General Amateur Radio Exam 2019-2023

This is a list of topics I had to commit to memory when studying on HamTestOnline.com for my General Amateur Radio License.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth - Signal Type to Bandwidth:

General Class Frequency Privileges:

Overall:

Specific General Class Frequencies to Remember for Test:

• Phone and images not permitted on 30 m band.

Crossband Repeater:

• The FCC regulations limit repeaters in the 10-meter band to the frequency range 29.5-29.7 MHz.

Transmitter Power:

• No station may transmit with a transmitter power exceeding 1500 watts PEP. 
• No station may transmit with a transmitter power output exceeding 200 W PEP on the 30-meter band (10.1-10.15 MHz).

Maximum Symbol Rate:

Basic Band to Symbol Rates

Frequently Used Q Signs:

Used only for CW:

Band Plan:

• DX Window: Range of frequencies for DXing outside of contiguous states. An example is: 50.1-50.125 MHz
• 80 m band digital contacts occur in RTTY/Data (3.570-3.60 MHz)
• 20 m digital contacts RTTY and packet (14.070-14.112 MHZ)
• 20 m PSK31 contacts below RTTY segment (< 14.070 MHZ)

SSB: Upper vs Lower

• LSB for frequencies below 9 MHz (160, 80 and 40 m)
• USB for frequencies above 9 MHz (20 m and  shorter including VHF and UHF)

Exceptions

• USB on all five channels of 60 m
• LSB is always used for RTTY and AFSK
• USB is always used for certain digital modes (PSK31, JT65, JT9 or FT8 on AFSK)

Procedural Signs for CW:

Formulas:

• P = E * I
• P = E² / R
• P = I² * R
• E_vrms = sqrt(P * R)
• V_rms  = Peak V * .707, where peak is taken from oscillator, if peak to peak divide by 2
• PEP = (V_rms)² / R
• 1/2 Wavelength = 468/Mhz, if 1/4 half numerator
• Low Dev = Freq. Dev / (Freq / Low Freq)
• Bandwidth = 2 * (D_max + M_max)
• Db Loss = 10^{-(Db Loss / 10)}
• Sum Resistors and Inductors in series.
• Sum reciprocal Resistors and Inductors in parallel.
• Sum Capacitors in parallel.
• Sum reciprocal Capacitors in series.
• Transformer = N_p/N_s = sqrt(Z_p/Z_s)