HR2.0: Episode 97 - How To Teach a 1-Day Technician Class, by KB6NU (Dayton Hamvention)

The point is that people always complain about public question pools, but it is also a public thing for commercial licenses.

If the FCC isn't concerned about a publicly available pool for licenses where there is actual life and death consequences, why would they (or we) be concerned about it when we use hobby communications.

In other words, it is a non-issue except for some people that think that ham radio is more important than commercial radio.

 

What the heck are you talking about?

This is about quickie courses, not question pools.

 

(scratching my head) Well, anyway I've put in my 2 cents worth and its not going to change anything. It is what it is and quickie courses and public question pools are here to stay.

 

Read the thread--public questions was brought up a few times....

 

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No, I did NOT assume your comment meant that all hams will be Elmers. And you're correct re: a tech being an Elmer, but one does not exclude the other. A new Tech can be an Elmer to someone with less knowledge than him, but the pool of Tech licensees is very large, as of 2013 they accounted for almost 50% of license holders. This points to the fact that that there are more techs that need Elmering than ever before, because the Tech will still need others with more knowledge to advance his own education.

It seems to me you're assuming that all Techs have completed their journey through Amateur Radio (or at least all of them that take the 1 day course), I don't believe this to be the case. There may be some first responders with that in mind, but once they have the license there's no reason they can't be talked into furthering their knowledge and their licensing. After I got my Tech license, I received several invitations to local ham clubs and because of that, I discovered that the tech license was only going to be the start of the journey for me.

As for making the question pools public, It wouldn't be that hard to figure out the correct answer to each question, so any ham could reverse engineer them.

 

I'm not assuming that at all.

 

Read a few posts back. People always bring this up, not knowing that it is common on many federal tests, certainly all FCC licenses that require a test.

 

I have seen many students study for ham exams. I tell people that the exams are not giveaways. If you don't study, you won't pass.

If you study for a month, 30 minutes a day, that's 15 hours.
If you study for two days, 8 hours each day, that's 16 hours.

I believe that people who make the effort to pass - no matter how they do it - are making an effort. In the process of doing so, they are bound to learn something.

Of those who pass their exams, I contend that people who follow EITHER path are EQUALLY likely to forget NEARLY EVERYTHING if they never think about it once they have passed the exam. Someone who makes no effort to remember anything will probably forget it all.

I prefer to take my chances by teaching classes, and giving people a starting point.

If you start a class with 10 students, and ONE becomes really involved and active, that's ONE in TEN.
If you start a class with 0 students by electing to not teach anything, you guarantee that ZERO hams will come out of it.

I prefer to take the ONE over the ZERO. These aren't statistics, they're individual people!

I prefer to help people achieve something that can actually change one's life. For how many of us was ham radio important in our formative years, our choice of school curricula, our choice of careers?

If you have a defeatist attitude before you even start, or you prefer to ridicule things you can't understand instead of trying to understand, you've already doomed the effort.

Think about which camp you personally want to be in.

I prefer to take the road that ends in a classroom.

73,

Scott N7JI

 

GOT TO BE A CALIFORNIA LIB....DON'T WORK FOR IT GET IT EASY....

 

A pretty stupid and ill informed comment, but if its up to us to help you stay informed, remember that California has the 6th largest economy in the world (up from number 8).

Lots of work going on here, trust me.

 

Every one has an opinion and they are all right. Some people just want to use the radio and don't understand why they have to learn all the technical stuff. Others want to learn but don't have the time and just want to get on the air too.

The key here is that we all use the radio for different reasons and one reason is not better than the other just because you think so. Many of those Technician Level "newbies" go on to learn, but at their own pace. Don't be so judgmental, we should all be supportive and teach those that need the guidance and well all learn something from each other in the exchange of ideas and thoughts.

After all everyone can't be as good as "you." And it really doesn't matter in the big picture. I've met hundreds of new friends at all different technical levels, taught some, and learned from all of them.

 

I am a flyfishing guide by trade and have been thinking about getting my Technicians license. After reading many of these posts I'm not so sure I want to now. Mainly
out of fear that I will ask a stupid question and offend you. A fellow flyfishing friend of mine and radio amature himself, gave me Gordon's book on the technician license. It took me a month to read it at my leisure.
I answered all the questions in the book without looking at the answers and passed with a 76%. I have since passed 4 practice tests in the 85+ percentile. Prior to reading the book I passed 1 out of 4
tests online. For those of you complaining about people teaching the test and people that pass the test that don't really know anything, at least to your standards, take a look back
and see where you came from. If you don't like it, then you should do something to make it harder to pass the test so they will be on your level. That way you won't be bothered by their mundane questions.
In the flyfishing world, I would call you snobs!

 

Great presentation, Dan! I like your emphasis on activities that will help the new hams learn after they are licensed.

This week I polled our club on the W6PW Monday night VHF repeater net. Of 23 respondents, 1 had taken an 8-week class, 13 had taken a ham cram or a class of 1-3 days, and 9 had studied independently with no class at all. I found this pattern to be consistent across all levels: Technician, General, and Amateur Extra.

That list of activities looks like an excellent program for a club to pursue.

 

You'll notice that I have no license yet. I am 61 yrs. old and have been studying for the last 6 weeks to take my tech AND general exams back to back. I don't test until the 24th of this month and have already sent in my application to join an amateur radio club.

Yes, I am interested in this "hobby"! I'm also committed to doing it my way, not yours. I've joined the ham club so that I can start looking around for some help and guidance from those in the hobby that know more than I. I would love to find an Elmer about now.

I'm too old to be afraid of ham "snobs" like so many of you that have posted here. But if I were young I might be very afraid. This thread could be very discouraging to many, but not so to me...oh no, not to me. I refuse to let you drag me down to your level, sad as it is.

Many of you complain a lot about things beyond your control but I say this, if you are not part of the solution then you are just a part of the problem. If you have knowledge that others don't, share it with them. As for myself I don't want your opinions just some of your knowledge. Understand?

Spread some good will, gentlemen. And ladies.

Rant over, flame on.