Ham Exam Study Guides
Amateur Extra Class License Study Guide
The Extra class license is the highest amateur radio license. It grants all amateur privileges on all bands. Click any subelement to expand.
50
Questions on Exam
37
Correct to Pass (74%)
622
Questions in Pool
E1-E9
Subelements
E1 - FCC Rules and Regulations +
Key Topics
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>Extra class privileges: All amateur frequencies on all bands including exclusive Extra-only segments.
>Extra-only HF segments: 3.600-3.700 MHz (80m), 7.125-7.175 MHz (40m), 14.150-14.175 MHz (20m), 21.200-21.225 MHz (15m), 28.300-28.500 MHz (10m).
>Volunteer Examiner Coordinator VEC: Coordinates exam sessions; ARRL VEC is largest in the US.
>Station records: Must be kept for one year after last day of operating.
>Spread spectrum rules: Must not cause interference; cannot be used to obscure meaning of transmission.
>Amateur television ATV: Fast-scan TV above 70cm; slow-scan SSTV permitted on HF.
>Part 97 enforcement: FCC can issue fines, suspensions, and revocations of license.
>Quiet zones: Restricted areas near radio telescopes and government facilities; lower power limits apply.
>Frequency sharing: Amateur is secondary on some bands; must not interfere with primary users.
>Retransmission: Allowed only with permission of originating station except for emergency.
Tip: E1 = 6 exam questions. Know Extra-only segments, VEC rules, and Part 97 enforcement cold.
E2 - Operating Procedures +
Key Topics
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>CW abbreviations: 599 RST, TU thank you, SK end of contact, BK break in, KN go only specified station, AR end of message, DE this is.
>DXpeditions: Operations from rare or remote DXCC entities; often generate large pileups.
>DXCC: DX Century Club award; contact 100 or more DXCC entities confirmed.
>Grid squares Maidenhead: 2-letter 2-number location system; used for VHF contests and satellite work.
>EME moonbounce: Signals reflected off the moon; extreme path loss; requires high power and large antennas.
>Meteor scatter: Reflects VHF signals off ionized meteor trails; use MSK144 or FSK441 digital modes.
>Weak signal VHF: JT65 and FT8 used for very weak signal contacts on VHF and above.
>Frequency coordination: Voluntary system to assign repeater frequencies and minimize conflicts.
>Autopatch: Connects repeater to telephone line; must comply with telephone regulations.
>POTA: Parks on the Air; portable operations from national and state parks for award credit.
Tip: E2 = 2 exam questions. Know CW abbreviations, EME, meteor scatter, and weak signal digital modes.
E3 - Radio Wave Propagation +
Key Topics
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>Auroral propagation: VHF signals scattered by aurora; CW and SSB only; signal has rough watery sound.
>Sporadic-E: Unpredictable dense ionization in E layer; allows 6m and 2m long-distance contacts.
>Transequatorial TEP: F-layer path crossing magnetic equator; peaks around equinoxes; common 6m and 10m.
>Tropospheric scatter: Forward scatter off turbulence in troposphere; 150-1000 mile paths possible.
>Knife-edge diffraction: VHF signals diffract over sharp terrain features extending range.
>Chordal hop: Successive reflections within ionosphere without touching Earth; very low path loss.
>Gray line enhancement: Propagation along terminator where D layer is transitioning at dawn and dusk.
>Ionospheric tilt: Gradual change in ionosphere density causes signal bending toward denser region.
>Meteor scatter modes: MSK144 for random meteor scatter; FSK441 older mode; contacts typically very brief.
>Long path propagation: Sometimes stronger than short path; signals travel the long way around the Earth.
Tip: E3 = 2 exam questions. Know auroral, TEP, troposcatter, and chordal hop propagation modes.
E4 - Amateur Radio Practices +
Key Topics
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>Oscilloscope: Displays voltage vs. time; used to check waveform shape, distortion, and modulation.
>Spectrum analyzer: Displays amplitude vs. frequency; used to check harmonics and spurious emissions.
>Vector network analyzer VNA: Measures antenna impedance, SWR, and feedline characteristics across a range of frequencies.
>Noise figure: How much noise a receiver adds to the signal; lower is better; measured in dB.
>Dynamic range: Difference between weakest and strongest signals a receiver handles simultaneously.
>IMD Intermodulation Distortion: Unwanted mixing products from two or more strong signals entering receiver.
>IP3 Third-order intercept point: Measure of receiver linearity; higher IP3 = better handling of strong signals.
>Phase noise: Instability in oscillator output; causes interference to nearby signals in receiver.
>S-meter calibration: S9 = 50 microvolts at antenna terminals; each S unit = 6 dB difference.
>BER Bit Error Rate: Measure of digital signal quality; lower BER = better link quality.
Tip: E4 = 4 exam questions. Know test equipment especially VNA, spectrum analyzer, noise figure, and IP3.
E5 - Electrical Principles +
Key Topics
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>Complex impedance: Z = R + jX where j is imaginary unit; R is resistance, X is reactance.
>Admittance Y: Reciprocal of impedance; Y = 1/Z; measured in siemens.
>Conductance G: Reciprocal of resistance; G = 1/R; real part of admittance.
>Susceptance B: Reciprocal of reactance; B = 1/X; imaginary part of admittance.
>Skin effect: At high frequencies current flows near conductor surface; increases effective resistance.
>Resonant circuit Q: Q = resonant frequency divided by 3dB bandwidth; high Q = narrow sharp resonance.
>Loaded vs. unloaded Q: Loaded Q accounts for external resistance; always lower than unloaded Q.
>RC time constant: T = R x C seconds; time to charge to 63.2 percent of final voltage.
>RL time constant: T = L divided by R seconds; time for current to reach 63.2 percent of final value.
>Series-parallel conversions: Any series RLC circuit can be converted to equivalent parallel circuit at a given frequency.
Tip: E5 = 4 exam questions. Master complex impedance, admittance, Q factor, skin effect, and time constants.
E6 - Circuit Components +
Key Topics
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>MOSFET: Metal oxide semiconductor FET; very high input impedance; used in RF amplifiers and switching.
>JFET: Junction FET; gate is reverse-biased diode; excellent low-noise amplifier.
>SCR Silicon Controlled Rectifier: Thyristor; latches on when triggered by gate pulse; used in power control.
>Varactor diode: Voltage-variable capacitor; used in VCOs and electronic tuning circuits.
>PIN diode: Used as RF switch or attenuator; resistance controlled by DC bias current.
>Schottky diode: Fast switching; low forward voltage drop; used in mixers and detectors.
>Tunnel diode: Exhibits negative resistance region; used in oscillators and low-noise amplifiers.
>Quartz crystal: Piezoelectric resonator; very high Q; used for stable oscillators and narrow filters.
>SAW filter: Surface Acoustic Wave filter; used in IF and RF filtering in modern transceivers.
>Microstrip: Transmission line etched on PCB; used at microwave frequencies for filters and matching.
Tip: E6 = 5 exam questions. Know varactor, PIN, Schottky, and tunnel diode applications plus MOSFET vs. JFET differences.
E7 - Practical Circuits +
Key Topics
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>Op-amp configurations: Inverting amplifier, non-inverting amplifier, voltage follower, comparator, integrator, differentiator.
>Op-amp gain inverting: Gain = negative feedback resistor divided by input resistor.
>Op-amp gain non-inverting: Gain = 1 plus (feedback resistor divided by input resistor).
>Active filters: Use op-amps with RC networks; low-pass, high-pass, bandpass, band-reject types.
>Butterworth filter: Maximally flat passband response; gradual rolloff.
>Chebyshev filter: Steeper rolloff than Butterworth; has ripple in passband.
>Phase locked loop PLL: VCO locked to reference frequency; used for frequency synthesis and demodulation.
>Direct Digital Synthesis DDS: Generates precise frequencies digitally from lookup table; very fine resolution.
>Class A amplifier: Conducts full 360 degrees; most linear; least efficient at about 25 percent.
>Class B amplifier: Conducts 180 degrees; more efficient at about 60 percent; requires two devices for full cycle.
>Class C amplifier: Conducts less than 180 degrees; most efficient at about 80 percent; used in CW and FM only.
>Class D and E amplifiers: Switching amplifiers; very high efficiency; used in modern HF transceivers.
Tip: E7 = 7 exam questions. Know op-amp gain formulas, filter types, amplifier classes, PLL, and DDS operation.
E8 - Signals and Emissions +
Key Topics
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>Fourier analysis: Any periodic waveform can be represented as sum of sine waves at harmonic frequencies.
>Square wave harmonics: Contains fundamental plus all odd harmonics; 3rd, 5th, 7th etc.
>Bandwidth of AM: Total bandwidth = 2 x highest modulating frequency.
>Bandwidth of SSB: Equal to highest modulating frequency minus lowest; typically 2.4-3 kHz for voice.
>Bandwidth of FM: Carson rule: BW = 2 x (deviation plus highest audio frequency).
>Modulation index AM: Ratio of peak audio amplitude to carrier amplitude; max = 1 for 100 percent modulation.
>Modulation index FM: Ratio of frequency deviation to highest modulating frequency.
>Digital modulation: FSK frequency shift keying; PSK phase shift keying; QAM quadrature amplitude modulation.
>Nyquist theorem: Sample rate must be at least twice the highest frequency to avoid aliasing.
>SDR Software Defined Radio: Radio functions implemented in software; very flexible; uses ADC directly at RF or IF.
Tip: E8 = 4 exam questions. Know bandwidth formulas for AM, SSB, FM, and digital modulation types.
E9 - Antennas and Feedlines +
Key Topics
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>Antenna patterns: Free space vs. over ground; elevation and azimuth plots; front-to-back ratio.
>Yagi design: Element spacing and length affect gain and front-to-back ratio; longer boom = more gain.
>Log periodic LPDA: Broadband directional antenna; gain slightly less than Yagi; covers wide frequency range.
>Beverage antenna: Long wire close to ground; receive-only; excellent low-angle sensitivity for 160m and 80m.
>Small transmitting loop: High Q; very narrow bandwidth; needs frequent retuning; surprisingly efficient.
>Phased verticals: Two or more verticals fed with specific phase and amplitude; creates directional pattern.
>Impedance matching networks: L-network, pi-network, T-network; transform impedance between source and load.
>Transmission line theory: Voltage and current standing waves; reflection coefficient; return loss.
>Smith chart: Graphical tool for solving transmission line and impedance matching problems.
>Antenna modeling: NEC-based software like EZNEC models antenna patterns and impedance before building.
>EMC and RFI: Common mode vs. differential mode; ferrite chokes placement; bonding and grounding best practices.
>Waveguide: Used at microwave frequencies; acts as high-pass filter; cutoff frequency determined by dimensions.
Tip: E9 = 8 exam questions. Know antenna patterns, impedance matching networks, Smith chart basics, and transmission line theory.