Answers to pure multiple-choice exams are easy to memorize. When I took amateur and
commercial exams more than 50 years ago, schematics were required, as well as a number of
mathematical computations. If there are enough different exams with varied math problems,
then it's hard to memorize the answers. Of course, schematics require some knowledge on
the part of the examiner to grade!
CW was also important simply because learning takes time and therefore requires
commitment. I know I've heard over and over that some people are 'disabled' so that they
can't learn CW and therefore the requirement is 'unfair', but I suspect that the real
number of such cases is very small.
On 10/15/2013 7:50 AM, Manfred Mornhinweg wrote:
Carl,
I dont know the current requirements for various levels of licenses in the UK
but over
here even a certified retard can pass an Extra as no CW is required and anyone
can be
trained to memorize enough of the question pool to eventually pass.
I can confirm that in Chile we have that same situation.
In my opinion, though, the problem is not lack of CW testing. I don't see any
reason why
CW proficiency should be tested, while at the same time proficiency in other
specific
modes is NOT tested. Instead I would say that the main problem lies in the fact
that there
is a limited, open, published question pool, from which all exam questions are
taken. Any
fool can memorize the questions and their correct answers, and score 100% in
the exam,
without understanding even one word of what he memorized.
The exam should really test knowledge and understanding of radio, not the
ability to
memorize sentences.
And the second problem is, of course, the low level of the questions. In this
regard I
would like strongly differentiated levels. The novice exam should be easy, to
encourage
people to start in the hobby. The only knowledge that should be required from a
novice is
the minimal one that allows him to operate without causing serious trouble to
other
people. General class should be quite a lot harder, so that only people who
understand
matters like intermodulation, relationship between a waveform and its spectral
display,
and who are able to repair a radio and build a power supply, know how to
participate a
contest and survive a pile-up, can get a general license. And the extra class
exam should
really be "extra", requiring profound knowledge and proven exceptional activity
as a ham,
so that it is a challenge to obtain that licence, and a honor to hold it.
But we are far from that, and getting ever farther away. And that's true in
most countries.
Manfred
========================
Visit my hobby homepage!
http://ludens.cl
========================
_______________________________________________
Amps mailing list
Amps@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/amps
--
Vic, K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/
_______________________________________________
Amps mailing list
Amps@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/amps
|