Ham Radio Extra Class Practice Test 2026 - Free Extra Class License Exam Questions and Study Guide

Altering the polarization of an antenna primarily impacts transmission and reception quality. Antenna polarization refers to the orientation of the electric field generated by the antenna. When the polarization of the transmitting and receiving antennas match, the signal can be transmitted and received more efficiently, resulting in better quality in terms of signal strength and clarity.

When polarization is mismatched, such as using a vertically polarized antenna to receive a horizontally polarized signal, significant losses can occur, causing degraded performance. Hence, ensuring that both the transmitting and receiving antennas have the same polarization is crucial for optimal communication quality.

The other options, while related to antenna performance, do not directly address the primary impact of polarization. Power consumption generally relates to the efficiency of the antenna and the transmitter, but it isn’t as directly affected by polarization. Signal interference involves various factors such as environmental conditions and other signals rather than specifically the polarization of the antennas. Antenna gain relates to the ability of the antenna to direct energy in a particular direction but does not intrinsically change with the polarization itself; it focuses more on the design and characteristics of the antenna.