[CW] Dissing the ARRL

[Jay Eimer]

Not true.  The biggest mistake a "new" ham can make trying to pass the 5wpm
test is to use some old tapes that truly send at 5wpm.  That is NOT what
they'll hear on the test.  They'll get 13wpm with double length "character"
spaces (length of 6 dots, about a normal "word" space) and also doubled
"word" spaces.

As far as "dumbing down" the standards, get off your high horse.  Saying "I
had to pass 20wpm, so you should, too" is like saying "I walked up hill 5
miles in the snow to school".  You may have done it, but to the new guy, it
sounds like you're bragging.

The reality is, some people will find code easy (I went to 15wpm in less
than 90 days) and others will find it impossible - at any speed.  Some
people are "musically inclined" and find CW trivial.  Others "have no
rythym", and won't ever get it, at any kind of speed.

My choice would be to have code "recognition" on the tech test - make all
hams aware of what it sounds like, at several speeds, so that they can
recognize it, and then get away from it if they hear it (so as to not
interfere).  Removing it from the requirements encourages those who find it
difficult, increasing our numbers.  It's USE, especially its EFFECTIVENESS
in poor conditions will attract those who can master it to pick it up.

And back to the standards - the question pools are getting harder.  The tech
pool size was TRIPLED in the last revision.  Another thing you guys may not
be aware of - VE groups can make their own tests.  I have a computer
database of all the questions and answers.  They are all multiple choice,
but the program picks one question from each group (required topic, as laid
out by the FCC).  There are dozens of questions to each topic, of which a
testee will see only one - but that one can be further complicated by the
fact that the program "scrambles" the order of the choices.  And it does NOT
carry the pool number over to the test.  So the testee who wants to
"memorize" has to be able to recognize the question, not confuse it with
another similarly worded question, and then FIND the correct answer.  It
won't be a matter of remembering #1 = C, because he'll have to recognize #1,
without it being labeled #1, and he'll have to memorize the TEXT of the
answer, because on one test, C might be A, and on another D.  This
effectively puts >10,000 questions in the pool, when you take all the
permutations into account.  Sure, they can still memorize whole
questions/answers by text (I did, on questions I just couldn't get) - but
they won't do it with the entire question pool.  If they do, they're either
savants with photographic memory, or they will waste more time on the
memorization than on just learning the material.


Jay
AD5PE
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "n3drk" <n3drk@triad.rr.com>
To: "Gene Buckle" <geneb@deltasoft.com>; <cw@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 6:45 PM
Subject: Re: [CW] Dissing the ARRL


> > 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.
>
> Gene, the fellow who made the comment did not mean any disrespect to you
> or others in your situation. What he is saying along with others including
> myself
> is the dumbing down in the standards. The present 5 wpm licensing for the
> test
>  does you or others any justice. The hardest thing is learning the code
> especially
> at 5wpm. At that speed it is the most difficult. Code is learned by sound
> and at
> that speed one does NOT hear sound, the rhythm, the flow of the sound of
the
> letters. We all went through this. In my case I am 51 years of age and
> learned
> the code when I was 16. Man did I have a difficult time. I never want to
go
> through that again. But at the time I had a novice class license and had 2
> years
> to get my speed up to 13wpm. But what I found out is that when I reached
> 10wpm it got easier because I was starting to hear the sound of the
letter.
> From
> that point on I started to fly through qso's. Most of the hams are against
> the 5wpm
> for this very reason. We feel once amateurs they pass the test at 5wpm
they
> will simply put down the key. Now this may not be the case with you but
not
> everyone is like you. Many, many hams will then give the code up and go
onto
> phone and they will miss out of the greatest satisfaction and challenge of
> the higher code speed which makes cw operating so satisfying. It does get
> easier. We know this and are disturbed by the decision and non decisions
> of the League. They are doing themselves as an organization a disfavor and
> other potential hams also. You are doing FB. It took me 6 months to learn
> the 5wpm code speed. So take heart. I feel he was not trying to belittle
> you Gene. Keep up the good work.
> 73's OM
>
> john-n3drk
>
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