FCC Exam Question: 4A3

What is indicated if a VHF radio fails to receive nearby stations and a voltmeter connected between the positive side of a radio’s DC line and ground reads zero line voltage? The fuse in the VHF radio also reads zero when checked with an ohmmeter.

A. The antenna may be defective or water intrusion has affected antenna system performance.
B. The coaxial transmission line may be open, shorted, or a connector has become intermittent.
C. A fault in the discriminator circuit is producing zero output voltage during peak modulation.
D. A “crowbar” circuit has prevented an over current condition that might damage the radio.
Correct Answer: D

Explanation: The core symptom here is that the voltmeter reads "zero line voltage" at the radio's DC input. This means the radio is receiving no power, which explains why it fails to receive nearby stations – the radio isn't even turning on. Let's break down the options: * **A) The antenna may be defective or water intrusion has affected antenna system performance.** While this would certainly prevent the radio from receiving signals, it would *not* cause the radio to have zero DC line voltage. The radio would still power on and display normal functions, just without reception. * **B) The coaxial transmission line may be open, shorted, or a connector has become intermittent.** Similar to option A, issues with the coaxial cable affect signal transmission and reception, but they do not affect the DC power supply to the radio. The radio would power on normally. * **C) A fault in the discriminator circuit is producing zero output voltage during peak modulation.** The discriminator circuit is part of the receiver's audio demodulation stage. A fault here would cause issues with receiving intelligible audio, but the radio would still be powered on and display line voltage. * **D) A “crowbar” circuit has prevented an over current condition that might damage the radio.** A crowbar circuit is a protection mechanism designed to deliberately short the power supply to ground when an overvoltage or overcurrent condition is detected. This intentional short circuit would cause the power supply to either shut down (entering protection mode) or blow an upstream fuse. In either case, the result is that zero voltage reaches the radio's input terminals, effectively "crowbarring" the power and protecting the radio from damage. The fact that the radio's internal fuse reads zero ohms (meaning it's good) supports that the protection might be happening upstream (e.g., in the power supply itself reacting to the crowbar) or that the crowbar activates before the radio's fuse can blow. This option directly explains the critical symptom of zero line voltage.

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