Ham Radio Technician Test Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Ham Radio Technician Test facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. What action must an amateur take before transmitting on a frequency? → Listen to make sure the frequency is not in use
2. What does the procedural signal "CQ" mean? → Calling any station
3. What is the purpose of a 'check-in' during a directed net? → To let the Net Control Station know you are available to handle traffic or assignments
4. What is the correct procedure when two amateur stations want to have a private conversation on a repeater? → Move to a simplex frequency if possible to free the repeater
5. Which type of circuit has only one path for current to flow? → Series circuit
6. Which tool is typically used to measure the standing wave ratio (SWR) in a ham radio setup? → SWR meter
7. What time of year is it most likely that occasional E propagation will take place? → Around the solstices, especially the summer solstice
8. What is meant by 'self-training' as one of the purposes of the amateur service listed in Part 97? → Amateurs develop their technical and operating skills through practice and experimentation
9. What is 'packet radio'? → A digital mode that sends data in bursts using AX.25 protocol
10. What is the purpose of a good RF ground at an amateur radio station? → To reduce RF interference and protect equipment from static and lightning surges
11. What is a safe distance to maintain from high-voltage power lines when setting up an antenna? → 10 feet
12. What action should you take if you notice that the insulation on a power cord supplying your transceiver is cracked or frayed? → Stop using the equipment and replace the cord before further operation
13. Which factor does NOT affect RF exposure from an amateur radio station? → The color of the antenna
14. Which ITU region is the United States located in? → Region 2
15. Which of the following frequencies is within the Technician class HF phone privilege? → 28.400 MHz
16. What does the term 'full break-in' (QSK) mean in CW operation? → The operator can hear signals in the receiver gaps between CW elements
17. What is the impedance of a typical half-wave dipole antenna in free space? → 73 ohms
18. What is the normalization procedure in relation to a Smith chart? → Reassigning impedance values with regard to the prime center
19. Which HF/MF bands are all amateur frequency privileges available to General class license holders? → 160 meters, 60 meters, 30 meters, 17 meters, 12 meters, and 10 meters
20. What is the purpose of ferrite beads or a common-mode choke on a feedline near the transmitter? → To suppress common-mode RF current flowing on the outside of the coax shield
21. What is the resonant frequency of an LC circuit? → The frequency at which inductive and capacitive reactances are equal
22. Which of the following is considered poor operating etiquette? → Interrupting other operators
23. What is a 'club station' in amateur radio? → A station licensed to an amateur radio club with a trustee responsible for its operation
24. A handheld transceiver's battery voltage drops to the low-battery threshold mid-contact. What is the most likely effect on the transmitted signal? → Output power will decrease, possibly causing deviation errors
25. What is IRLP (Internet Radio Linking Project)? → A method of connecting amateur radio repeaters to each other via the internet
26. If you know another station's call sign and want to call them on a repeater, how should you do it? → Say the station’s call sign then identify with your call sign
27. With the help of a digital signal processing noise filter, which of the following types of noise may be frequently reduced? → All these choices are correct
28. What is 'propagation' in the context of amateur radio? → The way radio waves travel from a transmitter to a receiver
29. What RF safety hazard is specifically associated with operating a hand-held transceiver (HT) at close range to the body? → The RF energy may cause localized tissue heating near the body
30. What is modulation in the context of radio transmissions? → Adding information to a carrier wave