FCC Technician Class Exam Study Guide - 2014-2018/Subelement T1 Group C

The Question Pool

Question 1

Which type of call sign has a single letter in both its prefix and suffix?

A. Vanity

B. Sequential

C. Special event

D. In-memoriam

Reference to CFR 47 Part 97.3(a)(11)(iii). Special event callsigns are issued by the FCC for temporary usage during public events or contests. During the annual field day, you will hear many special event callsigns representing radio clubs from across the nation. The correct answer is C.

Question 2

Which of the following is a valid US amateur radio station call sign?

A. KMA3505

B. W3ABC

C. KDKA

D. 11Q1176

There are three letters that prefix radio signals from radio stations within the US: 'K', 'W' and 'N'. 'N' is used widely in aviation, but also sees amateur service as well. The 'W' is used more in eastern regions while the 'K' is used more in the midwest and western US.
Ham radio callsigns have a number within them, so answer C is incorrect. A leading number, such as in D, does not represent an American callsign. Radio callsigns begin with either one or two letters, but never three. The correct answer is B.

Question 3

What types of international communications are permitted by an FCC-licensed amateur station?

A. Communications incidental to the purposes of the amateur service and remarks of a personal character

B. Communications incidental to conducting business or remarks of a personal nature

C. Only communications incidental to contest exchanges, all other communications are prohibited

D. Any communications that would be permitted by an international broadcast station

Reference to 97.117. Under no circumstances should amateur radio stations be used to further an economic interest. Answer B is not correct because business conversation is not appropriate over the air and personal remarks is very bad manners. The very restrictive answer C almost gives itself away as invalid just as much as the over-generous answer D. We are left with A as our correct answer.

Question 4

When are you allowed to operate your amateur station in a foreign country?

A. When the foreign country authorizes it

B. When there is a mutual agreement allowing third party communications

C. When authorization permits amateur communications in a foreign language

D. When you are communicating with non-licensed individuals in another country

Reference to 97.107. When you are in a foreign country, you live often without immunity, under their laws and ordinances. The correct answer A tells us that we are able to transmit signals, only when authorized by their governments.There are no workarounds depending on language, licensure of contacts or any private agreement between operators. Always check with the nation in which you are located regarding their policies and permissions for amateur radio emmissions.

Question 5

T1C05 (A)

Which of the following is a vanity call sign which a technician class amateur operator might select if available?

A. K1XXX

B. KA1X

C. W1XX

D. All of these choices are correct

Technician class callsigns that are assigned numerically typically compose of six symbols. If you are interested in using Morse Code, then the brevity of a vanity callsign may be interesting to you. You can apply for a shorter callsign with five symbols. Shorter callsigns with four symbols are reserved for operators with higher license classes. The correct answer is A.

Question 6

From which of the following locations may an FCC-licensed amateur station transmit, in addition to places where the FCC regulates communications?

A. From within any country that belongs to the International Telecommunications Union

B. From within any country that is a member of the United Nations

C. From anywhere within in ITU Regions 2 and 3

D. From any vessel or craft located in international waters and documented or registered in the United States

Reference to 97.5(a)(2). The correct answer is D.

Question 7

What may result when correspondence from the FCC is returned as undeliverable because the grantee failed to provide the correct mailing address?

A. Fine or imprisonment

B. Revocation of the station license or suspension of the operator license

C. Require the licensee to be re-examined

D. A reduction of one rank in operator class

Reference to 97.23. The correct answer is B.

Question 8

What is the normal term for an FCC-issued primary station/operator amateur radio license grant?

A. Five years

B. Life

C. Ten years

D. Twenty years

Reference to 97.25. You get a whole decade of operator privileges and a two year renewal grace period where your callsign and operator privileges are reserved. You can only transmit during the ten year period. The correct answer is C.

Question 9

What is the grace period following the expiration of an amateur license within which the license may be renewed?

A. Two years

B. Three years

C. Five years

D. Ten years

Reference to 97.21(a)(b). You are given two years to renew your license. Failing that, you must re-take the exam and be assigned a new callsign. It is entirely possible that your old callsign may be reassigned as a vanity callsign, so it is ideal to maintain your license and keep your record up to date. The correct answer is A.

Question 10

How soon after passing the examination for your first amateur radio license may you operate a transmitter on an amateur service frequency?

A. Immediately

B. 30 days after the test date

C. As soon as your operator/station license grant appears in the FCC’s license database

D. You must wait until you receive your license in the mail from the FCC

Reference to 97.5a. The certificate that you passed the test is only of value at your celebratory dinner that evening. A copy will be delivered to the FCC where it will be processed. At that point you are registered in the database with a callsign, you are permitted to operate. The correct answer is C. You don't need the physical copy of the license, just the ability to be verified and identified by fellow hams that hear your signals.

Question 11

If your license has expired and is still within the allowable grace period, may you continue to operate a transmitter on amateur service frequencies?

A. No, transmitting is not allowed until the FCC license database shows that the license has been renewed

B. Yes, but only if you identify using the suffix GP

C. Yes, but only during authorized nets

D. Yes, for up to two years

Reference to 97.21(b). The grace period reserves your callsign and privileges until you renew, but your privilege to emit signals is revoked until you do so. The correct answer is A. In answer D, you do have a two year grace period before you have to re-take the test and be assigned a new callsign, but this grace period does not allow you to transmit.

Question 12

Who may select a desired call sign under the vanity call sign rules?

A. Only licensed amateurs with general or extra class licenses

B. Only licensed amateurs with an extra class license

C. Only an amateur licensee who has been licensed continuously for more than 10 years

D. Any licensed amateur

Reference to 97.19. Any licensed amateur is eligible for a vanity callsigns. Four symbol callsigns are reserved for high classed amateurs. Five and Six symbol callsigns are available to all amateurs. There is also a process for inheriting a callsign from a 'silent key', a recently deceased amateur with whom you are related. The correct answer is D.

Question 13

For which licenses classes are new licenses currently available from the FCC?

A. Novice, Technician, General, Advanced

B. Technician, Technician Plus, General, Advanced

C. Novice, Technician Plus, General, Advanced

D. Technician, General, Amateur Extra

Reference to 97.9(a) and 97.17(a). Technician Plus and Novice are retired classes and are no longer offered, although privileges still exist for those members. Element 2 is the test for Technician, Element 3 is for General and Element 4 is Extra. The retired Element 1 was a Morse code test for the upgrade to Technician Plus. The correct answer is D.

Question 14

Who may select a vanity call sign for a club station?

A. Any Extra Class member of the club

B. Any member of the club

C. Any officer of the club

D. Only the person named as trustee on the club station license grant

Reference to 97.21(a) (1). There needs to be a single point of contact to act as a consistent interface between the FCC and the organization. A person will be designated as a trustee on the request documentation. It's up to that organization if the member must be Extra Class, an officer, or even an active member. The rule is that a representative must be chosen to interact with the agency. The correct answer is D.