UARC Net Trivia

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October 7, 2021

What type of preamplifier, invented by hams, does not include a transistor, tube or other active amplifying device?

A. parametric

B. supercooled

C. negative feedback

D. servo

Correct! Wrong!

Parametric amplifiers use the nonlinearity of diode junctions to amplify signals.

VHF enthusiasts discovered and documented what unusual propagation mode?

A. trans-equatorial skip

B. D-layer absorption

C. tropospheric propagation

D. continuous wave

Correct! Wrong!

Trans-equatorial skip was not considered possible at VHF until it was discovered by amateurs.

Hams created what worldwide network to distribute email via amateur radio?

A. EMTOR

B. FEC

C. Winlink

D. Feld Hell

Correct! Wrong!

The Winlink system uses a network of “mailbox” stations linked to servers via the Internet to provide email service to traveling hams and for disaster response communications.

September 30, 2021

APCO Project 25 (P25) radio systems use a 12-bit Network Access Code (NAC) for access control. Instead of an analog CTCSS tone or DCS code, the NAC prefixes:

A. every data packet

B. every voice packet

C. every voice and data packet

Correct! Wrong!

The P25 NAC, represented by three hexadecimal digits, can be any value in the range $000 to $FFF, inclusive. How many of the 4,096 possible codes have special functions?

A. one

B. three

C. eight

Correct! Wrong!

$293 is the specified default NAC. Receivers set for the NAC $F7E will pass the audio of any decoded signal it receives. Similarly, repeaters set for NAC $F7F will retransmit all incoming decoded signals it receives.

How many bits comprise the P25 sync sequence?

A. 128

B. 148

C. 192

Correct! Wrong!

August 12, 2021

What was the top-grossing film of the 1980s?

A. Batman (1989)

B. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

C. Return of the Jedi (1983)

Correct! Wrong!

"Raiders of the Lost Ark" was released in which year?

A. 1981

B. 1982

C. 1984

Correct! Wrong!

Which of the following is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis?

A. Beverly Hills Cop

B. Ghostbusters

C. The Sixth Sense

Correct! Wrong!

July 29, 2021

The first known victim of man-made radiation was an assistant to:

A. Wilhelm Roentgen

B. Thomas Edison

C. Nikola Tesla

Correct! Wrong!

In 1896, Thomas Edison devised the fluoroscope, which projected X-rays onto a screen. His experiments required the assistant to be repeatedly exposed to X-rays.

The American phrase “fair to middling”, used to describe something of average or slightly better than average quality, references a USDA gradation of:

A. cotton

B. eggs

C. vegetables

Correct! Wrong!

All living tissue is radioactive to some degree. With 1,000 times the average radium concentration of any living organic product, what is the most radioactive food in the world?

A. banana

B. Brazil nut

C. beef

Correct! Wrong!

July 22, 2021

Instead of multiple choice trivia, tonight there is a discussion question.

Here are fragments taken from various song lyrics. Select the one that grabs YOU most and
comment on how you identify with that selection when called on for discussion. (Chosen because
these are all things I wish I had written).

Cheer up my brother live in the sunshine
We’ll understand it all by and by.
–“Farther Along" (Brad Paisley YouTube)
Out here in the fields
I fight for my meals
I get my back into my living.
–“Teenage Wasteland", The Who
Now the court square’s just a set of streets
That the people go ’round but they seldom think
‘Bout the little man that built this town
Before the big money shut him down.
–“Little Man", Alan Jackson
Morning has broken like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
–“Morning Has Broken", Cat Stevens
Then I crossed the empty street
And caught the Sunday smell of someone fryin’ chicken
And it took me back to something that I’d lost
Somehow, somewhere along the way.
–“Sunday Morning Coming Down", Kris Kristofferson

June 24, 2021

The rise of the dinosaurs came in which geologic period?

A. Triassic (250 – 201.5 million years ago)

B. Jurassic (201.6 – 145.5 million years ago)

Cretaceous (145.5 – 65.5 million years ago)

Correct! Wrong!

The death penalty was abolished in France in 1981. The last three executed were child killers. What was the French method of execution until the death penalty was abolished?

A. lethal poison

B. guillotine

C. carbon monoxide asphyxiation

D. firing squad

Correct! Wrong!

What popular song had the following in its lyrics: “She had a picture of a cowboy tattooed on her spine, Saying Phoenix, Arizona, nineteen forty-nine”?

A. “Whole Lot of Shakin’ Goin’ On”

B. "Little Egypt"

C. “Ain’t Nothing ’bout You That Don’t Do Something for Me”

D. "Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On"

Correct! Wrong!

June 17, 2021

How many HF bands are available to US amateurs?

A. 7

B. 8

C. 9

Correct! Wrong!

TRUE OR FALSE: A grid dip meter can measure the resonant frequency of an antenna.

A. true

B. true

Correct! Wrong!

What does GMT stand for?

A. General Military Time

B. Greenland Mean Time

C. Greenwich Mean Time

Correct! Wrong!

May 27, 2021

If we lose 22 pounds of fat, what does it turn into?

A. 22 pounds of gaseous methane which is expelled

B. 18.5 pounds of carbon dioxide which is exhaled and 3.5 pounds of water excreted as urine, tears and sweat

C. a direct energy contribution to the universe's "dark energy" reservoir

Correct! Wrong!

An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and paired jointed appendages — including scorpions. Which of these is true?

A. Brontoscorpio was about the size of your arm with a stinger the size of a lightbulb.

B. Jaekelopterus was a larger scorpion that grew to the size of a crocodile with corresponding appetite.

C. Both were real and appeared in the Ordovician period of Earth's geological time.

D. none of the above

Correct! Wrong!

In the country song "I've Been Everywhere", first made famous by Hank Snow then better known by the Johnny Cash version, how many places are mentioned by Johnny?

A. 51

B. 92

C. 113

Correct! Wrong!

May 20, 2021

What DX station in the Antarctic was much sought after by hams in the early thirties?

A. Easter Island

B. Point Barrow

C. Little America

Correct! Wrong!

What does the loading coil in a mobile antenna do?

A. It makes the antenna electrically longer.

B. It adds inductive resistance.

C. It adds capacitive resistance.

Correct! Wrong!

What famous amateur invented a suppressor bearing his name?

A. Clinton De Soto

B. Hiram Percy Maxim

C. John Deere

Correct! Wrong!

April 29, 2021

How many manned moon landings have there been?

A. 6

B. 1

C. 3

D. 7

Correct! Wrong!

Which is the largest of the United States?

A. Alaska

B. California

C. Texas

D. Washington

Correct! Wrong!

Which of these scientific units is named for an Italian nobleman?

A. Volt

B. Pascal

C. Ohm

D. Hertz

Correct! Wrong!

April 22, 2021

TRUE OR FALSE: All antenna systems need a ground reference and must be metallic.

A. True

B. False

Correct! Wrong!

Which two University of Alabama coaches served as both head baseball coach and head football coach during their coaching careers? (choose two)

Please select 2 correct answers

A. Wallace Wade

B. Frank Thomas

C. Barry Shollenberger

D. Jennings B. "Ears" Whitworth

Correct! Wrong!

Viruses have either an RNA genome or a DNA genome. What is the current estimated average mutation rate of RNA viruses as compared with DNA viruses?

A. 8

B. 20

C. 45

D. 100

Correct! Wrong!

April 15, 2021

TRUE OR FALSE: Before the FCC went to incentive licensing in 1967, the Extra class license granted “extra privileges” to the General class license.

A. True

B. False

Correct! Wrong!

Which band is known as the “top” band?

A. 80 meters

B. 160 meters

C. 20 meters

D. 40 meters

Correct! Wrong!

When was 146.52 MHz first adopted as the 2 meter simplex frequency?

A. 1951

B. 1955

C. 1967

D. 1972

Correct! Wrong!

April 1, 2021

What city had the world’s first traffic cops?

A. London

B. Paris

C. Rome

Correct! Wrong!

The world’s first three traffic cops were assigned to London Bridge in the 18th Century to enforce new traffic laws that required carts coming into the city to keep to the west side of the bridge and carts leaving the city to keep to the east side.

In what year were the first aerial traffic reports broadcast?

A. 1936

B. 1946

C. 1956

Correct! Wrong!

The first aerial traffic reports were broadcast from the Goodyear blimp in New York City in 1936.

The first en route air traffic control center was located in:

A. Newark, N.J.

B. St. Louis

C. Kansas City, Mo.

Correct! Wrong!

February 18, 2021

The end-fed Zepp antenna received its name from what early usage?

A. an antenna that was easy and quick to install

B. a weighted antenna wire below an airship

C. the square of a quarter wave

D. Marconi's pet dog

Correct! Wrong!

The first harmonic of 7.1 MHz is:

A. 14,200 kilohertz

B. 7,100 kilohertz

C. 21,000 kilohertz

D. 14,200 kilobytes

Correct! Wrong!

What band privileges did novice operators originally have?

A. 80 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters

B. 80 40 15 10 and 6 meters

C. 80 40 15 10 and 2 meters

D. 80 40 15 and 2 meters

Correct! Wrong!

February 4, 2021

Which of these has the longest wavelength?

A. radio waves

B. visible light

C. x-rays

Correct! Wrong!

What is Andromeda?

A. an array of radio telescopes

B. a bacteria that can cause death

C. the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way

Correct! Wrong!

Which of these units would you use to measure the total amount of energy needed to lift a weight a certain distance?

A. joule

B. kilogram

C. watt

Correct! Wrong!

January 21, 2021

TRUE or FALSE: All antenna systems need a ground reference.

A. True

B. False

Correct! Wrong!

TRUE or FALSE: It was once possible to hold two classes of amateur license simultaneously.

A. True

B. False

Correct! Wrong!

When were the first 10-year amateur licenses issued?

A. 1984

B. 1988

C. 1990

D. 1992

Correct! Wrong!

January 7, 2021

What is the rarest blood type?

A. O

B. A

C. B

D. AB negative

Correct! Wrong!

How many bones are there in the human body?

A. 206

B. 205

C. 201

D. 209

Correct! Wrong!

How often does the moon orbit the Earth?

A. every 7 days

B. every 27 days

C. every 30 days

D. every 36 days

Correct! Wrong!