ELEMENT 4 EXTRA CLASS --- QUESTION POOL SYLLABUS (SUBELEMENT AND GROUP DESCRIPTIONS)
FOR EXTRA EXAMS GIVEN JULY 1, 2008 - JUNE 30, 2012

SUBELEMENT E1 - COMMISSION'S RULES [6 Exam Questions -- 6 Groups]

E1A - Operating Standards: frequency privileges for Extra Class amateurs; emission standards; automatic message forwarding; frequency sharing; FCC license actions; stations aboard ships or aircraft 
E1B - Station restrictions and special operations: restrictions on station location; general operating restrictions, spurious emissions, control operator reimbursement; antenna structure restrictions; RACES operations
E1C - Station control: definitions and restrictions pertaining to local, automatic and remote control operation; control operator responsibilities for remote and automatically controlled stations
E1D - Amateur Satellite service: definitions and purpose; license requirements for space stations; available frequencies and bands; telecommand and telemetry operations; restrictions, and special provisions; notification requirements
E1E - Volunteer examiner program: definitions, qualifications, preparation and administration of exams; accreditation; question pools; documentation requirements
E1F - Miscellaneous rules: external RF power amplifiers; Line A; national quiet zone; business communications; compensated communications; spread spectrum; auxiliary stations; reciprocal operating privileges; IARP and CEPT licenses; third party communications with foreign countries; special temporary authority

SUBELEMENT E2 - OPERATING PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES [5 Exam Questions -- 5 Groups]

E2A - Amateur radio in space: amateur satellites; orbital mechanics; frequencies and modes; satellite hardware; satellite operations
E2B - Television practices: fast scan television standards and techniques; slow scan television standards and techniques
E2C - Operating methods, part 1: contest and DX operating; spread-spectrum transmissions; automatic HF forwarding; selecting an operating frequency
E2D - Operating methods, part 2: VHF and UHF digital modes; packet clusters; Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS)  
E2E - Operating methods, part 3: operating HF digital modes; error correction

SUBELEMENT E3 - RADIO WAVE PROPAGATION [3 Exam Questions -- 3 Groups]

E3A - Propagation and technique, part 1: Earth-Moon-Earth communications; meteor scatter
E3B - Propagation and technique, part 2: transequatorial; long path; gray line; multi-path propagation
E3C - Propagation and technique, part 3: Auroral propagation; selective fading; radio-path horizon; take-off angle over flat or sloping terrain; earth effects on propagation; less common propagation modes

SUBELEMENT E4 - AMATEUR RADIO TECHNOLOGY AND MEASUREMENTS [5 Exam Questions -- 5 Groups]

E4A - Test equipment: analog and digital instruments; spectrum and network analyzers, antenna analyzers; oscilloscopes; testing transistors; RF measurements 
E4B - Measurement technique and limitations: instrument accuracy and performance limitations; probes; techniques to minimize errors; measurement of "Q"; instrument calibration
E4C - Receiver performance characteristics, part 1: phase noise, capture effect, noise floor, image rejection, MDS, signal-to-noise-ratio; selectivity
E4D - Receiver performance characteristics, part 2: blocking dynamic range, intermodulation and cross-modulation interference; 3rd order intercept; desensitization; preselection
E4E - Noise suppression: system noise; electrical appliance noise; line noise; locating noise sources; DSP noise reduction; noise blankers

SUBELEMENT E5 - ELECTRICAL PRINCIPLES [4 Exam Questions -- 4 Groups]

E5A - Resonance and Q: characteristics of resonant circuits: series and parallel resonance; Q; half-power bandwidth; phase relationships in reactive circuits
E5B - Time constants and phase relationships: R/L/C time constants: definition; time constants in RL and RC circuits; phase angle between voltage and current; phase angles of series and parallel circuits
E5C - Impedance plots and coordinate systems: plotting impedances in polar coordinates; rectangular coordinates
E5D - AC and RF energy in real circuits: skin effect; electrostatic and electromagnetic fields; reactive power; power factor; coordinate systems

SUBELEMENT E6 - CIRCUIT COMPONENTS [6 Exam Questions -- 6 Groups]

E6A - Semiconductor materials and devices: semiconductor materials (germanium, silicon, P-type, N-type); transistor types: NPN, PNP, junction, power; field-effect transistors: enhancement mode; depletion mode; MOS; CMOS; N-channel; P-channel
E6B - Semiconductor diodes
E6C - Integrated circuits: TTL digital integrated circuits; CMOS digital integrated circuits; gates
E6D - Optical devices and toroids: vidicon and cathode-ray tube devices; charge-coupled devices (CCDs); liquid crystal displays (LCDs); toroids: permeability, core material, selecting, winding
E6E - Piezoelectric crystals and MMICS: quartz crystals (as used in oscillators and filters); monolithic amplifiers (MMICs)
E6F - Optical components and power systems: photoconductive principles and effects, photovoltaic systems, optical couplers, optical sensors, and optoisolators 

SUBELEMENT E7 - PRACTICAL CIRCUITS [8 Exam Questions -- 8 Groups]

E7A - Digital circuits: digital circuit principles and logic circuits: classes of logic elements; positive and negative logic; frequency dividers; truth tables
E7B - Amplifiers: Class of operation; vacuum tube and solid-state circuits; distortion and intermodulation; spurious and parasitic suppression; microwave amplifiers
E7C - Filters and matching networks: filters and impedance matching networks: types of networks; types of filters; filter applications; filter characteristics; impedance matching; DSP filtering 
E7D - Power supplies and voltage regulators
E7E - Modulation and demodulation: reactance, phase and balanced modulators; detectors; mixer stages; DSP modulation and demodulation; software defined radio systems 
E7F - Frequency markers and counters: frequency divider circuits; frequency marker generators; frequency counters
E7G - Active filters and op-amps: active audio filters; characteristics; basic circuit design; operational amplifiers
E7H - Oscillators and signal sources: types of oscillators; 

SUBELEMENT E8 - SIGNALS AND EMISSIONS [4 Exam Questions -- 4 Groups]

E8A - AC waveforms: sine, square, sawtooth and irregular waveforms; AC measurements; average and PEP of RF signals; pulse and digital signal waveforms 
E8B - Modulation and demodulation: modulation methods; modulation index and deviation ratio; pulse modulation; frequency and time division multiplexing
E8C - Digital signals: digital communications modes; CW; information rate vs. bandwidth; spread-spectrum communications; modulation methods
E8D - Waves, measurements, and RF grounding: peak-to-peak values, polarization; RF grounding

SUBELEMENT E9 - ANTENNAS AND TRANSMISSION LINES [8 Exam Questions -- 8 Groups]

E9A - Isotropic and gain antennas: definition; used as a standard for comparison; radiation pattern; basic antenna parameters: radiation resistance and reactance, gain, beamwidth, efficiency
E9B - Antenna patterns: E and H plane patterns; gain as a function of pattern; antenna design (computer modeling of antennas); Yagi antennas
E9C - Wire and phased vertical antennas: beverage antennas; terminated and resonant rhombic antennas; elevation above real ground; ground effects as related to polarization; take-off angles
E9D - Directional antennas: gain; satellite antennas; antenna beamwidth; losses; SWR bandwidth; antenna efficiency; shortened and mobile antennas; grounding
E9E - Matching: matching antennas to feed lines; power dividers
E9F - Transmission lines: characteristics of open and shorted feed lines: 1/8 wavelength; 1/4 wavelength; 1/2 wavelength; feed lines: coax versus open-wire; velocity factor; electrical length; transformation characteristics of line terminated in impedance not equal to characteristic impedance 
E9G - The Smith chart
E9H - Effective radiated power; system gains and losses; radio direction finding antennas

SUBELEMENT E0 - Safety - [1 exam question - 1 group]

E0A - Safety: amateur radio safety practices; RF radiation hazards; hazardous materials