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Subelement E2

OPERATING PROCEDURES

Section E2C

Contest and DX operating; remote operation techniques; log data format; contact confirmation; RF network systems

What indicator is required to be used by US-licensed operators when operating a station via remote control and the remote transmitter is located in the US?

  • / followed by the USPS two-letter abbreviation for the state in which the remote station is located
  • /R# where # is the district of the remote station
  • / followed by the ARRL Section of the remote station
  • Correct Answer
    No additional indicator is required

If you are utilizing remote control of a US station then the rules simply require that the station operate correctly. There is no requirement to add any sort of indicator. Remember that you are still the control operator, even if the control point is not physically located where the station is (i.e. the station is under remote control).

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Which of the following file formats is used for exchanging amateur radio log data?

  • NEC
  • ARLD
  • Correct Answer
    ADIF
  • OCF

ADIF (Amateur Data Interchange Format) is the standard digital log format. While some contests may request a cabrillo format, remember that ADIF is the format used by digital loggers.

Hint: how do you spot a difference? Consult a log of the changes.

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From which of the following bands is amateur radio contesting generally excluded?

  • Correct Answer
    30 meters
  • 6 meters
  • 70 centimeters
  • 33 centimeters

On the HF bands, for example, operating on the “WARC bands” is normally prohibited. Therefore, 30 meters is one band on which amateur radio contesting is generally excluded. (E2C03). The other “WARC bands” are 17 meters and 12 meters. They were named after the World Administrative Radio Conference, which in 1979 created a worldwide allocation of these bands for amateur use. Due to their relatively small bandwidth of 100 kHz or less, there is a sort of gentlemen's agreement that the WARC bands may not be used for general contesting.

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Which of the following frequencies can be used for amateur radio mesh networks?

  • HF frequencies where digital communications are permitted
  • Correct Answer
    Frequencies shared with various unlicensed wireless data services
  • Cable TV channels 41-43
  • The 60-meter band channel centered on 5373 kHz

The FCC designates some frequency bands for unlicensed use: 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz. You may happen to know that these frequencies are often used by small consumer devices such as cordless phones, analog wireless headphones, bluetooth, WiFi access points, and various proprietary wireless devices.

Amateur radio mesh networks are likely to be built using these frequencies because there are more restrictions on unattended operation and less bandwidth available in the HF amateur bands. There is also more hardware available that already uses the unlicensed bands, such as existing WiFi routers. A mesh network can be built by reprogramming existing WiFi routers with little or no hardware modification, for example.

Therefore the answer is Frequencies shared with various unlicensed data services.

HF frequencies are usually subject to more restrictions and have less bandwidth, so this is not a good answer. Cable TV channels 41-43 are not in the amateur allocations and would be illegal to use for this purpose, and the 60m band (one of the most restricted bands) is not available for unattended use. This is why these answers would not make sense.

Hint: The correct answer has "shared" in it, which is like a network (like sharing information).

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What is the function of a DX QSL Manager?

  • Allocate frequencies for DXpeditions
  • Correct Answer
    Handle the receiving and sending of confirmations for a DX station
  • Run a net to allow many stations to contact a rare DX station
  • Communicate to a DXpedition about propagation, band openings, pileup conditions, etc.

QSL cards are sent to confirm radio contact. Knowing that, it makes sense that a QSL Manager is someone who handles the sending and receiving of confirmation cards.

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During a VHF/UHF contest, in which band segment would you expect to find the highest level of SSB or CW activity?

  • At the top of each band, usually in a segment reserved for contests
  • In the middle of each band, usually on the national calling frequency
  • Correct Answer
    In the weak signal segment of the band, with most of the activity near the calling frequency
  • In the middle of the band, usually 25 kHz above the national calling frequency

Because the VHF & UHF bands often require line of sight, during a contest most activity will concentrate on pulling in weaker signals at the edge of propagation or experimenting with weaker propagation modes like Sporadic-E and Tropo Ducting.

As a result, most of the activity will be found in the weak-signal portions of the bands, often just a few steps away from the calling frequencies. Additionally, US band plans do not define any portions specifically for contesting.

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What is the Cabrillo format?

  • Correct Answer
    A standard for submission of electronic contest logs
  • A method of exchanging information during a contest QSO
  • The most common set of contest rules
  • A digital protocol specifically designed for rapid contest exchanges

The Cabrillo standard file format has revolutionized the world of amateur radio competitions. Log files can now be emailed in for adjudication from a variety of different logging software programs.

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Which of the following contacts may be confirmed through the Logbook of The World (LoTW)?

  • Special event contacts between stations in the US
  • Contacts between a US station and a non-US station
  • Contacts for Worked All States credit
  • Correct Answer
    All these choices are correct

Since it is the logbook of the world, it can record contacts all across the world. So all the choices are correct.

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What type of equipment is commonly used to implement an amateur radio mesh network?

  • A 2-meter VHF transceiver with a 1,200-baud modem
  • A computer running EchoLink to provide interface from the radio to the internet
  • Correct Answer
    A wireless router running custom firmware
  • A 440 MHz transceiver with a 9,600-baud modem

Normal Wi-Fi 2.4GHz / 5.8GHz wireless equipment can be used for mesh networking, as the ISM bands used for Wi-Fi overlap with amateur allocations.

Amateurs are permitted to use higher power levels (sometimes this can be done in software, or sometimes it requires an external amplifier) and gain antennas than the secondary ISM allocation.

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Why do DX stations often transmit and receive on different frequencies?

  • Because the DX station may be transmitting on a frequency that is prohibited to some responding stations
  • To separate the calling stations from the DX station
  • To improve operating efficiency by reducing interference
  • Correct Answer
    All these choices are correct

Amateur stations transmitting in foreign countries or regions may have different operating privileges than the receiving stations. In order for a contact to be made, the DX Station must transmit on his authorized frequencies and receive the frequencies permitted to the responding stations.

Also, separating the transmit and receive frequencies can cause less of a "pile up" of callers for the DX station.

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How should you generally identify your station when attempting to contact a DX station during a contest or in a pileup?

  • Correct Answer
    Send your full call sign once or twice
  • Send only the last two letters of your call sign until you make contact
  • Send your full call sign and grid square
  • Send the call sign of the DX station three times, the words “this is,” then your call sign three times

In pileups, there are a multitude of operators all transmitting at once in the hopes that the other station (in this case the DX station) will hear their call sign and answer. It's usually hard to pick out

Knowing this, process of elimination:

Sending full callsign and grid square would be annoying/confusing because grid squares are also comprised of letters and numbers which could be mistaken as a call sign.

Sending only the last two letters is brief, yes, but leaves a lot of room for confusion because there's a chance that there's someone else in the pileup that also has those two letters. Also, the DX station will just have to ask for clarification if they hear you, which is a waste of time in pileups and contests.

Sending the DX's call, "this is", then yours, etc. is way too much repetition. Also, it's pretty clear if you're in the pileup that you're trying to reach the DX station. No need to say their call repeatedly, too.

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What indicates the delay between a control operator action and the corresponding change in the transmitted signal?

  • Jitter
  • Hang time
  • Correct Answer
    Latency
  • Anti-VOX

Latency is the correct term for the delay between a control operator action and the corresponding change in the transmitted signal.

An easy way to remember this is to think of "latency" as the time it takes for information to "l-a-g" behind the action.

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