Skywaves And Contesting Flashcards
E3A15 What is an electromagnetic wave?
A. a wave of alternating current, in the core of an electromagnet
B. a wave consisting of two electric fields at parallel right angels to each other
C. a wave consisting of an electric field and a magnetic field oscillating at right angels to each other
D. a wave consisting of two magnetic fields at right angels to each other.
C. a wave consisting of an electric field and a magnetic field oscillating at right angels to each other
E3A16 Which of the following best describes electromagnetic waves traveling in free space?
A. Electric and magnetic fields becom aligned as they travel.
B. The energy propagates through a medium with a high refractive index.
C. The waves are reflected by the ionosphere and return to their source
D. Changing electric and magnetic fields propagate the energy.
D. Changing electric and magnetic fields propagate the energy
E3A17 What is meant by circularly polarized electromagnetic waves?
A. Waves with an electric field bent into a circular shape
B. Waves with a rotating electric field
C. Waves that circle the earth
D. Waves produced by a loop antenna
A. Waves with an electric field bent into a circular shape
E3B04 Which amateur bands typically support long-path propagation?
A. 160 meters to 40 meters
B. 30 meters to 10 meters
C. 160 meters to 10 meters
D. 6 meters to 2 meters
C. 160 meters to 10 meters
E3B06 Which of the following amateur bands most frequently provides long path propagation?
A. 80 meters
B. 20 meters
C. 10 meters
D. 6 meters
B. 20 meters
E3C01 What does the term ray tracing describe in regard to radio communications?
A. The process in which an electronic display presents a pattern
B. Modeling a radio wave’s path through the ionosphere
C. Determining the radiation pattern from an array of antennas
D. Evaluating high voltage sources for X rays
B. Modeling a radio wave’s path through the ionosphere
E3C15 What might a sudden rise in radio background noise indicate?
A. A meteor ping
B. A solar flare has occurred
C. Increased trans equatorial propagation likely
D. Long pat propagation is occurring
B. A solar flare has occurred
E3C02 What is indicated by a rising A or K index?
A. Increasing disruption of the geomagnetic field
B. Decreasing disruption of the geomagnetic field
C. Higher levels of solar UV radiation
D. An increase in the critical frequency.
A. Increasing disruption of the geomagnetic field
E3C03 Which of the following signal paths is most likely to experience high levels of absorption when the A index or K index is elevated?
A. Trans equatorial propagation
B. Polar paths
C Sporadic E
D NVIS
B. Polar paths
E3C04 What does the value of B sub Z represent?
A. Geomagnetic field stability
B. Critical frequency for vertical transmissions
C. Direction and strength of the interplanetary magnetic field
D. Duration of long delayed echoes
C. Direction and strength of the interplanetary magnetic field
E3C5 What orientation of B sub Z increases the likelihood that incoming particles from the sun will cause disturbed conditions?
A. Southward
B. Northward.
C. Eastward
D. Westward
A. Southward
E3C07 Which of the following descriptors indicates the greatest solar flare intensity?
A. Class A
B. Class B
C. Class M
D. Class X
D. Class X
E3C09 How does the intensity of an X3 flare compare to that of an X2 flare?
A. 10 percent greater
B. 50 percent greater
C. Twice as great
D. Four times as great
C. Twice as great
E3C08 What does the space weather term G5 mean?
A. a severe geomagnetic storm
B. Very low solar activity
C. Moderate solar wind
D. Waning sunspot numbers
A. a severe geomagnetic storm
E3C10 What does the 304A solar parameter measure?
A. The ratio of x-ray flux to radio flux., correlated to sunspot number
B. UV emission at 304 angstroms, correlated to solar flux index
C. The solar wind velocity at 304 degrees from the solar equator, correlated to solar activity
D. The solar emission at 304 GHz, correlated to X-Ray flare levels.
B. UV emission at 304 angstroms, correlated to solar flux index
E3C11 What does VOACAP software model?
A. AC voltage and impedance
B. VHF radio propagation
C. HF propagation
D. AC current and impedance
C. HF propagation
E3B07 Which of the following could account for hearing an echo on the received signal of a distant station?
A. High D layer absorption
B. Meteor scatter
C. Transmit frequency is higher than the MUF
D. Receipt of a signal by more than one path
D. Receipt of a signal by more than one path
E3B12 What is the primary characteristic of chordal hop propagation?
A. propagation away from the great circle bearing between stations
B. Successive ionospheric reflections without an intermediate reflection from the ground
C. Propagation across the geomagnetic equator
D. Signals reflected back towards the transmitting station
B. Successive ionospheric reflections without an intermediate reflection from the ground
E3B13 Why is chordal hop propagation desirable?
A. The signal experiences less loss along the path compared to normal skip propagation
B. The MUF for chordal hop propagation is much lower than for normal skip propagation
C. Atmospheric noise is lower in the direction of chordal hop propagation
D. Signals travel faster along ionospheric chords
A. The signal experiences less loss along the path compared to normal skip propagation
E2C12 What might help to restore contact when DX signals become too weak to copy across an entire HF band a few hours after sunset?
A. Switch to a higher frequency HF band
B. Switch to a lower frequency HF band
C. Wait 90 minutes or so for the signal degradation to pass
D. Wait 24 hours before attempting another communication on the band
B. Switch to a lower frequency HF band
E3B08 What type of HF propagation is probably occurring if radio signals travel along the terminator between daylight and darkness?
A. Trans equatorial
B. Sporadic - E
C. Long path
D. Gray line
D. Gray line
E3B10 What is the cause of gray line propagation?
A. At midday, the sun super heats the ionosphere causing increased refraction of radio waves
B. At twilight and sunrise, D layer absorption is low while E layer and F layer propagation remains high
C. In darkness, solar absorption drops greatly while atmospheric ionization remains steady
D. At mid-afternoon, the sun heats the ionosphere decreasing radio wave refraction and the MUF
B. At twilight and sunrise, D layer absorption is low while E layer and F layer propagation remains high
E3B11 At what time of day is Sporadic-E propagation most likely to occur?
A. Around sunset
B. Around sunrise
C. Early evening
D. Any time
D. Any time
E3B09 At what time of year is Sporadic-E propagation most likely to occur?
A. around the solstices, especially the summer solstice
B. around the solstices, especially the winter solstice
C. around the equinoxes, especially the spring equinox
D. around the equinoxes, especially the fall equinox
A. around the solstices, especially the summer solstice
E3A08 When a meteor strikes the earth’s atmosphere, a cylindrical region of free electrons is formed at what layer of the ionosphere?
A. The E layer
B. The F1 layer
C. The F2 layer
D. The D layer
A. The E layer
E3A09 Which of the following frequency ranges is most suited for meteor scatter communications?
A. 1.8 MHz - 1.9 MHz
B. 10 MHz - 14 MHz
C. 18 MHz - 148 MHz
D. 220 MHz - 450 MHz
C. 18 MHz - 148 MHz
E2D01 Which of the following digital modes is especially designed for use for meteor scatter signals?
A. WSPR
B. FSK441
C. Hellschreiber
D. APRS
B. FSK441
E2D02 Which of the following is a good technique for making meteor scatter contacts?
A. 15 second timed transmission sequences with stations alternating based on location
B. Use of high speed CW or digital modes
C. Short transmission with rapidly repeated call signs and signal reports
D. All of these choices are correct
D. All of these choices are correct
E3B01 What is trans equatorial propagation?
A. Propagation between two mid-latitude points at approximately the same distance north and south of the magnetic equator
B. Propagation between any 2 points located on the magnetic equator
C. Propagation between two continents by way of ducts along the magnetic equator
D. Propagation between two stations at the same latitutde.
A. Propagation between two mid-latitude points at approximately the same distance north and south of the magnetic equator
E3B02 What is the approximate range for signals using trans equatorial propagation?
A. 1000 miles
B. 2500 miles
C. 5000 miles
D. 7500 miles
C. 5000 miles
E3B03 What is the best time of day for trans equatorial propagation?
A. Morning
B. Noon
C. Afternoon / early evening
D. Late at night
C. Afternoon / early evening
E3A12 What is the cause of auroral activity?
A. The interaction in the F2 layer between the solar wind and the Van Allen belt
B. A low sunspot level combined with tropospheric ducting
C. The interaction in the E layer of charged particles from the sun with the earth’s magnetic field
D. Meteor showers concentrated in the extreme northern and southern latitude
C. The interaction in the E layer of charged particles from the sun with the earth’s magnetic field
E3A13 Which emission mode is best for aurora propagation?
A. CW
B. SSB
C. FM
D. RTTY
A. CW
E3A14 From the contiguous 48 states, in which approximate direction should an antenna be pointed to take maximum advantage of aurora propagation?
A. South
B. North
C. East
D. West
B. North
E3B04 What is meant by the terms extraordinary and ordinary waves?
A. Extraordinary waves describe rare long skip propagation compared to ordinary waves which travel shorter distances.
B. Independent waves created in the ionosphere that are elliptically polarized
C. Long path and short path waves
D. Refracted rays and reflected waves
B. Independent waves created in the ionosphere that are elliptically polarized
E3B14 What happens to linearly polarized radio waves that split into ordinary and extraordinary waves in the ionosphere?
A. They are bent toward the magnetic poles
B. Their polarization is randomly modified.
C. The become elliptically polarized
D. The become phase-locked
C. The become elliptically polarized
E4A06 What is a major cause of atmospheric static?
A. Solar radio frequency emissions
B. Thunderstorms
C. Geomagnetic storms
D. Meteor showers
B. Thunderstorms
E3C14 Why does the radio-path horizon distance exceed the geometric horizon?
A. E region skip
B. D region skip
C. Downward bending due to aurora refraction
D. Downward bending due to density variations in the atmosphere.
D. Downward bending due to density variations in the atmosphere.
E3C06 By how much does the VHF/UHF radio horizon distance exceed the geometric horizon?
A. By approximately 15 percent of the distance
B. By approximately twice the distance
C. By approximately 50 percent of the distance
D. By approximately four times the distance.
A. By approximately 15 percent of the distance
E3A05 Tropospheric propagation of microwave signals often occurs along what weather related structure?
A. Gray line
B. Lightning discharges
C. Warm and cold fronts
D. Sprites and jets
C. Warm and cold fronts
E3A07 Atmospheric ducts capable of propagating microwave signals often form over what geographic feature?
A. Mountain ranges
B. Forests
C. Bodies of water
D. Urban areas
C. Bodies of water
E3A10 Which type of atmospheric structure can create a path for microwave propagation?
A. The jet stream
B. Temperature inversion
C. Wind shear
D. Dust devil
B. Temperature inversion
E3A11 What is a typical range for tropospheric propagation of microwave signals?
A. 10 miles to 50 miles
B. 100 miles to 300 miles
C. 1200 miles
D. 2500 miles
B. 100 miles to 300 miles
E3A04 What do Hepburn maps predict?
A. Sporadic E propagation
B. Locations of auroral reflecting zones
C. Likelihood of rain-scatter along cold or warm fronts
D. Probability of tropospheric propagation
D. Probability of tropospheric propagation
E3A06 Which of the following is required for microwave propagation via rain scatter?
A. Rain droplets must be electrically charged
B. Rain droplets must be within the E layer
C. The rain must be within radio range of both stations
D. All of these choices are correct.
C. The rain must be within radio range of both stations
E3C12 How does the maximum distance of ground wave propagation change when the signal frequency is increased?
A. It stays the same
B. It increases
C. It decreases
D. It peaks at roughly 14 MHz
C. It decreases
E3C13 What type of polarization is best for ground-wave propagation?
A. Vertical
B. Horizontal
C. Circular
D. Elliptical
A. Vertical
E2C01 Which of the following is true about contest operating?
A. Operators are permitted to make contacts even if they do not submit a log
B. interference to other amateurs is unavoidable and therefor acceptable.
C. It is mandatory to transmit the call sign of the station being worked as part of every transmission to that station
D. Every contest requires a signal report in the exchange
A. Operators are permitted to make contacts even if they do not submit a log
E2C11 How should you generally identify your station when attempting to contact a DX station during a contest or in a pileup?
A. Send your full call sign once or twice
B. Send only the last 2 letters of your call sign until you make contact
C. Send your full call sign and grid square
D. Send the call signe of the DX station three times, the work “this is,” then your call sign 3 times.
A. Send your full call sign once or twice
E2C07 What is the Cabrillo format?
A. a standard for submission of electronic contest logs
B. A method of exchanging information during a contest QSO
C. The most common set of contest rules
D. The rules of order for meetings between contest sponsors
A. a standard for submission of electronic contest logs
E2C02 Which of the following best describes the term self-spotting in regards to HF contest operating?
A. The generally prohibited practice of posting one’s own call sign and frequency on a spotting network
B. The acceptable practice of manually posting the call signs of stations on a spotting network
C. A manual technique for rapidly zero beating or tuning to a station’s frequency before calling that station
D. An automatic method for rapidly zero beating or tuning to a station’s frequency before calling that station.
A. The generally prohibited practice of posting one’s own call sign and frequency on a spotting network
E2C06 During a VHF/UHF contest, in which band segment would you expect to find the highest level of activity?
A. At the top of each band, usually in a segment reserved for contests
B. In the middle of each band, usually on the national calling frequency
C. In the weak signal segment of the band, with most of the activity near the calling frequency
D. In the middle of the band, usually 25 kHz above the national calling frequency
C. In the weak signal segment of the band, with most of the activity near the calling frequency
E2C03 From which of the following bands is amateur radio contesting generally excluded?
A. 30 M
B. 6 M
C. 2 M
D. 33 centimeters
A. 30 M
E2C05 What is the function of a DX QSL Manager?
A. To allocate frequencies for DXpeditions
B. To handle the receiving and sending of confirmation cards for a DX station
C. To run a net to allow many stations to contact a rare DX station
D. To relay calls to and from a DX station
B. To handle the receiving and sending of confirmation cards for a DX station
E2C08 Which of the following contacts may be confirmed through the US QSL Bureau?
A. Special event contacts between stations in the US
B. Contacts between a US station and a non-US station
C. Repeater contacts between US club members
D. Contacts using tactical call signs
B. Contacts between a US station and a non-US station
