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Free RSGB Intermediate Licence Examination Practice Questions

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Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the RSGB Intermediate Licence Examination practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

  1. 1For otherwise authorised airborne operation on 145 MHz under an Intermediate licence, what is the maximum EIRP shown in the examination reference schedule?

    1. A.50 mW EIRP
    2. B.500 mW EIRPCorrect answer: B
    3. C.5 W EIRP
    4. D.100 W EIRP

    Explanation: The 144–146 MHz row specifies "500 mW EIRP airborne". The airborne limit is therefore 500 mW EIRP; the separate 100 W entry is not the airborne allowance.

    Reference: RSGB Intermediate Examination Reference Data EX308 — Schedule 1, 144 to 146 MHz row, p. 2

  2. 2A resistor marked 1 kΩ is measured with a suitable meter and reads 980 Ω. The result is within its stated tolerance. What does that indicate?

    1. A.The resistor must have an open internal connection
    2. B.The marked value describes its maximum power rating
    3. C.The measured value is consistent with the component specificationCorrect answer: C
    4. D.Any difference from the marked value proves the resistor is faulty

    Explanation: The syllabus says "components have tolerances" and measured values "may not precisely agree with its marked value." A 980 Ω result within this resistor’s stated tolerance is consistent with its specification. The marking is resistance, not power; a finite in-tolerance value does not imply an open circuit or a fault merely because it differs from nominal.

    Reference: RSGB Radio Amateur Examinations Specification — Part 2, Intermediate 2A1, p. 2.9

  3. 3What does peak frequency deviation describe in an FM signal?

    1. A.The difference between the highest and lowest audio frequencies
    2. B.The maximum instantaneous departure from the nominal carrier frequencyCorrect answer: B
    3. C.The difference between transmitter output power and receiver input power
    4. D.The number of complete modulation cycles in one second

    Explanation: Keysight defines frequency deviation as the "maximum instantaneous difference between an FM modulated carrier frequency, and the nominal carrier frequency." It describes carrier-frequency excursion, rather than audio bandwidth, power loss or modulation rate.

    Reference: Keysight N7611 Carrier Setup Help — 2. FM — FM Deviation

  4. 4Why can placing an object very close to one conductor of a balanced feeder cause the feeder to radiate?

    1. A.The opposing fields reinforce even though the feeder remains balanced
    2. B.The object automatically matches the feeder impedance to the antenna
    3. C.The object disturbs balance, leaving incomplete cancellation of RF fieldsCorrect answer: C
    4. D.The object removes conductor loss while leaving the current balance unchanged

    Explanation: The syllabus states that "nearby objects can cause an imbalance that makes the feeder radiate RF energy." Loss of balance prevents complete field cancellation; this is distinct from automatic impedance matching or reduced conductor loss.

    Reference: RSGB Radio Amateur Examinations Specification — Part 2, Intermediate 4A1, p. 2.38

  5. 5Why is ground-wave propagation limited in range, with greater loss as frequency increases?

    1. A.Some wave energy is absorbed by the ground along the routeCorrect answer: A
    2. B.Ground-wave energy is returned only after an ionospheric hop
    3. C.The ground forces the carrier frequency upward as distance increases
    4. D.All ground-wave energy becomes a sky wave at the optical horizon

    Explanation: The syllabus attributes limited ground-wave range to "absorption of energy in the ground" and states that "the loss increases with increasing frequency." This is ground absorption, not frequency conversion or an abrupt zero-power boundary.

    Reference: RSGB Radio Amateur Examinations Specification — Part 2, Intermediate 5A2, p. 2.45

  6. 6What does electromagnetic compatibility require of equipment in its electromagnetic environment?

    1. A.Equipment need only limit its emissions, regardless of how RF affects its operation
    2. B.Equipment need only resist incoming RF, regardless of disturbance it causes to others
    3. C.Equipment must function satisfactorily without undue disturbance to other apparatusCorrect answer: C
    4. D.Equipment must use screening instead of controlling emissions and susceptibility

    Explanation: The syllabus states that apparatus should "function satisfactorily in its electromagnetic environment" and operate "without causing undue electromagnetic disturbance to other apparatus in that environment." EMC is compatible operation in a shared environment, not the elimination of all RF energy or all nearby equipment.

    Reference: RSGB Radio Amateur Examinations Specification — Part 2, Intermediate 6A1, p. 2.50

  7. 7In the international call-sign prefixes listed for Intermediate study, which prefix denotes Canada?

    1. A.VECorrect answer: A
    2. B.VK
    3. C.PA
    4. D.EI

    Explanation: The syllabus explicitly lists "VE (Canada)". VK denotes Australia, PA the Netherlands and EI Eire in the same list.

    Reference: RSGB Radio Amateur Examinations Specification — Part 2, Intermediate 7A3, p. 2.58

  8. 8A power supply has been disconnected, but it contains a large high-voltage capacitor. What electrical hazard must be addressed before working on it?

    1. A.A dangerous stored charge may remain and must be dischargedCorrect answer: A
    2. B.Its stored charge becomes harmless as soon as the mains switch opens
    3. C.Its dielectric automatically shorts its plates after disconnection
    4. D.Its capacitance turns to zero when the load current stops

    Explanation: The syllabus states that such capacitors "can store dangerous electric charges and must be discharged before working on equipment." Disconnection of the external source does not by itself establish that stored charge has gone.

    Reference: RSGB Radio Amateur Examinations Specification — Part 2, Intermediate 8A1, p. 2.65

  9. 9Before connecting a multimeter to measure a DC voltage, what should be selected and checked?

    1. A.The correct voltage range and polarityCorrect answer: A
    2. B.The resistance range while leaving the circuit energised
    3. C.The current range with the leads directly across the supply
    4. D.The highest current range regardless of the measurement

    Explanation: The syllabus requires setting the meter "to the correct range and polarity before connecting to the circuit." A DC voltage measurement needs the appropriate voltage function/range and lead polarity, not a resistance or current setting.

    Reference: RSGB Radio Amateur Examinations Specification — Part 2, Intermediate 9A1, p. 2.74

  10. 10An Intermediate licensee plans to use their UK amateur licence aboard a vessel in international waters. Which vessel-registration condition falls within the licence's stated geographical authorisation?

    1. A.Registration in any European Union country
    2. B.Registration in any country belonging to the ITU
    3. C.Registration in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of ManCorrect answer: C
    4. D.Registration in whichever country the operator resides

    Explanation: The specification states that the licence authorises "operation aboard ships or aircraft registered in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man in international water or airspace." Membership of a wider international organisation does not replace that registration condition.

    Reference: RSGB Radio Amateur Examinations Specification — Part 2, 1A1 geographical background to Intermediate 1A2, p. 2.1

Exam Review

About RSGB Intermediate Licence Examination

RSGB Intermediate Licence Examination · GB

Key exam facts

Provider
Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) provides the amateur radio licence examinations under agreed terms with Ofcom, the licensing regulator.
Format
46 multiple-choice questions, each with four possible responses. Normally taken online at home with a remote invigilator or in a club setting; paper arrangements are exceptional. The Foundation examination must be passed before sitting Intermediate.
Exam questions
Total questions: 46.
Time limit
90 minutes (1 hour 30 minutes) of examination time under standard arrangements; approved disability arrangements may differ.
Passing score
28 correct answers out of 46; RSGB describes this as 61%.
Exam fee
GBP £39.00 per Intermediate examination, as listed on the current RSGB exam fee page. Training providers may charge separately.

Topics covered

  • Licensing conditions and station identification (13.04%)

    • Nature of amateur radio, types of licence and call signs
    • Intermediate operation from ships and aircraft
    • Operators and supervision
    • Direct supervision and duties of the supervisor
    • Messages
    • International disaster messages on behalf of non-licensees
    • Messages and equipment use for a User Service
    • Apparatus, inspection and closedown
    • Undue interference and emission reduction
    • Mandatory logs, modification and cessation of operation
    • Unattended and remote control operation
    • Secure remote links and unattended equipment conditions
    • Electromagnetic Fields
    • Average and peak power thresholds and reassessment
    • Licence Schedule
    • Intermediate Schedule 1 interpretation

  • Technical aspects (30.43%)

    • Fundamental theory
    • Component tolerances
    • Resistance
    • Series and parallel resistors and cells; Ohm's law
    • Potential dividers
    • Potential difference, EMF and source resistance
    • Reactive components
    • Capacitor structure, charge storage and capacitance
    • Capacitors in series and parallel
    • Polarised capacitors and correct connection
    • Induction, magnetic fields and stored energy
    • Inductors in series and parallel
    • Coil dimensions, cores and slug tuning
    • AC theory
    • Capacitor response to AC and DC
    • Sinusoidal and square waves, period and phase
    • Resistive AC circuits, RMS and reactance
    • Capacitive reactance and frequency
    • Inductive reactance and frequency
    • Impedance, dissipation and energy storage; no phase/vector notation
    • Frequency and wavelength calculations
    • RF current and voltage along conductors
    • Digital signals
    • Sampling, resolution, distortion and Nyquist rate
    • Transformers
    • Transformer construction, AC transfer, turns and voltage; no impedance transformation
    • Tuned Circuits and resonance
    • LC tuned circuits and equal reactance at resonance
    • Series and parallel resonant impedance
    • Energy exchange and L/C effects on resonance; no resonance formula
    • Selectivity and Q factor indication
    • Low, high, band pass and notch filters; graphical cut-off
    • Semiconductor devices
    • Diode conduction, forward bias and rectification
    • Reverse-biased variable-capacitance diode
    • Bipolar transistor amplification, gain and switching; NPN common emitter scope
    • Common-emitter amplifier and biasing; no calculations
    • Transistor oscillators, crystal and VFO; Colpitts recognition only
    • Integrated circuits and specified applications
    • Cells and power supplies
    • Cell technology, terminal voltage and ampere-hour capacity
    • Rectifier and smoothing circuits
    • Reservoir capacitor charge and discharge; waveforms
    • Linear power supplies and comparison with switched mode

  • Transmitters and receivers (15.22%)

    • Transmitter concepts
    • AM depth, FM bandwidth and peak deviation
    • SSB generation, efficiency and bandwidth comparison
    • Transmitter architecture
    • CW, AM, SSB and FM transmitter block diagrams
    • Oscillators
    • Crystal oscillator versus VFO and tuned frequency
    • Frequency stability, drift and crystal-referenced synthesis
    • Direct digital synthesis and lookup tables
    • Microphone amplifiers and modulators
    • Balanced modulator sidebands and carrier suppression
    • SSB filters and resonators
    • Variable-capacitance diode FM
    • RF power amplifiers
    • RF amplifier efficiency and output power
    • Transmitter interference
    • Harmonics and interference
    • Filter behaviour and harmonic suppression
    • CW envelope rise/fall and key clicks
    • Chirp causes, effects and remedies
    • Receiver concepts
    • Crystal and direct-conversion receivers and analogue stages
    • Sensitivity and strong-signal overload
    • Selectivity and tuned-circuit limitations
    • Superheterodyne concepts
    • Superheterodyne need and advantages
    • Mixing and intermediate frequency
    • Fixed IF, multi-band operation and tuned circuits
    • Demodulation
    • Diode AM, CW BFO, SSB CIO/product detector and FM discriminator
    • Automatic gain control (AGC)
    • AGC gain regulation and S-meter drive
    • SDR transmitters and receivers
    • Fourier transform, spectrum displays and digital selectivity
    • Time and frequency domains; spectra of one and two harmonics
    • SDR functional blocks

  • Feeders and antennas (8.7%)

    • Feeders
    • Balanced feeder fields, imbalance and waveguide dimensions
    • Power and feeder-loss calculations
    • Characteristic impedance and termination
    • Baluns
    • Choke balun construction and use
    • Antenna concepts
    • Front-to-back ratio, beamwidth and three-dimensional patterns
    • Isotropic radiator, EIRP and dipole gain
    • Angle of radiation and ground effects
    • Feed-point current, impedance and design frequency
    • Types of antenna
    • Three-element Yagi dimensions and directors
    • Parallel-resonant antenna traps
    • Standing waves
    • Reflected waves, feeder loss and input impedance
    • Antenna matching units
    • AMU impedance transformation; no antenna resonance or feeder SWR change
    • Plugs and Sockets
    • Correct coaxial continuity and contained RF fields

  • Propagation (6.52%)

    • Radio propagation: key concepts
    • Ground, space and sky wave; skip distance and dead zone
    • Electric and magnetic fields and polarisation
    • Ionosphere
    • Solar ionisation and ionospheric layers
    • Ionisation variation, sunspots and MUF
    • F2 range, hops, fading and long/short paths
    • D-layer absorption, LUF and propagation window
    • Sporadic E frequencies and hop distances
    • VHF and above
    • Multipath propagation at VHF and above

  • Electromagnetic compatibility (8.7%)

    • EMC concepts
    • Radiation, absorption and compatibility principle
    • Immunity through screening and lead filtering
    • Domestic transmitter fields and special measures
    • Immunity standards, existing and poorly installed equipment
    • Sources of interference and their effects
    • AM/SSB speech pickup and FM muting
    • Non-radio interference sources and characteristic buzzing
    • DAB muting and digital TV breakup
    • Routes of entry
    • Direct pickup and frequency dependence
    • Broadband TV amplifier overload
    • Filtering and remedial measures
    • Power, antenna and mains filters
    • Common/differential modes and ferrite chokes
    • Receiver checks for spurious and harmonic emissions
    • Dummy load specification and fault diagnosis
    • Station design and antenna placement/general principles
    • Station interconnections and appropriate cables
    • Good RF earth purpose and use
    • Indoor antennas and proximity coupling problems
    • Station design and antenna placement/mobile installations
    • Cable routing and interference to vehicle electronics
    • Antenna mounting position and exposure in vehicles

  • Good operating practices and procedures (4.35%)

    • Good operating practices and procedures
    • International call-sign prefixes
    • Awards and contest exchanges and categories
    • Band plans
    • IARU plans, prohibited contest bands and exam-specific limits
    • Codes and abbreviations
    • Q codes and reasons for use
    • Digital interfaces
    • Computer interfaces, audio adjustment and unintended PC sounds
    • Satellites
    • Satellite altitude, movement and visibility
    • Uplink/downlink bands and receiving best practice
    • Mutual horizon and Doppler frequency correction
    • Satellite power limits and fair uplink use
    • CEPT and international
    • Intermediate licence not routinely recognised abroad

  • Safety (6.52%)

    • Electricity
    • Stored capacitor charge and discharge resistors
    • Fuse type, rating and nominal mains current
    • Conditions for live equipment work
    • Vehicle battery currents, corrosion, hydrogen and ventilation
    • Using tools
    • Tool handling and fingers behind blades
    • Secure workpieces in a vice
    • Remove chuck and locking keys
    • Centre punch prevents drill slip
    • Pillar drill safety
    • Working with RF
    • 100 W compliance distances and mobile pedestrians
    • Lightning
    • Limited protection against static charge buildup

  • Measurements and construction (6.52%)

    • Measurements
    • Multimeter range and polarity
    • Voltmeter and ammeter resistance and connection
    • Analogue and digital display use
    • Voltage/current measurement of input power
    • Decibels
    • Power ratios, dB gains/losses and reference units
    • Components
    • Resistor and capacitor markings with supplied colour codes
    • Construction
    • Metal screening of equipment and stages
    • Soldering
    • Joining metals with solder and an iron
    • Low-melting solder and flux
    • Different metals' solderability
    • Cleaning and tinning the iron and wires

How to prepare

Work through the topics, read the explanation after each answer, and revisit the areas where you miss questions. Use the official outline and reference materials below to guide your study.

These independent practice questions are not actual exam items and do not guarantee a passing result.

Frequently asked questions

What is the exam format?

46 multiple-choice questions, each with four possible responses. Normally taken online at home with a remote invigilator or in a club setting; paper arrangements are exceptional. The Foundation examination must be passed before sitting Intermediate.

How many questions are on the exam?

Total questions: 46.

How long is the exam?

90 minutes (1 hour 30 minutes) of examination time under standard arrangements; approved disability arrangements may differ.

What is the passing score?

28 correct answers out of 46; RSGB describes this as 61%.

How much does the exam cost?

GBP £39.00 per Intermediate examination, as listed on the current RSGB exam fee page. Training providers may charge separately.

Official sources and references

Confirm current exam arrangements with the exam provider.