INTRODUCTION CONTROL PANEL BOOKLIST
General Amateur Operator's Certificate Prescription
An applicant will demonstrate by way of written examination a theoretical knowledge of:-
- the legal framework of New Zealand radiocommunications
- the methods of radiocommunication, including radiotelephony, radiotelegraphy, data and image
- radio system theory, including theory relating to transmitters, receivers, antennas, propagation and measurements
- electromagnetic radiation
- electromagnetic compatibility
- avoidance and resolution of radio frequency interference.
The examination questions are taken from a question-bank of 600 questions. All questions are in the public domain.
There are thirty study topics. Each contains a multiple of ten questions.
One question out of every ten questions is randomly selected from each topic to make up each examination paper. Each examination paper has 60 questions and is unique.
A description of each topic follows in number sequence. The number of questions which will be selected for each examination paper is shown in brackets.
The total number of questions in each topic is ten times the number to be selected from it.
1. Regulations: (7 questions)
The regulatory environment.
The amateur radio licence, who issues them, payment of fees.
Callsigns.
Power permitted.
Limitations on third party and emergency operation.
Ciphers and secret codes.
2. Frequencies: (2 questions)
Frequencies and bands allocated
for amateur radio operating.
Sharing of bands.
3. Electronics
Fundamentals: (2 questions)
Atoms and sub-atomic particles, electrons,
ions.
Insulators, conductors and semiconductors.
Fields produced by currents and magnets.
Units of voltage, current, resistance, impedance.
Types of cells.
Units of voltage, current, resistance, impedance, power.
Calculations involving voltage, current, resistance (using a single resistor).
Values of resistors in series
and parallel (using two resistors and more).
Calculations involving resistor combinations, voltage, current.
Internal resistance of cells.
Power calculations given two of
voltage, current, resistance.
Power in resistors connected in series and parallel.
Frequencies, waveforms and
units.
Waveform shapes, rms, peak values.
Variation of capacitance with
plate size, spacing.
Dielectrics.
Variation of inductance with diameter, length, number of turns (descriptive
only).
C and L in series and parallel.
Reactance variation of C, L, with frequency.
Impedance.
Toroidal inductors.
Transformers, turns ratios, voltage transformation.
Series and parallel resonance of L and C.
Q values.
Basic procedures for removing
persons from live circuits.
Action of a RCD (residual current device), fuse, isolating transformer.
Grounding.
Colour codes and names of mains wiring.
Purpose of the ground lead, how it should be connected.
Basic properties of semiconductor materials. Basic properties and uses of diodes, zener diodes, transistors.
Recognition of electrode names of bi-polar transistors, FETs, valves, from diagrams.
The basic function of
voltmeters, ammeters, SWR bridges, power meters, the impedances they present to
circuits, how they should be connected.
Peak and rms values.
Power, voltage and current ratios expressed in dB.
Gain in dB of systems connected in cascade.
Understanding the block diagram
of a typical HF station, showing how a transceiver is connected to a linear
amplifier, low pass filter.
SWR bridge, antenna switch, antenna tuner, dummy load and antenna.
The basic function of each block.
Block diagrams of SSB, CW, FM
receivers.
Understanding the purpose of each block.
Sensitivity, selectivity,
receiver noise.
Operation of superhet, RF amplifier, IF amplifier, mixer, frequency
translation, images, product detector, BFO, AGC, audio amplifier, single and double
conversion.
Block diagrams of SSB, CW, FM
transmitters.
Understanding the purpose of each block.
Properties of the signals produced.
Linear and non-linear amplification.
Meaning of "SSB",
"CW", "FM", properties of their signals.
Causes of distortion.
Power distribution in transmitters.
Harmonic frequencies.
Causes of harmonic and parasitic generation in transmitters, filtering to reduce them.
Cells.
Mains input DC power supplies.
Purpose of diodes, capacitors, transformers.
Fullwave and halfwave rectification, ripple frequencies.
Arrangement of transformer,
rectifier, filter, regulator sections.
Recognition and basic purpose of each from a block diagram.
Purpose of fuses, crowbars.
Basic operation of switched mode power supplies, advantages and disadvantages.
Recognition of common terms
(pileup, reverse etc).
Repeater procedures, standard New Zealand splits.
Repeater Linking.
Operation of standard controls on transmitters and receivers.
Construction of coaxial and
twin-lead transmission lines.
Balanced and unbalanced lines.
Characteristic impedance.
Line losses. Standing waves, SWR.
Lengths of dipoles, verticals,
for different frequencies.
Impedances, feedpoint position.
Matching.
Antenna bandwidth.
Elements of a yagi antenna, direction of radiation.
E and H fields around antennas.
Polarisation.
Tuning antennas with inductance.
Baluns.
Dummy antenna.
Isotropic antenna.
Basic phenomena in HF, VHF, UHF
propagation.
Layers which refract signals.
D layer absorption.
Skip zones, hops, MUF, LUF, OWF.
Solar cycle.
Sky waves, ground waves.
Sporadic E.
Great circle paths, radiation angles.
Fading.
Doppler caused by satellite motion.
Causes and reduction of BCI,
TVI.
Gain, impedance, basic properties of operational amplifiers.
Op-amps in active filters.
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