General Licensing Class CW Lives Lake Area Radio Klub Spring 2012

2 Amateur Radio General Class Element 3 Course Presentation  ELEMENT 3 SUB-ELEMENTS (Groupings)  1 - Your Passing CSCE  2 - Your New General Bands  3 - FCC Rules  4 - Be a VE  5 - Voice Operations  6 - CW Lives  7 - Digital Operating  8 - In An Emergency  9 - Skywave Excitement

3 Amateur Radio General Class Element 3 Course Presentation  ELEMENT 3 SUB-ELEMENTS (Groupings)  10 - Your HF Transmitter  11 - Your Receiver  12 - Oscillators & Components  13 - Electrical Principles  14 - Circuits  15 - Good Grounds  16 - HF Antennas  17 - Coax Cable  18 - RF & Electrical Safety

CW Lives  When selecting a CW transmitting frequency, 150 to 500 Hz is the minimum frequency separation you should allow in order to minimize interference to stations on adjacent frequencies. (G2B04)  The term “zero beat” in CW operation means matching your transmit frequency to the frequency of a received signal. (G2C06)  The best speed to use answering a CQ in Morse Code is the speed at which the CQ was sent. (G2C05)  When sending CW, a “C” added to the RST report means a chirpy or unstable signal. (G2C07) RST stands for R eadability … Signal S trength … T one

CW Lives READABILITY (R) for Voice + CW 1 – Unreadable 2 – Barely readable, occasional words distinguishable 3 – Readable with considerable difficulty 4 – Readable with practically no difficulty 5 – Perfectly readable

CW Lives SIGNAL STRENGTH (S) for Voice + CW 1 – Faint, barely perceptible signals 2 – Very weak signals 3 – Weak signals 4 – Fair signals 5 – Fairly good signals 6 – Good signals 7 – Moderately strong signals 8 – Strong signals 9 – Extremely strong signals

CW Lives Tone (T) Use on CW only 1 – Very rough, broad signals, 60 cycle AC may be present 2 – Very rough AC tone, harsh, broad 3 – Rough AC tone, rectified but not filtered 4 – Rough note, some trace of filtering 5 – Filtered rectified AC but strongly ripple-modulated 6 – Filtered tone, definite trace of ripple modulation 7 – Near pure tone, trace of ripple modulation 8 – Near perfect tone, slight trace of modulation 9 – Perfect tone, no trace of ripple or modulation of any kind

CW Lives  Q signals are three letter combinations that begin with the letter ‘Q’  If a CW station sends "QRS", send slower. (G2C02)  The Q signal "QRQ" means “send faster.” (G2C10)  The Q signal “QRV” means, “I am ready to receive messages.” (G2C11)  The Q signal "QSL" means, “I acknowledge receipt.” (G2C09) Q signals always begin with the letter ‘Q’ and have only three letters.

99 CW Lives Something is causing interference I am troubled by static/noise. I am running low power. Send faster ( ____ WPM) Send more slowly ( ___ WPM) I am going off the air. I am ready Who is calling me? Your signal is fading. I received the message. I will communicate with ________ directly. I am changing frequency to _____. My location is _______. QRM QRN QRP QRZ QSB QSL QSO QSY QTH QRT QRQ QRS QRV These four are the only ones on the exam.

CW Lives  When a CW operator sends "KN" at the end of a transmission, it means the operator is listening only for a specific station or stations. (G2C03) This is called a ‘prosign’ and is used on CW only.  AR is the prosign that is sent to indicate the end of a formal message when using CW. (G2C08)  When a CW operator sends "CL" at the end of a transmission, it means “closing station,” or that the operator is going off the air. (G2C04)  When using full break-in telegraphy (QSK), transmitting stations can receive between code characters and elements. (G2C01) If another station wishes to interrupt, you will hear its signal between your dots and dashes

CW Lives  Observation of propagation and reception is a purpose of a beacon station as identified in the FCC Rules. (G1B03) Beacon stations are found at MHz, MHz, MHz, MHz, MHz, and on 2 meters below MHz.

 100 watts PEP output is the power limit for beacon stations. (G1B10)  One of the conditions with which beacon stations must comply is that there must be no more than one beacon signal in the same band from a single location. (G1B02)  An advantage of selecting the opposite or "reverse" sideband when receiving CW signals on a typical HF transceiver is that it may be possible to reduce or eliminate interference from other signals. (G4A02)  It is good to match receiver bandwidth to the bandwidth of the operating mode because it results in the best signal to noise ratio. (G8B09) CW Lives

 The purpose of an electronic keyer, for example, is automatic generation of strings of dots and dashes for CW operation. (G4A10) CW Lives

Element 3 General Class Question Pool CW Lives Valid July 1, 2011 Through June 30, 2015

G2B04 When selecting a CW transmitting frequency, what minimum frequency separation should you allow in order to minimize interference to stations on adjacent frequencies? A. 5 to 50 Hz B. 150 to 500 Hz C. 1 to 3 kHz D. 3 to 6 kHz

G2C06 What does the term “zero beat” mean in CW operation? A.Matching the speed of the transmitting station. B.Operating split to avoid interference on frequency. C.Sending without error. D.Matching your transmit frequency of a received signal.

G2C05 What is the best speed to use answering a CQ in Morse Code? A. The speed at which you are most comfortable copying B. The speed at which the CQ was sent C. A slow speed until contact is established D. 5 wpm, as all operators licensed to operate CW can copy this speed

G2CO7 When sending CW, what does a “C” mean when added to the RST report? A.Chirpy or unstable signal B.Report was read from S meter reading rather than estimated C.100 percent copy D.Key clicks

G2C02 What should you do if a CW station sends "QRS"? A. Send slower B. Change frequency C. Increase your power D. Repeat everything twice.

G2C10 What does the Q signal "QRQ" mean? A. Slow down B. Send faster C. Zero beat my signal D. Quitting operation

G2C11 What does the Q signal “QRV” mean? A. You are sending too fast. B. There is interference on the frequency. C. I am quitting for the day. D. I am ready to receive messages.

G2C09 What does the Q signal "QSL" mean? A. Send slower B. We have already confirmed by card C. I acknowledge receipt D. We have worked before

G2C03 What does it mean when a CW operator sends "KN" at the end of a transmission? A. Listening for novice stations B. Operating full break-in C. Listening only for a specific station or stations D. Closing station now

G2C08 What prosign is sent to indicate the end of a formal message when using CW ? A. SK B. BK C. AR D. KN

G2C04 What does it mean when a CW operator sends "CL" at the end of a transmission? A.Keep frequency clear B.Operating full break-in C.Only for a specific station or stations D.Closing station

G2C01 Which of the following describes full break-in telegraphy (QSK)? A. Breaking stations send the Morse code prosign BK B. Automatic keyers are used to send Morse code instead of hand keys C.An operator must activate a manual send/receive switch before and after every transmission D.Incoming signals are received between transmitted code character elements

27 G1B03 Which of the following is a purpose of a beacon station as identified in the FCC Rules? A. Observation of propagation and reception B. Automatic Identification of Repeaters C. Transmission of bulletins of general interest to Amateur Radio licensees D. Identifying Net Frequencies

28 G1B10 What is the power limit for beacon stations? A. 10 watts PEP output B. 20 watts PEP output C. 100 watts PEP output D. 200 watts PEP output

29 G1B02 With which of the following conditions must beacon stations comply? A. A beacon station may not use automatic control. B. The frequency must be coordinated with the National Beacon Organization C. The frequency must be posted on the Internet or published in a national periodical D.There must be no more than one beacon signal in the same band from a single location

30 G4A02 What is one advantage of selecting the opposite or “reverse” sideband when receiving CW signals on a typical HF transceiver. A. Interference from impulse noise will be eliminated. B. More stations can be accommodated within a given signal passband. C.It may be possible to reduce or eliminate interference from other signals. D. Accidental out of band operation can be prevented.

31 G8B09 Why is it good to match receiver bandwidth to the bandwidth of the operating mode? A. It is required by FCC rules. B. It minimizes power consumption in the receiver. C. It improves impedance matching of the antenna. D. It results in the best signal to noise ratio.

32 G4A10What is the purpose of an electronic keyer? A. Automatic transmit/receive switching. B.Automatic generation of strings of dots and dashes for CW operation. C. VOX operation. D. Computer interface for PSK and RTTY operation.