Foundation Licence

WIA Amateur Radio
Foundation Level Online Assessment

Check your knowledge - Instant results

This online assessment has been made available for prospective amateurs studying for their Foundation level licence.

For the best outcome we strongly recommend you purchase a copy of "Your Entry Into Amateur Radio" the foundation licence study manual Rev 3, accessible in the Left Hand menu or by clicking this Link.

Each question in this assessment carries equal marks.
Questions must be answered by clicking the button associated with the correct answer for each question.
You have 30 minutes to complete this Amateur Radio Foundation Level online assessment.
The questions are selected at random from a pool of questions.
The order of the answers for each question have been randomised.
Exam questions are © Wireless Institute of Australia (September 2020)
Copyright in this material is owned by the Wireless Institute of Australia (‘WIA’). All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Copyrights Act 1968 you must not reproduce, adapt, publish, distribute or commercialise this material without the express written permission of the WIA. This material must not be transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system or translated to any human or computer language without written permission. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be directed to the WIA.

1. The unit of voltage is the:-

a) ohm

b) watt

c) ampere

d) volt

2. An amateur transceiver that has the transmitter incorrectly tuned may cause :-

a) interference to broadcast radio and television reception

b) interference to small kitchen appliances

c) neighbourhood dogs to bark or become frightened

d) a hum in the receiver speaker

3. When voice is applied to the microphone of an SSB (AM) radio transmitter:-

a) the frequency of the transmitted signal changes

b) the wavelength of the transmitted signal changes

c) the amplitude and frequency of the transmitted signal changes

d) the amplitude of the transmitted signal changes

4. Amateur radio operators are allocated specific bands so that:-

a) they can communicate with other types of radio services

b) day time use and night time use are consistent

c) they can use low power on any band

d) they are less likely to interfere with other radio services

5. When connecting unbalanced line to a balanced antenna the use of a balun:-

a) is good engineering practice

b) will bring the antenna to resonance

c) will tune out the reactance of the antenna

d) increase the gain of the antenna

6. The maximum power using SSB allowed for foundation amateur stations is:-

a) 50 watts PEP

b) 10 watts PEP

c) 20 watts PEP

d) 100 watts PEP

7. Interference to a neighbours television equipment by amateur transmissions has been identified; mains conducted interference has been dismissed as the problem. The most likely cause is:-

a) ionospheric refraction

b) a high level of sun spots

c) damp atmospheric conditions

d) pick up by the television set through its antenna

8. Antennas and antenna fittings most importantly must be kept clear of:-

a) overhead electric wires and power poles

b) swimming pools

c) household metallic plumbing

d) metal roofing

9. When making Amateur band transmissions on SSB:-

a) the lowest part of the upper sideband must be wholly within the amateur band

b) the centre of the transmission should be no more then 1.5 kHz from the band edge

c) they must be wholly within the amateur bands

d) the carrier frequency should remain inside the amateur bands

10. Amateur radio, broadcast radio, and TV reception can suffer interference from:-

a) traffic vibration on nearby roads

b) high intensity magnets

c) loud noise

d) high voltage power lines

11. Long distance radio communication in the range 3-30 MHz mostly relies on:-

a) tropospheric diffraction

b) tropospheric refraction

c) ionospheric refraction

d) faraday bounce from the upper atmosphere

12. When wearing headphones, make sure that:-

a) they are the padded type

b) the RF gain is low to avoid static

c) visual alarms must be used

d) the volume is adjusted so as not to damage hearing

13. When operating on an amateur band, you must announce your call sign:-

a) at the end of every transmission

b) at the beginning and end of a transmission

c) at the beginning of the first transmission and when you close down

d) at the beginning and end of a series of transmissions and at least every 10 minutes

14. Electric cables and leads left lying around the station and coiled up:-

a) may cause mains hum in radio equipment

b) should be colour coded or labelled for easy identification

c) may overheat and cause fire or be a trip hazard

d) are safe provided the electric insulation is intact

15. If you hear a MAYDAY message on the radio, you should:-

a) switch off your radio

b) not allow anyone else to communicate with the station calling MAYDAY

c) listen, and if needed, provide any assistance you can

d) switch to another band

16. Interference to a telephone or audio entertainment system can be cured by:-

a) placing a capacitor in series with the audio leads

b) adding an audio stop filter to the affected equipment

c) placing an RF choke in the audio leads

d) adding a highpass filter to the audio leads

17. When installing an antenna it is good practice to also install:-

a) wind diverters

b) antenna heaters

c) rain diverters

d) lightning protection

18. A transmitter that is incorrectly adjusted may:-

a) cause harmful interference to other radiocommunication users

b) damage the antenna

c) need a very sound earth rod

d) cause interference only on other amateur radio bands

19. A message to a third party through the amateur radio service is subject to:-

a) a small fee for the service

b) limits on the frequencies used

c) a limitation on the number of words used

d) regulatory conditions

20. VHF and UHF transmissions are considered to require an obstacle free path between transmitter and receiver, this is called:-

a) long path

b) ionospheric reflection

c) line of sight propagation

d) short path propagation

21. The RF immunity of domestic entertainment equipment can be improved by fitting:-

a) a filter to the amateur transmitter

b) suitable filters on the affected equipment

c) placing an RF immunity filter in the transmitters antenna line

d) using a balun

22. An amateur must produce their Amateur Licence to:-

a) ACMA inspectors

b) a person to whom you are causing interference

c) a WIA assessor

d) another amateur radio operator

23. The reason the mains ON/OFF switch in an amateur station should be clearly labelled is to:-

a) allow others to operate your station in your absence

b) provide an immediate isolation point if there is a complaint about interference

c) save power by switching everything off when you exit your station

d) know where the station mains power can be isolated in an emergency

24. One reason for using a balun to connect coaxial cable to a dipole is to:-

a) eliminate the use of an antenna tuning unit

b) reduce radiation from the coaxial line

c) increase the gain of the antenna

d) provide better adjustment locally under non resonant lines

25. A Foundation station licensee may:-

a) repair and fix faults inside transmitting equipment

b) construct and operate a transmitter at above 10 watts PEP output

c) fix simple faults and test 100 watt transmitting equipment on air

d) make internal adjustments to the transmitting equipment to produce harmful interference