Wave Talkers: new site to help you get licensed or upgrade

As a quick fix, I updated the code so the current question highlights in the list of all of the questions for that particular topic. This should let the user know where they are in the current question topic pool and still allow users to navigate to any other question in the pool. Let me know what you think.

 

Can you compare/contrast this with all the other tools that have been around for years like QRZ's own, AA9PW, Copacetic Flows, Ham Test Online, and the Amateur Radio Exam mobile app series?

Thanks!

 

Chis, I don;t see this as an improvement. It is still 4 full levels in, and the interface still has the (to me) issues listed.

 

Hi Neil, Out of the gate, Wave Talkers is a new platform build on modern responsive web frameworks so the entire site gracefully scales from mobile to the desktop. The site has a clean, uncluttered design. The entire site has also been built for accessibility for use with screen readers and other assistive devices. The first 3 content features are, all exam questions for all 3 major amateur tests, instant feedback for each question, and a Quick Review for each topic. There are many more features in development including improved navigation, a variety of self quiz options, audio and video based training, additional commercial radio exams, and much more. Getting the base site up and through the first round of bug fixes has been my first priority. As most of the major content bugs seem to now be cleaned up, I'm moving into development on the other features.

 

I would think that at the moment Chris has plenty to keep him busy finding bugs and adding features to his online tool. I would think it is your job to "compare/contrast this with all the other tools that have been around for years".

Of course there will be some overlap of features. There will also be some differences. It is too early to know what new features and improvements are yet to come. The site is still evolving. It seems to be generating a fair amount of traffic. The real question is the sustainability of that traffic. Time will tell. Then do your compare / contrast research.

 

Excellent! Thanks! Keep it up!

 

Thanks for the effort Chris. I just did all three exams and your site was great to help prepare.

 

Awesome! Glad it was helpful to you. Please reach out to me directly if you have any suggestions. I'm deep into making additional updates and refinements to the site, very happy that the 1.0 version was useful.

 

Totally off-topic

Love your avatar Kilroy lives!

 

Very nice!

 

Hmm... Perhaps I am out of step with the rest of the squad, but I am not impressed. It is a clean, attractive layout, but no more useful than previous sites which present the question pool and feedback indicating the correct answer, essentially skinning the same cat in essentially the same way. Besides, I do not favor sites which promote merely memorizing the correct answers, without providing substantial background information explaining why the question and its answer are important.

That's just MY take ... your mileage may vary, but this does not appear substantially or materially different from several existing sites pursuing the same objective in a similar manner. (... he typed, donning his Teflon(R) suit whilst waiting for the heat to rise...) JHR

 

I have been in contact with Chris several times concerning content on the site. Rome wasn't built in a day. What you are see online right now has come together very quickly. Some early issues have been worked out, and layout options are still being considered - but this is nowhere near being a finished product.

If you only want to see the site when it is all polished and offers more advanced features, then you should stay away for several more months. Leave it to others to monitor the growing pains. Who knows what this site will be when it grows up.

 

OK --- can do. Perhaps it was released a tad early.

Good luck with the project and I WILL check back later on to see how it is coming. / JHR /

 

Hi JHR, thanks for taking the time to look through the site and thanks for the positive feedback on the UI/UX. That was the focus of this first release, so glad to hear it hit the mark for you. My initial focus since launch has been cleaning up the bugs in the content, to make sure it's all as accurate as possible. Getting lots of help from the community identifying those. As for the limited scope of the current site, I agree and that was by design. Getting a simple site up and out quickly that could be built on was the goal. So no need for the teflon suit, just standby, more features are in development, coding and recording as fast as I can. 73!

 

[QUOTE=" , so glad to hear it hit the mark for you.[/QUOTE]

Greetings. Cute reply - an obvious attempt to neutralize my negative comment' but just to be clear, it certainly did not "hit the mark" for me.

I am frequently amazed at how often a new ham spends his time doing anything but working the radio. Many new ops, elated with passing the exam, feel a need to "give something back" to the radio community," so they quickly become VEs, as if they owe a huge debt of gratitude because three guys spent an hour proctoring their exam session before heading out for a brewsky. A generous gesture, to be sure, but hardly grounds for obligation. Thereafter, many new ops move on to producing "how to" videos and product reviews, as if merely passing the licensing exam qualifies them as experts., expounding all sorts of "news" which has been the subject of the ARRL Handbook for decades. Now, I do not claim to be an expert - not by any means and that is not my point. And, I am NOT being critical of any one operator in particular. I merely express my utter amazement at how many self-proclaimed experts are just itching to be a celebrity.

I wish you well in all your endeavors as a VE, webmaster, teacher, and etc., although I also recommend spending considerable time building and operating your own station, and learning the hobby first hand, before you begin teaching graduate level courses. But, this IS, after all, a very big hobby, and there IS room for everyone, especially frustrated educators, webmasters, and others feeling the need to "give something back" to the radio community, instead of working a little DX.

Good luck and enjoy the ride, but, sorry, it did not hit the mark. Just MY take ... K8JHR