies 11*E6A01 (C) In what application is gallium arsenide used as a semiconductor material in preference to germanium or silicon? A. In high-current rectifier circuits B. In high-power audio circuits C. At microwave-frequency frequencies D. At very low frequency RF circuits 12*E6B07 (B) What limits the maximum forward current rating in a junction diode? Answer=Junction temperature 13*E8C07 (C) What is the necessary bandwidth of a 13-WPM international Morse code emission A1A transmission? A. Approximately 13 Hz B. Approximately 26 Hz C. Approximately 52 Hz D. Approximately 104 Hz 14*E7C11 (C) What kind of digital signal processing filter might be used in generating an SSB signal? A. An adaptive filter B. A notch filter C. A Hilbert-transform filter D. An elliptical filter 15*E5B06 (A) What is the time constant of a circuit having two 100-microfarad capacitors and two 470-kilohm resistors all in series? A. 47 seconds B. 101.1 seconds C. 103 seconds D. 220 seconds cf. You can calculate this way -- 0.1F/ 2 x(470kx2 ohm)= 47 seconds 16*E5B07 (D) What is the time constant of a circuit having two 220-microfarad capacitors and two 1-megohm resistors all in parallel? A. 47 seconds B. 101.1 seconds C. 103 seconds D. 220 seconds cf. You can calculate this way -- 0.22F x 2 x 1000/2 ohm= 220 seconds 17*E5B08 (C) What is the time constant of a circuit having a 220-microfarad capacitor in series with a 470-kilohm resistor? A. 47 seconds B. 80 seconds C. 103 seconds D. 220 seconds cf. You can calculate this way -- 0.22F x 470 k ohm= 103.4 seconds * You can of course calculate the resonant frequencies by making use of that famous formula F=1/2x3.14x Root LxC but the answers to E5A -- E5A25 are all ham band frquencies, so you can simply choose those values close to ham frequencies, 3.56MHz, 1.78MHz, 7.12MHz, 10.1MHZ, 14.5MHz, 17.8MHZ, 21.3MHz, and 23.7MHz. 18*E5A18 (C) What is the resonant frequency of a series RLC circuit if R is 47 ohms, L is 50 microhenrys and C is 40 picofarads? A. 79.6 MHz B. 1.78 MHz C. 3.56 MHz D. 7.96 MHz 19*E5A19 (B) What is the resonant frequency of a series RLC circuit if R is 47 ohms, L is 40 microhenrys and C is 200 picofarads? A. 1.99 kHz B. 1.78 MHz C. 1.99 MHz D. 1.78 kHz 20*E5A20 (D) What is the resonant frequency of a series RLC circuit if R is 47 ohms, L is 50 microhenrys and C is 10 picofarads? A. 3.18 MHz B. 3.18 kHz C. 7.12 kHz D. 7.12 MHz 21*E5A21 (A) What is the resonant frequency of a series RLC circuit if R is 47 ohms, L is 25 microhenrys and C is 10 picofarads? A. 10.1 MHz B. 63.7 MHz C. 10.1 kHz D. 63.7 kHz 22*E5A22 (B) What is the resonant frequency of a series RLC circuit if R is 47 ohms, L is 3 microhenrys and C is 40 picofarads? A. 13.1 MHz B. 14.5 MHz C. 14.5 kHz D. 13.1 kHz 23*E5A23 (D) What is the resonant frequency of a series RLC circuit if R is 47 ohms, L is 4 microhenrys and C is 20 picofarads? A. 19.9 kHz B. 17.8 kHz C. 19.9 MHz D. 17.8 MHz 24*E5A24 (C) What is the resonant frequency of a series RLC circuit if R is 47 ohms, L is 8 microhenrys and C is 7 picofarads? A. 2.84 MHz B. 28.4 MHz C. 21.3 MHz D. 2.13 MHz 25*E5A25 (A) What is the resonant frequency of a series RLC circuit if R is 47 ohms, L is 3 microhenrys and C is 15 picofarads? A. 23.7 MHz B. 23.7 kHz C. 35.4 kHz D. 35.4 MHz 26*E6B24 (C) What is meant by the term op-amp input-offset voltage? A. The output voltage of the op-amp minus its input voltage B. The difference between the output voltage of the op-amp and the input voltage required in the following stage C. The potential between the amplifier input terminals of the op-amp in a closed-loop condition D. The potential between the amplifier input terminals of the op-amp in an open-loop condition 27*E6C06 (C) Why do CMOS digital integrated circuits have high immunity to noise on the input signal or power supply? A. Larger bypass capacitors are used in CMOS circuit design B. The input switching threshold is about two times the power supply voltage C. The input switching threshold is about one-half the power supply voltage D. Input signals are stronger 28*E6D11 (C) What devices are commonly used as VHF and UHF parasitic suppressors at the input and output terminals of transistorized HF amplifiers? A. Electrolytic capacitors B. Butterworth filters C. Ferrite beads D. Steel-core toroids 29*E8A07 (A) What type of wave is made up of sine waves of a fundamental frequency and all harmonics? A. A sawtooth wave B. A square wave C. A sine wave D. A cosine wave 30*E5G08 (B) In a circuit that has both inductors and capacitors, what happens to reactive power? A. It is dissipated as heat in the circuit B. It goes back and forth between magnetic and electric fields, but is not dissipated C. It is dissipated as kinetic energy in the circuit D. It is dissipated in the formation of inductive and capacitive fields 31*E9E20 (A) What kind of impedance does a 1/4-wavelength transmission line present to a generator when the line is shorted at the far end? A. A very high impedance B. A very low impedance C. The same as the characteristic impedance of the transmission line D. The same as the generator output impedance 32*E9E21 (B) What kind of impedance does a 1/2-wavelength transmission line present to a generator when the line is shorted at the far end? A. A very high impedance B. A very low impedance C. The same as the characteristic impedance of the line D. The same as the output impedance of the generator 33*E9E22 (A) What kind of impedance does a 1/2-wavelength transmission line present to a generator when the line is open at the far end? A. A very high impedance B. A very low impedance C. The same as the characteristic impedance of the line D. The same as the output impedance of the generator 34*E9D15 (A) What is the approximate input terminal impedance at the center of a folded dipole antenna? A. 300 ohms B. 72 ohms C. 50 ohms D. 450 ohms 35*E8A13 (D) What would be the most accurate way of measuring the RMS voltage of a complex waveform? A. By using a grid dip meter B. By measuring the voltage with a D'Arsonval meter C. By using an absorption wavemeter D. By measuring the heating effect in a known resistor 36*What are the typical oscillator circuits used in amateur radio equipment? =Colpitts, Hartley, Pierce 37*E7E03 (C) How does a phase modulator work? A. It varies the tuning of a microphone preamplifier to produce PM signals B. It varies the tuning of an amplifier tank circuit to produce AM signals C. It varies the tuning of an amplifier tank circuit to produce PM signals D. It varies the tuning of a microphone preamplifier to produce AM signals 38*E9A18 (B) How much gain does an antenna have over a 1/2-wavelength dipole when it has 12 dB gain over an isotropic radiator? A. About 6.1 dB B. About 9.9 dB C. About 12.0 dB D. About 14.1 dB 39*E9E05 (D) What should be the approximate capacitance of the resonating capacitor in a gamma matching circuit on a Yagi beam antenna for the 10-meter band? A. 0.2 pF B. 0.7 pF C. 700 pF D. 70 pF 40*Just four questions concern TTL's TRUTH TABLE/ AND 1--1 NAND 0--1/OR 1--1 NOR 0--1 You can cope with these questions by this; NAND= IF ALL INPUTS ARE 1 NOR= IF ANY OR ALL INPUTS ARE 1 41*E7A07 (B) What logical operation does an AND gate perform? A. It produces a logic "0" at its output only if all inputs are logic "1" B. It produces a logic "1" at its output only if all inputs are logic "1" C. It produces a logic "1" at its output if only one input is a logic "1" D. It produces a logic "1" at its output if all inputs are logic "0" 42*E7A08 (D) What logical operation does a NAND gate perform? A. It produces a logic "0" at its output only when all inputs are logic "0" B. It produces a logic "1" at its output only when all inputs are logic "1" C. It produces a logic "0" at its output if some but not all of its inputs are logic "1" D. It produces a logic "0" at its output only when all inputs are logic "1" 43*E7A09 (A) What logical operation does an OR gate perform? A. It produces a logic "1" at its output if any input is or all inputs are logic "1" B. It produces a logic "0" at its output if all inputs are logic "1" C. It only produces a logic "0" at its output when all inputs are logic "1" D. It produces a logic "1" at its output if all inputs are logic "0" 44*E7A10 (C) What logical operation does a NOR gate perform? A. It produces a logic "0" at its output only if all inputs are logic "0" B. It produces a logic "1" at its output only if all inputs are logic "1" C. It produces a logic "0" at its output if any input is or all inputs are logic "1" D. It produces a logic "1" at its output only when none of its inputs are logic "0" 45++What is the bandwidth of each of emission type such as SSB, CW, SSTV, FAST-SCAN AM TV, PSK-31, etc? PLEASE CHECK UP FOR YOURSELF! 46*E8C04 (B) What digital communications system is well suited for meteor-scatter Communications at times other than during meteor showers? A. ACSSB B. Computerized high speed CW (HSCW) C. AMTOR D. Spread spectrum 47*E3A10 (C) Which range of frequencies is well suited for meteor-scatter communications? A. 1.8 - 1.9 MHz B. 10 - 14 MHz C. 28 - 148 MHz D. 220 - 450 MHz 48*E3A11 (C) What transmit and receive time sequencing is normally used on 144 MHz when attempting a meteor-scatter contact? A. Two-minute sequences, where one station transmits for a full two minutes and then receives for the following two minutes B. One-minute sequences, where one station transmits for one minute and then receives for the following one minute C. 15-second sequences, where one station transmits for 15 seconds and then receives for the following 15 seconds D. 30-second sequences, where one station transmits for 30 seconds and then receives for the following 30 seconds 49*E3A01 (D) What is the maximum separation between two stations communicating by moonbounce? A. 500 miles maximum, if the moon is at perigee B. 2000 miles maximum, if the moon is at apogee C. 5000 miles maximum, if the moon is at perigee D. Any distance as long as the stations have a mutual lunar window 50*E5H12 (A) What is reactive power? A. Wattless, nonproductive power B. Power consumed in wire resistance in an inductor C. Power lost because of capacitor leakage D. Power consumed in circuit Q 51*E5I01 (B) What is photoconductivity? A. The conversion of photon energy to electromotive energy B. The increased conductivity of an illuminated semiconductor junction C. The conversion of electromotive energy to photon energy D. The decreased conductivity of an illuminated semiconductor junction 52*E7C09 (D) What characteristic do typical SSB receiver IF filters lack that is important to digital communications? A. Steep amplitude-response skirts B. Passband ripple C. High input impedance D. Linear phase response 53*E5F10 (D) What determines the strength of a magnetic field around a conductor? A. The resistance divided by the current B. The ratio of the current to the resistance C. The diameter of the conductor D. The amount of current |
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| I TOOK AN EXTRA CLASS TEST IN TOKYO, | ||||||||||||
| I took a plane from Kansai International
Airport to go to sit for an extra class
test
in Tokyo. h took only an hour from
Osaka
to Tokyo Haneda Airport, so I was not
too tired but I really had to get up a lot earlier than usual, at 05:30 in the morning, so I was rather sleepy when I got to the site for VEC ham tests at Sugamo, near JARL. I arrived there a little too early, so I killed my time at a Kentucky Fried Chicken shop near the site. I went to the test site at twelve thirty and there were twelve examinees who were going to take VEC ham tests. After explanations were given by one of the VE's, the tests were started, the first test was Element 1, and I was not taking this test, so I had to wait until this test ended. So my test actually started at two o'clock in the afternoon. This time my tactics for Extra Class Test was as follows; 1) I will very carefully answer each question. 2) I will take enough time for each question, and will do everything very slowly. 3) I will look over the questions and my answers three times. As a result I was the last but one examinee who submitted my test paper, but I was called and was told that I was successful anyway. Only one out of twelve examinees failed, so most of the examinees succeeded in passing the tests. |
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| WHAT QUESTIONS WERE GIVEN IN MY ACTUAL EXTRA CLASS TEST? | ||||||||||||
| 75-80 percent of the questions actually given
in the VEC extra class test were exactly
the same as I practiced before, so just as
I have mentioned in the above columns, you can feel relieved to learn that if you have practiced and memorized what I mentioned, you are sure to pass the test!!! I can safely say that if you have learned enough through QRZ.COM and AA9PW's practice test site, you are most certain to succeed in this tough test.@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ |
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| My Heartiest Gratitude to the Volunteer Examiners for all their time and efforts ! | ||||||||||||
| Last but not the least, I would like to express
my heartiest gratitude to the Volunteer Examiners
for offering their precious time and energy
to provide us with such a good opprotunity
to acquire US ham radio licenses within Japan. They were also kind and generous enough to provide us examinees with an opportunity to get to know each of you and each of the examinees after the test session. We got to know each other and we also learned that those VE's are all DXers who have DXCC honor rolls. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have also learned from other sources that, if I take a US exta class license, it is okay to go on the air at 1 KW, because I am regarded as having taken a Japanese 1st class license, and can use a big linear amplifier. However, JA4CZM, VE representative of the Okayama Team, advises me to challenge the Japanese counterpart as well, because I live in Japan. So I will probably follow his advice, and will take a Japanese 1st class test in December. It seems that I have gotten so familiar with high level test questions, and perhaps it is not too difficult to tackle Japanese test questions! |
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| CONCLUSION: I WAS SUCCESSFUL IN PASSING AN EXTYRA CLASS TEST, SO I AM PLANNING TO BUILD A NEW HAM RADIO STATION IN THE NEAR FUTURE! | ||||||||||||
| Thanks to lots of help in the websites of
QRZ.com, AA9PW, N4RPD and W8MHB, I was able
to obtain an extra class qualitfication for
a 1KW ham radio station, so I am just thinking
of buidling up a ONE KILOWATTS Ham Radio
Station in the near future. Believe it or
not, I have a comparatively large place for
my ham radio station, which is a little less than one acre, a former orchard where my grandfather was growing oranges in the countryside of Wakayama prefecture.. Nowadays it is nothing but a small hill where nothing grows except bamboo trees. Getting rid of bamboo trees will be a tough job, but I will try and build a good station and lots of antennas over there. Fortunately enough, I have a small cottage there, and I am sure the cottage can be used as a radio shack. Philip/AI4LA June 25th,2002 |
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