Jim,
Yes, I am also very disappointed. This all started back around 1980 or so
with Bash. He's the guy who started interviewing people right after they
finished thier exams to try and get the wording of as many questions as
possible. Back then the question pool was a secret. You actually had
to learn all the stuff because you didn't know what they would ask. Well
this guy, Bash, starting publishing "study guides" with the actual questions
in them. The FCC saw this and didn't think it was fair. So since then,
they now publish all the questions. It is rediculous. Anyone can pass
the extra now with no understanding of what they are doing.
Carl Moreschi N4PY
Franklinton, North Carolina
n4py@earthlink.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Reid" <jimr.reid@verizon.net>
To: <ah6j@arrl.org>; <cw@mailman.qth.net>; <dx-list@yahoogroups.com>; "ken
cubilo electric" <kce@chartermi.net>; <fists@mailman.qth.net>; "George,
W5YR" <w5yr@att.net>; <jmax@attglobal.net>; <kh6wm@arrl.net>;
<kh7t@arrl.net>; <logic@mailman.qth.net>; "Maxwell, Jim (Dir, Pacific)"
<jmaxwell@arrl.org>; "Carl Moreschi" <cjm@qvssoftware.com>;
<rholling@fcc.gov>; <tentec@contesting.com>; <w8ji@contesting.com>;
<walt@hawaii.rr.com>
Sent: Friday, April 19, 2002 11:47 PM
Subject: One Day to Extra Class
> 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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