• UALR Ham Club Exams

    From Daryl Stout@VERT/TBOLT to All on Wed Aug 5 23:59:00 2020
    Due to the following factors, there is a HIGH likelihood
    that the UALR Ham Radio Club License Exam Sessions, that
    were set for Sept. 19 and Nov. 21, 2020, at the Amy
    Sanders Library in Sherwood, will be CANCELED...and exams
    for 2021 may NOT be able to be scheduled, due to lack of
    a test site, and payment of required fees.

    ! COVID-19 restrictions. Until further notice, the Central
    Arkansas Library System is NOT allowing meetings, exam
    sessions, etc. to be held. It doesn't matter at this point,
    if the dates are kept on the calendar, or removed. Even at
    the UALR Campus, MASKS ARE REQUIRED, like it or not. The
    campus considers us as "visitors", so that makes testing on
    the UALR Campus less likely.

    ! My continuing recovery from hernia surgery 2 months ago,
    and being told to "not lift anything heavy" (the 3 test
    cases, with the handouts and printed exam books, are well
    over 10 pounds each).

    ! The conduct of some examinees...either refusing to comply
    with the COVID-19 regulations (not wanting to wear a mask,
    etc.), or trying to bribe the VE Team to certify the exams
    fraudulently -- which means all examinees there to re-test
    in front of another VE Team, or the FCC...and all of the
    VE's involved would be stripped of their accreditation and
    ham radio licenses for life. Part 97.511 of the FCC Rules
    (which one has to agree to follow, in order to obtain a
    ham radio license), notes "Examinees must comply with the
    instructions given by the administering VE's". If you
    don't have the intent on following these, you need not
    even worry or consider becoming a ham radio licensee.

    ! Most of the VE's are in "the vulnerable age group" for
    getting COVID-19.

    So for all intents and purposes, until further notice,
    the UALR Ham Radio Club will NOT be doing ham radio license
    exam sessions. I had even seriously considered disbanding
    the VE Team, and sending back all the supplies, except for
    my VE badge, in case another area team needed me. Neither
    myself, my fellow VE's, or fellow examinees, need to put
    up with insubordination.

    In short, all those who were hoping to give the exams as
    VE's, and to take the exams as examinees...should prepare
    for the possibility (if not likelihood), that the Sept. 19,
    and Nov. 21, 2020 sessions are going to end up being
    canceled. If nothing changes by Labor Day, I likely will
    cancel one, if not both, sessions.

    As of now, I'm NOT optimistic of scheduling testing for
    2021. Those wanting to take amateur radio license exams
    should seriously consider contacting another VE Team.

    Daryl Stout, WX4QZ, UALR Ham Radio Club VE Team Liaison

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  • From DaiTengu@VERT/ENSEMBLE to Daryl Stout on Thu Aug 6 18:34:00 2020
    Re: UALR Ham Club Exams
    By: Daryl Stout to All on Wed Aug 05 2020 07:59 pm

    So for all intents and purposes, until further notice,
    the UALR Ham Radio Club will NOT be doing ham radio license
    exam sessions. I had even seriously considered disbanding
    the VE Team, and sending back all the supplies, except for
    my VE badge, in case another area team needed me. Neither
    myself, my fellow VE's, or fellow examinees, need to put
    up with insubordination.

    In short, all those who were hoping to give the exams as
    VE's, and to take the exams as examinees...should prepare
    for the possibility (if not likelihood), that the Sept. 19,
    and Nov. 21, 2020 sessions are going to end up being
    canceled. If nothing changes by Labor Day, I likely will
    cancel one, if not both, sessions.

    There's a few clubs that are doing remote exams now over Zoom. Not sure if you're in a position to do something like that. I'm planning on taking my exam remotely (as soon as I'm sure I can pass my General exam).

    DaiTengu

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  • From Daryl Stout@VERT/TBOLT to DaiTengu on Sat Aug 8 21:09:00 2020
    There's a few clubs that are doing remote exams now over Zoom. Not
    sure if you're in a position to do something like that. I'm planning
    on taking my exam remotely (as soon as I'm sure I can pass my General exam).

    Unfortunately, my team does not have the logistics to do something
    like that, and we're concerned for the potential of cheating. At one
    local session awhile back, one examinee had the audacity to try and
    bribe us, to certify his exam fraudulently. I wasn't the liaison, but
    I sent a note to the Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) on that.

    I tell folks "If it takes you a dozen tries or more to pass the exam,
    even if just barely...you have as much right to be on the air, as
    someone who made a perfect score the first time". Then, I added "The
    man or woman who graduates dead last in medical school, is STILL,
    "a doctor". However, I might not want them doing a prostate check or
    a pelvic exam. :P

    As a side note, when I took the Novice written in 1991, and the
    General written in 2007, I thought both were "a piece of cake". If
    you study 2 hours a day for 2 weeks, you can pass the exam. I did
    good on the rules, regulations, frequency, propagation, and RF
    Safety. But, when it got to math and electronic theory, DS stood
    for Dumb @$$. :P However, if you get a FIRM GRASP on everything
    else, you don't have to be overly concerned about the math.

    Daryl, WX4QZ

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  • From DaiTengu@VERT/ENSEMBLE to Daryl Stout on Sun Aug 9 18:46:37 2020
    Re: Re: UALR Ham Club Exams
    By: Daryl Stout to DaiTengu on Sat Aug 08 2020 05:09 pm

    Unfortunately, my team does not have the logistics to do something
    like that, and we're concerned for the potential of cheating. At one
    local session awhile back, one examinee had the audacity to try and
    bribe us, to certify his exam fraudulently. I wasn't the liaison, but
    I sent a note to the Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) on that.

    That's crazy. with the amount of material available for free on the internet now days, I can't see why anyone wouldn't be able to pass their Tech and General exams with only minor amounts of work.

    I tell folks "If it takes you a dozen tries or more to pass the exam,
    even if just barely...you have as much right to be on the air, as
    someone who made a perfect score the first time". Then, I added "The
    man or woman who graduates dead last in medical school, is STILL,
    "a doctor". However, I might not want them doing a prostate check or
    a pelvic exam. :P

    Ha, how true! I never thought of it that way, but it makes perfect sense.

    As a side note, when I took the Novice written in 1991, and the
    General written in 2007, I thought both were "a piece of cake". If
    you study 2 hours a day for 2 weeks, you can pass the exam. I did
    good on the rules, regulations, frequency, propagation, and RF
    Safety. But, when it got to math and electronic theory, DS stood
    for Dumb @$$. :P However, if you get a FIRM GRASP on everything
    else, you don't have to be overly concerned about the math.

    The question pools are freely available. I spent $3 on the HamStudy app on my phone, in which all you do is answer questions from the pool for your chosen exam. It will tell you what areas of the exam you're weakest on and you can run through questions from those areas. It will keep track of your past practice exam scores, and you can even share your results with your Elmer.

    I'm horrible at studying, and this is just making it easy for me.

    The Technician's exam I feel like anyone with a rudimentary grasp of radio/electronics could pass with common sense.

    Did you get a lot of people failing? or trying to cheat?

    DaiTengu

    ... Average is as close to the bottom as it is to the top.

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  • From Daryl Stout@VERT/TBOLT to DaiTengu on Mon Aug 10 17:36:00 2020
    That's crazy. with the amount of material available for free on the internet now days, I can't see why anyone wouldn't be able to pass
    their Tech and General exams with only minor amounts of work.

    I think he was just lazy, because of his being irresponsible. The
    police likely would not have treated his expired drivers license with
    much kindness. :P

    man or woman who graduates dead last in medical school, is STILL,
    "a doctor". However, I might not want them doing a prostate check or
    a pelvic exam. :P

    Ha, how true! I never thought of it that way, but it makes perfect
    sense.

    When that woman crossed her legs and grimaced at our comments, we all
    busted out laughing. <G>

    The question pools are freely available. I spent $3 on the HamStudy
    app on my phone, in which all you do is answer questions from the pool
    for your chosen exam. It will tell you what areas of the exam you're weakest on and you can run through questions from those areas. It will keep track of your past practice exam scores, and you can even share
    your results with your Elmer.

    There are numerous apps out there to help you study. When I told Tom
    Medlin, W5KUB, he couldn't believe it. He had John Cunningham, W1AI, on
    his show, and when Tom told him about me, John quipped "Yeah, we know
    Daryl!!" It's like I have a reputation!! <BG>

    I'm horrible at studying, and this is just making it easy for me.

    Electronics was never my forte' -- although I can tell you the colors
    on the resistor...thanks to Violet <BG>...that not even an amp of current
    can kill you...and what a battery is on a schematic diagram, but that's
    it.

    For those who don't know, there is an acronym BBROYGBVGW -- the first
    letter of each is the color on the resistor. The B is either blue, brown,
    or black...but R is red, O is orange, Y is yellow, G is green, V is
    Violet (naturally <G>), and W is white. In this college course, the male professor wouldn't tell the female electronics students what it stood
    for (Bad Boys Ravish Our Young Girls, But Violet Gives Willingly).

    So, after class, the women asked some of their male classmates, who
    told them. They laughed and said "We're not offended...that's a great
    way to remember it!!". One of the women was grinning like the Cheshire
    cat who had just swallowed the canary. They asked her what her problem
    was, and she replied "I'm Violet!!". <BG>

    Hey, if it works, and helps pass the test, more power to you!!

    The Technician's exam I feel like anyone with a rudimentary grasp of radio/electronics could pass with common sense.

    As noted in another message, if you get a firm grasp on everything
    else, you won't have to worry too much about the math or electronics.

    Did you get a lot of people failing? or trying to cheat?

    I've had one try to bribe us into certify it fraudulently, but we
    made him take the exam, which he failed miserably. I use the ARRL/VEC
    Exam Maker Software, which means every exam (36 per element) is
    DIFFERENT...in questions, and answer order. So, there's no point in
    cheating.

    Daryl, WX4QZ

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  • From DaiTengu@VERT/ENSEMBLE to Daryl Stout on Fri Aug 14 18:27:02 2020
    Re: Re: UALR Ham Club Exams
    By: Daryl Stout to DaiTengu on Mon Aug 10 2020 01:36 pm

    There are numerous apps out there to help you study. When I told Tom Medlin, W5KUB, he couldn't believe it. He had John Cunningham, W1AI, on his show, and when Tom told him about me, John quipped "Yeah, we know Daryl!!" It's like I have a reputation!! <BG>

    Heh, Reputations are fun. I'm finally getting into amateur radio through a guy I work with (we both work remote, he's in Maine, I'm in Wisconsin). He just passed his Extra exam. (N1BJX)

    Electronics was never my forte' -- although I can tell you the colors
    on the resistor...thanks to Violet <BG>...that not even an amp of current can kill you...and what a battery is on a schematic diagram, but that's it.

    For those who don't know, there is an acronym BBROYGBVGW -- the first letter of each is the color on the resistor. The B is either blue, brown, or black...but R is red, O is orange, Y is yellow, G is green, V is
    Violet (naturally <G>), and W is white. In this college course, the male professor wouldn't tell the female electronics students what it stood
    for (Bad Boys Ravish Our Young Girls, But Violet Gives Willingly).

    I also learned it that way. I think it was in a high school electronics course, but I'm pretty sure I read it out of a book years before that. It was slightly different, and a whole lot more offensive. (a different word for "R")


    I'm probably going to schedule my exam for next week sometime. I'm spending about an hour a day doing a practice exam, then studying up on whatever I missed. I'm only missing 1 or 2 on any Technician's exam, so I'm not worried about that. It's the General exam that I'm juuust squeaking by on. I need to put more work into that. :)

    I picked up a RTL-SDR V3 and one of those cheap chinese HT VHF/UHF radios to start with. Been spending a lot of time listening to local repeaters, and scanning frequencies with the SDR. I'm looking forward to when I'll be allowed to push the button and say something :)

    DaiTengu

    ... It works better if you plug it in.

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  • From Digital Man@VERT to DaiTengu on Fri Aug 14 22:26:02 2020
    Re: Re: UALR Ham Club Exams
    By: DaiTengu to Daryl Stout on Fri Aug 14 2020 02:27 pm

    I'm probably going to schedule my exam for next week sometime. I'm spending about an hour a day doing a practice exam, then studying up on whatever I missed. I'm only missing 1 or 2 on any Technician's exam, so I'm not worried about that. It's the General exam that I'm juuust squeaking by on. I need to put more work into that. :)

    I picked up a RTL-SDR V3 and one of those cheap chinese HT VHF/UHF radios to start with. Been spending a lot of time listening to local repeaters, and scanning frequencies with the SDR. I'm looking forward to when I'll be allowed to push the button and say something :)

    Aren't those RTL-SDRs amazing? This is the one I bought: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011HVUEME

    And I usually attach it to one of these antennas with great results: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RCOEL0C

    digital man

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  • From DaiTengu@VERT/ENSEMBLE to Digital Man on Sat Aug 15 03:16:57 2020
    Re: Re: UALR Ham Club Exams
    By: Digital Man to DaiTengu on Fri Aug 14 2020 06:26 pm

    Aren't those RTL-SDRs amazing? This is the one I bought: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011HVUEME

    Yep, that's the exact same one that I purchased, along with a Baofeng BF-F9V2+

    I'm definately looking for an antenna or three for the RTL-SDR (and possibly for TX as well, at some point). I'm just not entirely sure what frequencies I'm going to settle on, yet.

    DaiTengu

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  • From Daryl Stout@VERT/TBOLT to DaiTengu on Sat Aug 15 14:49:00 2020
    Heh, Reputations are fun. I'm finally getting into amateur radio
    through a guy I work with (we both work remote, he's in Maine, I'm in Wisconsin). He just passed his Extra exam. (N1BJX)

    I need to set up a remote base deal with a fellow member of the Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA). I do their CQ100 Net on Friday, and
    their Digital Net on Sunday, on D-Star, DMR, WIRES, Fusion, and D-Rats;
    plus checkins via their Facebook Group, and the IM Utility in Netlogger.

    To be a member, you have to have been FIRST LICENSED as an amateur radio operator anytime in 1995 or earlier (as of 2020), and are currently
    licensed (the license term doesn't have to be continuous. There is the
    national organization (www.qcwa.org) and several regional chapters. I was
    first licensed in 1991 -- I'm a Life Member of the National Organization,
    and a member of Chapter 85 in the Shreveport area. The last time I worked
    HF was on the Arkansas And Missouri Railroad Memorial Day Troop Train in 2011...a YouTube video of that is on my profile on QRZ (look for WX4QZ).

    for (Bad Boys Ravish Our Young Girls, But Violet Gives Willingly).

    I also learned it that way. I think it was in a high school
    electronics course, but I'm pretty sure I read it out of a book years before that. It was slightly different, and a whole lot more
    offensive. (a different word for "R")

    And, I know what it is (hi hi (in ham radio, that's known as "the telegraphers laugh)).

    I'm probably going to schedule my exam for next week sometime. I'm spending about an hour a day doing a practice exam, then studying up on whatever I missed. I'm only missing 1 or 2 on any Technician's exam,
    so I'm not worried about that. It's the General exam that I'm juuust squeaking by on. I need to put more work into that. :)

    To really get on HF, you need the General class license. Much of what
    is on the Technician exam is also on the General exam, but in more detail.
    When I took the General exam, it was just after the Question Pool for it
    had changed in 2007, and I thought it was a piece of cake. But, to do things like D-Star, DMR, Wires, Fusion, D-Rats, Packet, APRS, etc., a Technician license will do the job.

    I picked up a RTL-SDR V3 and one of those cheap chinese HT VHF/UHF
    radios to start with. Been spending a lot of time listening to local repeaters, and scanning frequencies with the SDR. I'm looking forward
    to when I'll be allowed to push the button and say something :)

    You can still get on as "third party traffic" right now, as long as
    there's a licensed ham radio operator there to "monitor and supervise
    what you do". Years ago, it could take 2 to 6 months to get your callsign
    after you passed the exam...now, you can get it in as little as 1 to 2
    weeks. However, they had damage in the northeast US, from a Tropical Cyclone...that cut power to the FCC, and closed a post office in the
    Newington area, which kept ARRL/VEC from getting exam results. I'm not
    sure if that problem has been fixed or not. ARRL had power, as they have
    a full capacity generator on site.

    ... It works better if you plug it in.

    Except if you plug the power strip into itself. :P

    Daryl

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  • From Vk3jed@VERT/FREEWAY to Digital Man on Mon Aug 17 00:33:00 2020
    On 08-14-20 18:26, Digital Man wrote to DaiTengu <=-

    Aren't those RTL-SDRs amazing? This is the one I bought: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011HVUEME

    For what you pay and what they are, they're pretty good. Sadly, they only use an 8 bit ADC, which limits their dynamic range, meaning they're easily overloaded, but definitely handy to have a couple around.


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