[Fists] Re: One Day to Extra Class

[ken cubilo electric]

This is just the tip of the iceberg coming. I too can't believe this. I
was well into my second year of engineering studies and already had the
radiotelephone ticket before I took the extra exam.There is no way
somebody is gonna memorize all the answers for all the elements in that
time frame.I have two things that keep me in ham radio right now
1. I use all CW and have a excellent time with the other cw guys
2. I still feel that getting the ticket the hard way was a
accomplishment
   to be proud of and I can really look myself in the face in the mirror
   every morning and know I really did it.
I sure hope this madness stops soon, but have you ever looked at the
extra exam questions? I think some of them used to be on the old general
and novice tests no kidding. We have to have a group to represent ham
radio that's only interested in ham radio's future instead of their back
pockets. But to really answer the question I think it stinks.
73 ken w8ob
putting impedance in the path of short cuts to knowledge but getting
badly trampled hi.



Jim Reid wrote:
> 
> I am shocked at the following report from the ARRL!
> I  am sending this to a fairly wide distribution with this
> question:  is this where Amateur Radio really wants
> to be going?  Or do you think the following is just
> great and wonderful??
> 
> >From today's ARRL Letter:
> 
> "New York's Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club--LIMARC
> --reports its first "one-day Extra" licensing upgrade class was
> such a success that it's scheduled additional sessions for later
> this spring. LIMARC recently attracted two dozen students to its
> first Extra class license study short course, and nearly all who
> attended walked away with their Extra tickets.
> 
> "....the session involves seven hours of
> intensive study. Five instructors taught the nine Extra examination
> subelements, which include FCC rules, operating procedures, radio
> propagation, Amateur Radio practices, electrical principles, circuit
> components, practical circuits and antennas and feedlines.
> 
> When the session ended, 20 of the 24 applicants had passed
> Element 4. "
> 
> All in  a "one-day"  short course.
> 
> Wow,  I am impressed.  Took me an entire semester in engineering
> school to learn how to solve all those impedance,  complex
> plane,  R+/- jX problems.  And 20 of these guys learned how
> to do those,  along with all that other stuff,  and STILL the same
> day took and passed the Extra license exam????
> 
> Maybe what  those five instructors "taught" was the answers
> to the questions on the test to be given that day???  At least
> one enquiring mind would like to know!  I believe what is
> being reported is not possible and still be legitimate,  unless
> those 20 guys had way above genius IQ's.  Or maybe,  they
> all have "perfect recall" memories.
> 
> Guess I was a real slow learning;  I was years getting the education,
> experience and UNDERSTANDING under my belt before I went
> for the Extra.  Oh yes,  also had to pass the 20 wpm CW test
> that same day,  but that isn't needed anymore.  Maybe it was
> getting to 20 wpm CW that took me all that time,  no,  don't
> think so.  Just took me awhile to learn/understand what the
> meaning of the stuff on the Extra Class license was all about.
> 
> Yes,  what does the Extra Class license mean anymore??
> 
> Just a bit disappointed,
> 
> 73,  Jim KH7M

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