FCC Exam Question: 8-19C1

Which of the following statements is true?

A. The front end of the receiver does not provide any amplification to the RADAR signal.
B. The mixer provides a gain of at least 6 db.
C. The I.F. amplifier is always a high gain, narrow bandwidth amplifier.
D. None of the above.
Correct Answer: A

Explanation: Let's analyze each statement: A) **The front end of the receiver does not provide any amplification to the RADAR signal.** This statement can be true under specific circumstances. If a RADAR signal (which can be extremely powerful, especially when radiated directly from a nearby radar unit) is strong enough to potentially overload a receiver's front end or subsequent stages, the receiver might intentionally be designed *not* to amplify it, or even to attenuate it. Many amateur radio receivers include RF gain controls or preamplifier bypasses specifically to handle strong signals and prevent overload. Therefore, for a strong RADAR signal, the front end might indeed provide no amplification or even attenuation. B) **The mixer provides a gain of at least 6 db.** This statement is generally false. Mixers are primarily frequency translation devices, not amplifiers. Passive mixers inherently introduce conversion *loss*, typically 5-10 dB. While active mixers can provide conversion gain, it is not guaranteed to be "at least 6 dB," and many still have conversion loss or unity gain. C) **The I.F. amplifier is always a high gain, narrow bandwidth amplifier.** This statement is false. While IF amplifiers are typically high gain, their bandwidth is not "always" narrow. The IF bandwidth is chosen to match the desired signal's bandwidth. For narrow-band signals (like CW or SSB), the IF might be very narrow. However, for wideband signals (like some FM, digital data, or video signals), the IF amplifier can have a significantly wider bandwidth. Also, in a multi-conversion receiver, the first IF may be relatively wide, with subsequent IF stages providing tighter filtering. Since B and C are demonstrably false, and D (None of the above) would only be true if all other options were false, A is the most accurate statement in the context of managing strong signals in a receiver. The ability to manage strong signals by reducing or eliminating front-end amplification is a crucial aspect of receiver design.

Pass Your FCC Exam!

Study offline, track your progress, and simulate real exams with the GMDSS Trainer app.


Includes Elements 1, 3, 6, 7R, 8, and 9.