Lesson 6 Quiz: Squelch, Tones, Signaling

1. Which of the following is a characteristic of good traffic handling? Choose only ONE best answer.

• A. Passing messages exactly as received

• B. Making decisions as to whether messages are worthy of relay or delivery

• C. Ensuring that any newsworthy messages are relayed to the news media

• D. All of these choices are correct

Answer explanation

This answer is correct.

The National Traffic System takes great pride in the fact the messages that travel through their system are received exactly as they were sent. Many of the prosigns used today came from the formal traffic and message handling procedures. Each message has a "check" that is used to validate the number of words or groups in a formal message. The characteristic of good traffic handling is passing the messages exactly as they were received.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-3

2. What is the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES)? Choose only ONE best answer.

• A. A group of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for communications duty in the public service

• B. A group of licensed amateurs who are members of the military and who voluntarily agreed to provide message handling services in the case of an emergency

• C. A training program that provides licensing courses for those interested in obtaining an amateur license to use during emergencies

• D. A training program that certifies amateur operators for membership in the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service

Answer explanation

This answer is correct.

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service, or ARES, is a group of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and radio equipment for communications duty in the public service.

3.  What type of signaling uses pairs of audio tones? Choose only ONE best answer.

• A. DTMF

• B. CTCSS

• C. GPRS

• D. D-STAR

Answer explanation

This answer is correct.

Sometimes you’ll hear Touch-Tones over a radio. Those are DTMF (dual-tone, multi-frequency) audio tones, for signaling repeaters or other equipment.

4.  What is meant by “check” in a radiogram header? Choose only ONE best answer.

• A. The number of words or word equivalents in the text portion of the message

• B. The call sign of the originating station

• C. A list of stations that have relayed the message

• D. A box on the message form that indicates that the message was received and/or relayed

Answer explanation

This answer is correct.

One of the pieces of information in a formal message is the "check." The check in a formal message is the number of words or word equivalents in the text portion of the message. This "check" ensures the integrity of the messages being sent through the National Traffic System. When the receiving station performs the check -- and it is different from what is in the message -- they immediately know they have copied something incorrectly in the message.

5.  Are amateur station control operators ever permitted to operate outside the frequency privileges of their license class? Choose only ONE best answer.

• A. No

• B. Yes, but only when part of a FEMA emergency plan

• C. Yes, but only when part of a RACES emergency plan

• D. Yes, but only in situations involving the immediate safety of human life or protection of property

Answer explanation

This answer is correct.

Only under extreme situations are amateur radio control operators permitted to operate outside the frequency privileges of their license class. Operating outside the privileges of your license class is permitted, but only if necessary in situations involving the immediate safety of human life or protection of property.

6. 6. What information is contained in the preamble of a formal traffic message? Choose only ONE best answer.

• A. The email address of the originating station

• B. The address of the intended recipient

• C. The telephone number of the addressee

• D. Information needed to track the message

Answer explanation

This answer is correct.

Every formal message passed over amateur radio has a predetermined format. The preamble of the formal message contains the information needed to track the message. The preamble includes information such as the amateur station that sent the message, the station that received the message, the message number, etc.

7.  What is the purpose of a squelch function? Choose only ONE best answer.

• A. Reduce a CW transmitter's key clicks

• B. Mute the receiver audio when a signal is not present

• C. Eliminate parasitic oscillations in an RF amplifier

• D. Reduce interference from impulse noise

Answer explanation

This answer is correct.

The squelch function on your radio mutes the receiver audio when there is no signal present. If you don’t set the squelch on your radio, you would hear static even in the absence of communications in progress.

8.  What term describes the use of a sub-audible tone transmitted along with normal voice audio to open the squelch of a receiver? Choose only ONE best answer.

• A. Carrier squelch

• B. Tone burst

• C. DTMF

• D. CTCSS

Answer explanation

This answer is correct.

This means that the repeater's squelch will be opened only by a transmitter that transmits the proper sub-audible tone. This technique was developed and implemented by Motorola under the name "Private Line" or PL. Many modern radios and programming software refer to this sub-audible tone as CTCSS, or Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System. The FCC is looking for the term CTCSS when referring to PL tones and codes. There also are digital codes that aren't sub-audible but work in the same way and are known as Digital Code Squelch, or DCS. The Motorola term for DCS is "Digital Private Line," or DPL.

9.  Which of the following describes a linked repeater network? Choose only ONE best answer.

• A. A network of repeaters in which signals received by one repeater are transmitted by all the repeaters in the network

• B. A single repeater with more than one receiver

• C. Multiple repeaters with the same control operator

• D. A system of repeaters linked by APRS

Answer explanation

This answer is correct.

A linked repeater network is a network of repeaters where signals received by one repeater are repeated by all the repeaters. There’s a popular repeater network in California called the PAPA network that allows users to talk up and down the coast from home or with handheld and mobile radios.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-3

10.  What is RACES?  Choose only ONE best answer.

• A. An emergency organization combining amateur radio and citizens band operators and frequencies

• B. An international radio experimentation society

• C. A radio contest held in a short period, sometimes called a “sprint”

• D. An FCC part 97 amateur radio service for civil defense communications during national emergencies

Answer explanation

This answer is correct.

Many individuals join the ranks of the amateur community to help and assist with emergency communications. Two of the largest such communications organizations are RACES and ARES. RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service) provides emergency communications soley to government agencies and elected officials. ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) deals primarily with private organizations such as the American National Red Cross, the Salvation Army, etc. Both RACES and ARES provide valuable communications during emergencies.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-3