From: heacock@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (Doug Heacock)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: License exam anecdote
Date: 13 Apr 92 10:19:57 CDT
Organization: University of Kansas Academic Computing Services

During February and March, our local radio club conducted a General
upgrade class (there are a lot of Technicians in the group).  We also
had a code-practice net two evenings a week on a local repeater, with
machine-generated code at whatever speeds were requested by those who
checked into the net.  All in all, it was all very helpful, and I was
confident that I could pass the written test, but right up to the day
before the exam I was not sure I could deal with the 13 wpm code test.
I knew I could copy 10-11 wpm pretty well, but beyond that I got
flustered and lost it.

Several weeks passed between the end of the upgrade class and the
testing session (which was on Saturday, April 11), so I used Diana
Syriac's General exam HyperCard stack to brush up on the material for
the written test.  The code was still a concern, but I figured I could
always take the test again later.  A couple of days before the test
session, I found the codetest.hints document (written in 1987 by
AL7IF, "Wigi") on wuarchive.wustl.edu.  This person recommended that
you sign up for every written test, through Extra, and every code
test, regardless of whether you think you're ready, on the chance that
you just might get lucky, and because it's good practice to be exposed
to the harder exams (both code and written).  So I decided, what the
heck, and signed up for everything, hoping that maybe I would come
away with a General ticket.  So did a friend of mine (also a
Technician with HF), Chuck, N0MQP, who happens to be blind.

The single most useful AL7IF hint for code tests is that the most
important word in the test is "is".  You listen for "is" and learn to
recognize it at high speed, then concentrate on what follows the "is".
We tried it, mostly thinking that the 20 wpm test would be a good
warmup for the 13 wpm test.  Although the speed of the "VVV VVV" at
the beginning was a little frightening, I was relaxed, because for me,
this was practice, not the real thing.  I didn't copy solid code
anywhere through the test (I can't write that fast!), but I managed to
get enough of the important stuff to pass the test!  So did Chuck, my
blind friend--and he was using a Braille device with a stylus to copy
it!

The General written test was pretty much a breeze (thanks again,
Diana!), so we went on to the Advanced written test--Chuck passed it
with flying colors--I missed passing by *one* question.  We decided to
forgo the Extra written test for now (it was late by then), but given
that I didn't study at all for the Advanced test, and I hear it is the
most difficult written test, my confidence level is way up, and I
intend to go for Extra next month.

There were others there who decided at the last minute to try the
higher level tests after they noted our successes, and some walked out
with higher-level tickets as a result.  My other Technician buddy,
Clarence, N0MQN, came away with a General ticket, too.

So, the point of all of this, I suppose, is to crow about the fact
that I'll never have to take another code test, to publicly thank
Diana Syriac and Wigi (AL7IF) for their helpful study tools, and to
encourage those who are trying to upgrade to go ahead and try the
harder exams--as someone has said, if you "accidentally" pass the
test, they'll "accidentally" write you a CSCE...

73 de N0NZQ/AG

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| Doug Heacock, Academic Computing   | heacock@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu |
| Services, The University of Kansas | heacock@ukanvax.bitnet     |
| Lawrence, KS 66045                 | N0NZQ                      |
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