[CW] failure rates

[N7DC@cs.com]

Reading about the 50 percent failure rate and how some testing was done, 
reminds me of the time I taught the Novice at the Boy Scout Jamboree in 85.  No 
plans had been made, by those in charge, to offer Novice, but the Radio Merit 
Badge was to be taught.  I was put on the front desk (meeting and greeting) the 
first two days, and had worked up a patter, a QSL display etc.  Several boys 
and a few adults seemed interested and asked if they could earn the Novice 
there.  I went to the site manager and told him and asked if I could be relieved 
of assigned duties a couple of hours a day and allowed to teach the code to a 
group.  He agreed, so on the third day I gathered up the 12 candidates and we 
sat out under an oak tree with my oscillator and I sent (by hand key) using a 
grouping I had worked out back in the 60s: and what at that time was also my 
own invention of sending the dits and dahs very fast, but putting a lot of space 
time between characters, in order to average out at 5 wpm.  ((Who is this 
Farnsworth character anyway??))   

After two days of sending: one hour in the morning, and one hour in the 
evening, I asked everyone to start with a clean page of paper and see how much they 
could copy.  I sent for a solid 5 minutes, from a couple of "made up" QSOs.  
I collected all their papers, and grade them.  Guess what!  11 of 12 passed 
5wpm in that one test.  Remember, this was back when a single individual could 
give the Novice tests.  I told the station manager, and asked to continue with 
this group, through the rest of the week, and he gladly gave his consent.  I 
took over an extra, unused, merit badge tent area, right next to the Radio 
Merit Badge tent, and writing on the wooden side walls, with a magic marker, went 
thru the rest of the Novice info: antennas, ohms law, propagation, etc.  The 
next to last day of the camp, I sent all my students over to the VE group and 
had them give the written test.  Results:  11 new Novice operators, and one new 
Tech (the adult).  

I did that several times over the 20 years or so I was able to individually 
test for Novice.  Sadly the FCC decided to screw things up and decided we 
needed two licensees to test for Novice, and then later decided it had to be done 
at a VE session, and now the Novice is completely gone.  

None of my students passed by simply remembering the answers, nor did any 
ever pass without completely knowing the code.  They KNEW the subject.  I cant 
say the same for the VE session exams that followed, and certainly no one can 
say that about the VE sessions of today.  

People are so much more relaxed, when they dont know they are tested.  Hi.

Danny


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