[CW] Dissing the ARRL

Sat, 10 Jan 2004 11:35:33 -0600

Inline:

Jay
AD5PE
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David J. Ring, Jr." <[email protected]>
To: "Gene Buckle" <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 4:56 PM
Subject: Re: [CW] Dissing the ARRL

> Wow!  A month?
>
> You're doing very well.  It took me about 13 weeks of practice and a hour
> and a half class at Mass. Institute of Technology when I learned the code.
>

On the other hand, I was a professional musician a few years back.  I got a
computer program that sent Farnsworth (15wpm, but extended spaced for lower
overall speed).  I added one letter per day, doing 2 five minute sessions
per day (morning and evening).  I set it for 15wpm character speed, no
additional space between characters, and only additional space between words
to bring the total speed to 8wpm (I wanted a "buffer" for nervousness at the
test).

I took me 2 months to learn the whole character set.  But when I took the
test, I had perfect copy for the whole 5 minutes.  BTW, the tests are now
given via Farnsworth - 15wpm characters, with inter-char and inter-word
spaces lengthened to bring it down to 5wpm overall.

Using Farnsworth at at least 15wpm means you can't "count dits", and you
learn it by hearing the rythym.  I'm sure my musical background helped.  And
it only took me another month to get to true 15wpm (although beyond that is
slower).

> To pass the novice license, I took that 13 week class - weekly 1-1/2 hours
> of code, and 1-1/2 hours of theory.
>
> Then I took the General class - which was another class the same length -
13
> weeks and two  periods of 1-1/2 hours for code, and 1-1/2 hours of theory
a
> night.
>
> PLUS there was homework.  We had to compute series and parallel resistors,
> computing voltage drop across each component, transformer power and
current
> radios, calculating 3db drop off points of a specified frequency for
bypass
> capacitors in audio circuits, and so forth.  (I don't remember them all -
> it's been almost 40 years.)
>

All that is still on the tests (in the question pool).  Some of it is on the
General, and more is on the Extra, but it is still there.

> We had about 30 or 40 questions do do a week - some of them simple, some
> difficult.
>
> Later we had to computer real and apparent power in AC circuits, and
compute
> complex impedances using the negative square root of -1.
>

That's still on the extra, too.

> We also learned how to change from polar to rectangular coordinates to
> compute the complex relationships in L/C/R networks.  We also had to do
> problems with time constants (RC and RL time constants.)
>

Ditto.

> I practiced code for one or two hours a day, and theory for a bit more.
>
> This work was rewarded because I passed my examinations the first time,
and
> I knew I did well.
>
> But that usually happens when I prepare myself.
>
> I would leave a receiver on NSS and copy their code at about 20 wpm - I
> didn't get much (or anything!) at first, but then I started picking up
> groups that I recognized.  I wrote down the dots and dashes (???!!!???)
and
> realized that it was "THE" and from then on, I could copy this word.
>
> I kept doing this work throughout my ham radio life!
>
> 73
>
> David Ring, N1EA
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Gene Buckle" <[email protected]>
> To: <[email protected]>
> Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 5:13 PM
> Subject: Re: [CW] Dissing the ARRL
>
>
> > > the MAIN reason, that being the very fact that CW is no longer
required
> to
> > > get a ham license..(after all, 5 WPM requires practically no skill).
> The
> >
> > This really annoys me.  I busted my ass for a month and still barely
> > squeaked by on the 5 WPM code test.  To _you_ it requires practically no
> > skill.  To _me_ it's a struggle every time I turn on the radio.  Don't
> > assume that what comes easy to you is easy for others.  Even after all
the
> > work I put into passing my General, I'm still for mandatory code
testing.
> >
> > I joined FISTS shortly (within _days_) of getting my new privs and I
think
> > it's a great organization.  (The gears of their Code Buddy program could
> > use some oil, but I digress. *grin*)  I'm up for just about anything
that
> > will promote the use of CW.  Belittling people, even as a side effect of
a
> > broad statement doesn't help at all.
> >
> > g.
> >
> > 73 de kc7afe
> >
> > --
> > Proud owner of 80-0007.
> > http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > CW mailing list
> > [email protected]
> > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/cw
>
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