Ham Radio Technician Test License 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A Technician wants to upgrade to General class. What must they do?
- Pay an upgrade fee to the FCC with no exam required
- Pass the General class written exam (Element 3) (Correct answer)
- Pass both the General and Amateur Extra exams simultaneously
- Complete 100 hours of supervised on-air operation
Correct answer: Pass the General class written exam (Element 3)
Upgrading from Technician to General requires passing the 35-question General class written exam (Element 3).
Question 2: Under what circumstances may a Technician class licensee transmit on frequencies reserved for Amateur Extra class?
- Never under any circumstances (Correct answer)
- When operating under a General class control operator
- When using 5 watts or less output power
- When participating in an emergency net
Correct answer: Never under any circumstances
Extra class exclusive frequency segments may only be used by Amateur Extra licensees acting as control operators; no exceptions exist.
Question 3: What is the FCC's Part 97 in relation to amateur radio?
- The international treaty governing amateur radio
- The FCC rules that govern amateur radio service in the US (Correct answer)
- The ARRL's code of ethics for operators
- The technical standards for radio equipment manufacturing
Correct answer: The FCC rules that govern amateur radio service in the US
FCC Part 97 is the section of the Code of Federal Regulations that contains all rules governing the amateur radio service.
Question 4: Which of the following is a privilege that Technician class licensees do NOT have that General class licensees DO have?
- Operating on 2 meters
- Operating on 70 centimeters
- Operating voice on the 40-meter HF band (Correct answer)
- Operating through amateur satellites
Correct answer: Operating voice on the 40-meter HF band
General class licensees gain expanded HF phone privileges including voice on 40 meters, which Technicians are not authorized to use for phone.
Question 5: What is the purpose of the Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) system?
- To manufacture amateur radio equipment
- To coordinate and oversee the administration of FCC amateur radio license exams (Correct answer)
- To assign call signs to new licensees
- To enforce FCC regulations on behalf of the government
Correct answer: To coordinate and oversee the administration of FCC amateur radio license exams
VEC organizations coordinate Volunteer Examiner teams who administer and grade amateur radio license examinations.
Question 6: How many Volunteer Examiners (VEs) must be present to administer a Technician license exam session?
- At least 2
- At least 3 (Correct answer)
- At least 5
- At least 1
Correct answer: At least 3
FCC rules require a minimum of three accredited Volunteer Examiners to be present and supervise any amateur radio exam session.
Question 7: What does the term 'vanity call sign' mean in amateur radio?
- A call sign issued automatically by the FCC to new licensees
- A call sign chosen by the licensee and applied for through the FCC ULS (Correct answer)
- A temporary call sign used during contests
- A call sign issued only to Amateur Extra class operators
Correct answer: A call sign chosen by the licensee and applied for through the FCC ULS
A vanity call sign is one that a licensee specifically requests through the FCC ULS, such as a family call sign or one with a memorable pattern.
Ham Radio Technician Test License 4
A Technician wants to upgrade to General class.
What must they do?