Fall is Here and Where Am I?

Well, it is a beautiful fall day here in the Upper Midwest.  The morning was crisp and the afternoon is turning out to be warm and sunny.  So why am I sitting here in the middle of the afternoon, inside, at the computer?

Study for the Amateur Extra test is really turning my brains to mush.  According to Ham Test Online, I have completed 18:54 of the suggested 30 hours of study and I have been cramming more information in my skull than I ever thought humanly possible.  The good news is that I am actually getting some of it down.  Of the practice runs I have taken thus far, I have gotten 50% (using another study method), 64, 76, 82, 86, 85 and 74.  You have to have a minimum of 74% to pass and the 74 I got was when I directed the program to only give me hardest questions - the ones missed by most people that take the test.

The following is a full report card of where I stand currently with my study:

KDØMCV		QuQuestions	Percentage of test	Current score
Extra Class Exam (element 4) (valid 7/01/08 – 6/30/12)		50	100.0%	86.00%
Sub-element E1	Commission’s Rules	6	12.0%	92.00%
Sub-element E2	Operating Practices and Procedures	5	10.0%	91.00%
Sub-element E3	Radio Wave Propagation	3	6.0%	91.00%
Sub-element E4	Amateur Radio Technology and Measurements	5	10.0%	83.00%
Sub-element E5	Electrical Principles	4	8.0%	81.00%
Sub-element E6	Circuit Components	6	12.0%	87.00%
Sub-element E7	Practical Circuits	8	16.0%	86.00%
Sub-element E8	Signals and Emissions	4	8.0%	83.00%
Sub-element E9	Antennas and Transmission Lines	8	16.0%	84.00%
Sub-element E0	Safety	1	2.0%	89.00%

For those that think this test is easy, lets look at a couple questions from the actual pool.

E3A07 What frequency range would you normally tune to find EME stations in the 2 meter band?A. 144.000 - 144.001 MHzB. 144.000 - 144.100 MHzC. 144.100 - 144.300 MHzD. 145.000 - 145.100 MHz

E3C08 What is the name of the high-angle wave in HF propagation that travels for some distance within the F2 region?A. Oblique-angle rayB. Pedersen rayC. Ordinary rayD. Heaviside ray

E5C22 In rectangular coordinates, what is the impedance of a network comprised of a 10-microhenry inductor in series with a 40-ohm resistor at 500 MHz?A. 40 + j31,400B. 40 - j31,400C. 31,400 + j40D. 31,400 - j40

Now, I am not saying that these are impossible, but for an 'old dog" like me, I really found a lot of these to be difficult at best.  It has been way too many years since I had to do some of the complex math calculations and, quite frankly, my memory is not as sharp and keen as it was when I was a "young buck."

So, I am really being serious about this.  I set a goal that I would get my Extra Class before my anniversary and that is tomorrow.  That is when I will take the test for real - in West Liberty, Iowa at the Southeast Iowa Hamfest.

Question from the Hinterlands: "Hey, Where Have You Been"

It has been weeks since I posted last to this blog and I am sure there are some that are wondering - "Where the heck is he?" 

The answer is that I have been spending every free moment studying for my General Class License.  Sure, I went to a couple Hamfests along the way, but my primary focus has been on passing this test.  The mathematics is something that I am just not good at anymore and especially memorizing all the different formulas.

I mentioned that I went to a few hamfests along the way.  So far, I attended the Cedar Valley Hamfest in Cedar Rapids, the Peoria Superfest in Peoria, Illinois and the Southeast Iowa Hamfest in West Liberty.  All were fun and exciting to get to, but I was looking forward to getting to West Liberty to take the test.  Yes, 3OCT2010 was the day I was both looking forward to and dreading.

I rarely get to have a free Saturday that I am not working, but this Saturday (10/2) I was surprised that I didn't have to work.  I needed to have another good look at the test for real, so the wife and I loaded up early in the morning and made a trip to Madison, WI for my second attempt at the test.  As fate would have it, I failed the test miserably, but I did get a good look at it and got the chance to see where I really needed to focus my study for the next day.

I really didn't get to do a lot of studying as the wife and I did some shopping and sightseeing in Madison.  Because of that, we didn't get back home until late in the evening and I cracked open the book only to fall fast asleep.  When I awoke this morning, I was in a rush to get on the road and so didn't get to study at all.  I guess I will just have to pray really hard.  When I arrived at the fairgrounds in West Liberty, I paid admission, parked and thumbed through the answers that I had highlighted in the book, then it was off to find the restroom and test site.

There were quite a few people there to take the test, as was expected with this being the Iowa Convention Hamfest.  I went up to the table where the three VE's were sitting, paid my fee, filled out paper work and was handed my test.  Butterflies went into overtime in my guts and I thought I was going to explode - and I hadn't even found a seat yet.  Once I found my seat, I said a little prayer and cracked open the test.  I was shocked to see the first question was one I was totally familiar with and answered without even thinking.

The part of the test that I was most worried about made up 10 of the 35 questions.  I can only miss 9 so I have to hope that I get at least one of the tough ones right and ace the rest of the test.  As I finished the test, I looked it over one more time, closed the book and stood up to turn in my test.  Now the butterflies were really active and I needed to go to the bathroom again.

I am not a very patient person when it comes to tests.  I want to know now how I did and lets get the agony out of the way so I can go out to the truck, crack open the book and study for an hour before coming back to re-take the test.  There were five to grade before mine and each one was being graded painstakingly slowly.  Could I make it through this part.  All I could do was sit with my head low, eyes closed and pray that I could tolerate the battle of my guts while waiting.  As each test was finished being grading, the VE would call the name of the candidate.  I heard one name after another, then I heard, "David?"

There was no answer.  I was busy with my praying that I almost missed it.  "KDØMCV?  David?"  Hey, that is me.  Up I went to the VE, totally ready to hear the bad news - I failed by missing 12 questions yesterday and so I was ready to go out and study again.  If I hurry, I can get about 30 minutes in before I have to be back in here...

"Congratulations, you passed, you missed 7 and were allowed to miss 9."  I was flabbergasted.  I didn't know what to do.  I shook hands with the VE and went to fill out one final paper before I received my CSCE (Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination).

I immediately sought out a ham I new from here in Dubuque (WØSAT is that fatherly figure of a ham that I am honored to know).  I found him and showed him my CSCE.  He and his wife were so happy to see me holding that paper with hands shaking.  I don't know what was bigger, the weight off of my shoulders for finally passing the test or the smile on my face that couldn't be broken.

Now, on to find some HF equipment so I can use the license.