[Elecraft] New Mystery: Copying groups vs plain language text (Rather OT)

[George Kidder]

Just as it fell out, I took all my tests from the FCC at 1600 Custom 
House, Boston (was living in the Ct. River Valley at the time.)  For the 
novice, I was printing in block capitals on yellow lined paper, and 
doing fine until I heard a character I didn't recognize, and panic set 
in - shortly relieved by the machine stopping - the character was AR or 
AS (forget which) but wasn't part of the test at all!  I was a Soph. in 
college at the time, and that is a lousy time to get a license which 
lasted only a year, so I converted to a Tech when it expired - didn't 
have to be tested again for code.

Some years later, I finally got up to 13 WPM - must have been 
unremarkable, as I don't really remember it. Then I got tired of trying 
to remember where all the sub-band edges were, and decided to go for the 
Extra.  Same room.  They were supposed to administer the code first and 
the written afterwards, but when he fired up the "Instructograph" (paper 
tape with dots and dashes punched through it) it wouldn't work. So he 
gave me the written (which I passed easily) while he worked on the 
Instructograph.  Never did get it to work, so gave me the code test with 
a portable machine that wasn't too much better.  I'm not really sure 
that I was able to copy a full minute of text, but given all the 
problems (and the fact that he was giving the tests out of order) he 
took pity on me and passed me.  So I got an Extra instead of the 
Advanced.  It was a good 20 years before I got really "into" CW, tho.

George, W3HBM


On 5/1/2020 8:54 PM, Raymond wrote:
> [This message came from an external source. If suspicious, report to abuse at ilstu.edu<mailto:abuse at ilstu.edu>]
>
> Took novice mail  exam 1959, Kn1LHN in Vermont  Could not do 13 so got  tech license. Tried repeatedly to make 13 until 1975. FCC made agreement with civil service for them to do testing. I was in Youngstown TV chief. Took test every other month maybe 4 times. Federal building high ceiling cassette tape playing code. Had to copy one minute without error. Finally examiner said I passed. Almost cried. So did I really pass it or did he feel sorry for me?
>   Those of us with attention issues have a lot of trouble copying code. Yes I know the code just can’t copy more then a few words
> Ray
> W8LYJ
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On May 1, 2020, at 18:33, Bill Frantz <frantz at pwpconsult.com> wrote:
>>
>> I do remember sometime spring/summer/autumn of 1960 getting on the Long Island Railroad, riding into New York, and then taking the subway much further south than I had ever been before. I walked into the office and was greeted by a gruff examiner who gave me the tests. I managed to pass both the 5 WPM and the novice written and ended up as WV2NOO. Oh, and the gruff examiner congratulated me on passing.
>>
>> 73 Bill AE6JV
>>
>>> On 5/1/20 at 1:42 PM, k2asp at kanafi.org (Phil Kane) wrote:
>>>
>>> Paraphrasing what one of my mentors once said "do not attribute evil
>>> motives on the part of the examiner to the shortcomings on the part of
>>> the examinee".   Being scared of the examiner was one of the rites of
>>> passage that really had no foundation in reality.
>> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Bill Frantz        | Can't fix stupid, but   | Periwinkle
>> (408)348-7900      | duct tape can muffle the| 150 Rivermead Road #235
>> www.pwpconsult.com | sound... - Bill Liebman | Peterborough, NY 03458
>>
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