⌕Log in
Home / License Exam / Technician / T4 Station Setup and Practices
Technician pool · Subelement T4

Technician exam T4: Station Setup and Practices

All 23 questions in subelement T4. The exam asks 2 of them, one from each group (T4A, T4B). Answers are hidden until you open them.

Drill these 23 questions Full practice exam

T4A

  1. T4A01 Which of the following is an appropriate power supply rating for a typical 50-watt output mobile FM transceiver?

    1. 24.0 volts at 4 amperes
    2. 13.8 volts at 4 amperes
    3. 24.0 volts at 12 amperes
    4. 13.8 volts at 12 amperes
    Show answer

    D. 13.8 volts at 12 amperes

  2. T4A02 Which of the following should be considered when selecting an accessory SWR meter?

    1. The frequency and power level at which the measurements will be made
    2. The distance that the meter will be located from the antenna
    3. The maximum SWR anticipated on the transmission line
    4. The ability of the meter to compensate for a poor transmission line match to the antenna
    Show answer

    A. The frequency and power level at which the measurements will be made

  3. T4A03 Why are short, heavy-gauge wires used for a transceiver’s DC power connection?

    1. To minimize voltage drop when transmitting
    2. To provide a close match to the power supply output impedance
    3. To avoid RF interference
    4. To minimize radiative losses in the power cable
    Show answer

    A. To minimize voltage drop when transmitting

  4. T4A04 How are the audio input and output of a transceiver connected in a station configured to operate using FT8?

    1. To a computer running a terminal program and connected to a terminal node controller unit
    2. To the audio output and input of a computer running FT8 software
    3. To an FT8 conversion unit, a keyboard, and a computer monitor
    4. To a computer connected to the FT8converter.com website
    Show answer

    B. To the audio output and input of a computer running FT8 software

  5. T4A05 Where should an RF power meter be installed?

    1. In the feed line, between the transmitter and antenna
    2. At the power supply output
    3. In parallel with the push-to-talk line and the antenna
    4. In the power supply cable, as close as possible to the radio
    Show answer

    A. In the feed line, between the transmitter and antenna

  6. T4A06 What signals are used in a computer-radio interface for digital mode operation?

    1. Receive and transmit mode, status, and location
    2. Antenna and RF power
    3. Receive audio, transmit audio, and transmitter keying
    4. NMEA GPS location and DC power
    Show answer

    C. Receive audio, transmit audio, and transmitter keying

  7. T4A07 Which of the following is one of the connections required between a computer and a transceiver to operate digital modes?

    1. Computer “line out” to transceiver push-to-talk
    2. Computer “line in” to transceiver push-to-talk
    3. Computer “line in” to transceiver speaker connector
    4. Computer “line out” to transceiver speaker connector
    Show answer

    C. Computer “line in” to transceiver speaker connector

  8. T4A08 Which of the following conductors is preferred for bonding at RF?

    1. Copper braid removed from coaxial cable
    2. Copper-clad steel wire
    3. Twisted-pair cable
    4. Flat copper strap
    Show answer

    D. Flat copper strap

  9. T4A09 How can you determine the length of time that equipment can be powered from a battery?

    1. Divide the watt-hour rating of the battery by the peak power consumption of the equipment
    2. Divide the battery ampere-hour rating by the average current draw of the equipment
    3. Multiply the watts per hour consumed by the equipment by the battery power rating
    4. Multiply the square of the current rating of the battery by the input resistance of the equipment
    Show answer

    B. Divide the battery ampere-hour rating by the average current draw of the equipment

  10. T4A10 What function does a digital mode hotspot perform for nearby transceivers?

    1. Communication with a digital voice or data network
    2. FT8 digital communications via AFSK using a smartphone connected to the internet
    3. RTTY encoding and decoding without a computer
    4. High-speed digital communications for meteor scatter
    Show answer

    A. Communication with a digital voice or data network

  11. T4A11 Where should the negative power return of a mobile transceiver be connected in a vehicle?

    1. At the 12-volt battery chassis ground
    2. To the shell of the power connector
    3. To any metal part of the vehicle
    4. Through the transceiver’s mounting bracket
    Show answer

    A. At the 12-volt battery chassis ground

  12. T4A12 What is an electronic keyer?

    1. A device for switching antennas from transmit to receive
    2. A device for voice activated switching from receive to transmit
    3. A device that assists in manual sending of Morse code
    4. An interlock to prevent unauthorized use of a radio
    Show answer

    C. A device that assists in manual sending of Morse code

T4B

  1. T4B01 What is the effect of excessive microphone gain on SSB transmissions?

    1. Frequency instability
    2. Distorted transmitted audio
    3. Increased SWR
    4. Sideband inversion
    Show answer

    B. Distorted transmitted audio

  2. T4B02 Which of the following can be used to enter a transceiver’s operating frequency?

    1. The keypad or VFO knob
    2. The CTCSS or DTMF encoder
    3. The Automatic Frequency Control
    4. All these choices are correct
    Show answer

    A. The keypad or VFO knob

  3. T4B03 How is squelch adjusted so that a weak FM signal can be heard?

    1. Set the squelch threshold so that receiver output audio is on all the time
    2. Turn up the audio level until it overcomes the squelch threshold
    3. Turn on the anti-squelch function
    4. Enable squelch enhancement
    Show answer

    A. Set the squelch threshold so that receiver output audio is on all the time

  4. T4B04 What does an FM signal sound like when received slightly off frequency?

    1. The audio increases in pitch
    2. The audio decrease in pitch
    3. There is no effect except for reduction in amplitude
    4. The audio becomes distorted
    Show answer

    D. The audio becomes distorted

  5. T4B05 What does the scanning function of an FM transceiver do?

    1. Checks incoming signal deviation
    2. Prevents interference to nearby repeaters
    3. Tunes through a range of frequencies to check for activity
    4. Tunes through a range of frequencies to determine the antenna’s resonant frequency
    Show answer

    C. Tunes through a range of frequencies to check for activity

  6. T4B06 Which of the following controls could be used if the voice pitch of a single-sideband signal returning to your CQ call seems too high or low?

    1. The AGC or limiter
    2. The bandwidth selection
    3. The tone squelch
    4. The RIT or Clarifier
    Show answer

    D. The RIT or Clarifier

  7. T4B07 What is a DMR “code plug”?

    1. An adapter cable used to connect a DMR radio to a computer for internet access
    2. Configuration data loaded onto your radio to access repeaters and talkgroups
    3. An upgrade to DMR programming software provided by the radio manufacturer to accommodate new radio models
    4. A Coder-Decoder (CODEC) that converts analog voice data to DMR digital data and vice versa
    Show answer

    B. Configuration data loaded onto your radio to access repeaters and talkgroups

  8. T4B08 What is the advantage of having a choice of receiver filter bandwidths in a multimode transceiver?

    1. Permits monitoring several modes simultaneously by selecting a separate filter for each mode
    2. Permits noise or interference reduction by selecting a bandwidth matching the mode
    3. Increases the number of frequencies that can be stored in memory
    4. Increases the amount of offset between receive and transmit frequencies
    Show answer

    B. Permits noise or interference reduction by selecting a bandwidth matching the mode

  9. T4B09 How is a specific group of stations selected on a DMR digital voice transceiver?

    1. By retrieving the frequencies from transceiver memory
    2. By enabling the group’s CTCSS tone
    3. By entering the group’s identification code
    4. By inserting a five-pin, pre-programmed code plug
    Show answer

    C. By entering the group’s identification code

  10. T4B10 Which of the following receiver filter bandwidths provides the best signal-to-noise ratio for SSB reception?

    1. 500 Hz
    2. 1000 Hz
    3. 2400 Hz
    4. 5000 Hz
    Show answer

    C. 2400 Hz

  11. T4B11 Which of the following must be programmed into a D-STAR digital transceiver before transmitting?

    1. Your call sign
    2. Your output power
    3. The codec type being used
    4. All these choices are correct
    Show answer

    A. Your call sign

Questions: NCVEC Question Pool Committee (public domain). Pool valid July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2030.