Technician exam question T3A03
Subelement T3, RADIO WAVE PROPAGATION· Group T3A
What antenna polarization is normally used for long-distance CW and SSB contacts on the VHF and UHF bands?
- A.Right-hand circular
- B.Left-hand circular
- C.Horizontal (correct answer)
- D.Vertical
WhyHorizontal polarization is normally used for long-distance CW and SSB contacts on the VHF and UHF bands. For long-distance CW and SSB work on VHF and UHF, the weak-signal community has standardized on horizontal polarization, which is why you'll see horizontally mounted Yagis on those bands for DX-style contacts, answer C. FM voice and repeater work, by contrast, conventionally uses vertical polarization, which is why the vertical options might seem tempting, but that's a different mode's convention, not this one's, and circular polarization (A, B) is mainly used for satellite work, not terrestrial CW/SSB.
Published 2026-08-28 · Last updated 2026-08-28 · Question text is verbatim from the 2026-2030 NCVEC Element 2 pool (public domain); the explanation above is original writing, see our methodology.
Related questions
- T3A01Why do VHF signal strengths sometimes vary greatly when the antenna is moved only a few feet?
- T3A02How does vegetation affect UHF and microwave signals?
- T3A04What is the effect of antenna cross-polarization over a line-of-sight VHF or UHF path?
- T3A05When using a directional antenna, how might your station be able to communicate with a distant repeater if buildings or obstructions are blocking the direct line of sight path?
- T3A06What is the meaning of the term “picket fencing”?