E3B  Transequatorial; long path; gray line

 

E3B01 (A)

What is transequatorial propagation?

A.  Propagation between two points at approximately the same distance north and south of the magnetic equator

B.  Propagation between two points at approximately the same latitude 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 latitude

 

E3B02 (C)

What is the approximate maximum range for signals using transequatorial propagation?

A.  1000 miles

B.  2500 miles

C.  5000 miles

D.  7500 miles

 

E3B03 (C)

What is the best time of day for transequatorial propagation?

A.  Morning

B.  Noon

C.  Afternoon or early evening

D.  Late at night

 

E3B04 (A)

What type of propagation is probably occurring if a beam antenna must be pointed in a direction 180 degrees away from a station to receive the strongest signals?

A.  Long-path

B.  Sporadic-E

C.  Transequatorial

D.  Auroral

 

E3B05 (D)

On what amateur bands can long-path propagation provide signal enhancement?

A.  160 to 40 meters

B.  30 to 10 meters

C.  160 to 10 meters

D.  160 to 6 meters

 

E3B06 (B)

What amateur band consistently yields long-path enhancement using a modest antenna of relatively high gain?

A.  80 meters

B.  20 meters

C.  10 meters

D.  6 meters

 

E3B07 (D)

What is the typical reason for hearing an echo on the received signal of a station in Europe while directing your HF antenna toward the station?

A.  The station's transmitter has poor frequency stability

B.  The station's transmitter is producing spurious emissions

C.  Auroral conditions are causing a direct and a long-path reflected signal to be received

D.  There are two signals being received, one from the most direct path and one from long-path propagation

 

E3B08 (D)

What type of propagation is probably occurring if radio signals travel along the earth's terminator?

A.  Transequatorial

B.  Sporadic-E

C.  Long-path

D.  Gray-line

 

E3B09 (A)

At what time of day is gray-line propagation most prevalent?

A.  Twilight, at sunrise and sunset

B.  When the sun is directly above the location of the transmitting station

C.  When the sun is directly overhead at the middle of the communications path between the two stations

D.  When the sun is directly above the location of the receiving station

 

E3B10 (B)

What is the cause of gray-line propagation?

A.  At midday the sun, being directly overhead, superheats the ionosphere causing increased refraction of radio waves

B.  At twilight solar absorption drops greatly while atmospheric ionization is not weakened enough to reduce the MUF

C.  At darkness solar absorption drops greatly while atmospheric ionization remains steady

D.  At midafternoon the sun heats the ionosphere, increasing radio wave refraction and the MUF

 

E3B11 (C)

What communications are possible during gray-line propagation?

A.  Contacts up to 2,000 miles only on the 10-meter band

B.  Contacts up to 750 miles on the 6- and 2-meter bands

C.  Contacts up to 8,000 to 10,000 miles on three or four HF bands

D.  Contacts up to 12,000 to 15,000 miles on the 10- and 15-meter bands

 

E3C  Auroral propagation; selective fading; radio-path horizon; take-

off angle over flat or sloping terrain; earth effects on propagation

 

E3C01 (D)

What effect does auroral activity have upon radio communications?

A.  The readability of SSB signals increases

B.  FM communications are clearer

C.  CW signals have a clearer tone

D.  CW signals have a fluttery tone

 

E3C02 (C)

What is the cause of auroral activity?

A.  A high sunspot level

B.  A low sunspot level

C.  The emission of charged particles from the sun

D.  Meteor showers concentrated in the northern latitudes

 

E3C03 (D)

Where in the ionosphere does auroral activity occur?

A.  At F-region height

B.  In the equatorial band

C.  At D-region height

D.  At E-region height

 

E3C04 (A)

Which emission modes are best for auroral propagation?

A.  CW and SSB

B.  SSB and FM

C.  FM and CW

D.  RTTY and AM

 

E3C05 (B)

What causes selective fading?

A.  Small changes in beam heading at the receiving station

B.  Phase differences between radio-wave components of the same transmission, as experienced at the receiving station

C.  Large changes in the height of the ionosphere at the receiving station ordinarily occurring shortly after either sunrise or sunset

D.  Time differences between the receiving and transmitting stations

 

E3C06 (B)

Which emission modes suffer the most from selective fading?

A.  CW and SSB

B.  FM and double sideband AM

C.  SSB and AMTOR

D.  SSTV and CW

 

E3C07 (A)

How does the bandwidth of a transmitted signal affect selective fading?

A.  It is more pronounced at wide bandwidths

B.  It is more pronounced at narrow bandwidths

C.  It is the same for both narrow and wide bandwidths

D.  The receiver bandwidth determines the selective fading effect

 

E3C08 (A)

How much farther does the VHF/UHF radio-path horizon distance exceed the geometric horizon?

A.  By approximately 15% of the distance

B.  By approximately twice the distance

C.  By approximately one-half the distance

D.  By approximately four times the distance

 

E3C09 (B)

For a 3-element Yagi antenna with horizontally mounted elements, how does the main lobe takeoff angle vary with height above flat ground?

A.  It increases with increasing height

B.  It decreases with increasing height

C.  It does not vary with height

D.  It depends on E-region height, not antenna height

 

E3C10 (B)

What is the name of the high-angle wave in HF propagation that travels for some distance within the F2 region?

A.  Oblique-angle ray

B.  Pedersen ray

C.  Ordinary ray

D.  Heaviside ray

 

E3C11 (C)

What effect is usually responsible for propagating a VHF signal over 500 miles?

A.  D-region absorption

B.  Faraday rotation

C.  Tropospheric ducting

D.  Moonbounce

 

E3C12 (A)

What happens to an electromagnetic wave as it encounters air molecules and other particles?

A.  The wave loses kinetic energy

B.  The wave gains kinetic energy

C.  An aurora is created

D.  Nothing happens because the waves have no physical substance


E1A | E1B | E1C | E1D | E1E | E1F | E1G | E2A | E2B | E2C

E2D | E3A | E3B | E4A | E4B | E4C | E4D | E4E | E5A | E5B

E5C | E5D | E5E | E5F | E5G | E5H | E6A | E6B | E6C | E6D

E6E | E7A | E7B | E7C | E7D | E7E | E7F | E7G | E8A | E8B

E8C | E8D | E8E | E9A | E9B | E9C | E9D | E9E