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A funny thing happened at my ham test today...


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I have a GMRS license and I decided I wanted my amateur radio license as well.  So I studied for the Technician test for the last few weeks off and on, and I took the test this morning.  (Side note: I live in California, but currently visiting Wyoming, so I took my test in Wyoming.  The VE's were happy to have me.)  I passed the Technician test 100%.  Then the VE's asked if I wanted to try the General test, which I was completely unprepared for.  Turns out I am pretty good at guessing, I almost passed (I scored 25 out of the required 27 to pass).  My favorite part was when the VE was grading my general exam, he was shocked that I actually got as many correct as I did.  "Unbelievable" was his exact word.  Just thought I would share.  I guess my point is that for the folks that complain about the testing, it really isn't that hard.

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17 minutes ago, back4more70 said:

I have a GMRS license and I decided I wanted my amateur radio license as well.  So I studied for the Technician test for the last few weeks off and on, and I took the test this morning.  (Side note: I live in California, but currently visiting Wyoming, so I took my test in Wyoming.  The VE's were happy to have me.)  I passed the Technician test 100%.  Then the VE's asked if I wanted to try the General test, which I was completely unprepared for.  Turns out I am pretty good at guessing, I almost passed (I scored 25 out of the required 27 to pass).  My favorite part was when the VE was grading my general exam, he was shocked that I actually got as many correct as I did.  "Unbelievable" was his exact word.  Just thought I would share.  I guess my point is that for the folks that complain about the testing, it really isn't that hard.

Bit more studying and you’ll get your General.

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When the requirement for Morse was dropped, I spent two weeks with the General guide. Come Thursday night I ran through something like 10 example tests from a web-site -- passed all 10 tries. I then tried a few of the Extra example tests. Passed about 75% of them.

Saturday, drove up the bay to the testing site (my memory says San Mateo, but may have just been Menlo Park). Took both the General and Extra -- not really expecting to pass the latter; I had two weeks to go over the guide until the next test session closer to home (Sunnyvale). Passed both!

My impression is that the Technician license was the most difficult to pass -- keeping track of all those band edges, etc.

 

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  • 7 months later...
  • 4 months later...
On 5/13/2023 at 6:29 PM, back4more70 said:

I have a GMRS license and I decided I wanted my amateur radio license as well.  So I studied for the Technician test for the last few weeks off and on, and I took the test this morning.  (Side note: I live in California, but currently visiting Wyoming, so I took my test in Wyoming.  The VE's were happy to have me.)  I passed the Technician test 100%.  Then the VE's asked if I wanted to try the General test, which I was completely unprepared for.  Turns out I am pretty good at guessing, I almost passed (I scored 25 out of the required 27 to pass).  My favorite part was when the VE was grading my general exam, he was shocked that I actually got as many correct as I did.  "Unbelievable" was his exact word.  Just thought I would share.  I guess my point is that for the folks that complain about the testing, it really isn't that hard.

The tests really are not that hard if you've got some background in radio. A friend of mine did Tech and General in one sitting and his "Elmer" (mentor) said  that was "precision studying" when he scored perfect on Tech and missed 2 for the General. However you work it to get that ticket, do it. But cue the SadHam caterwauling about a) 13 wpm code and b) traveling to some FCC office and c) how much easier the tests are now...  Many elements of ham radio and GMRS are not mutually exclusive, and it's never a bad thing to have one more tool in that toolbox!

 

Dave  WRJG283/N0TXW

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22 hours ago, n2877 said:

Take it all the way to extra. Just passed my extra exam. It feels good to completely finish something. 

So when at a swap and the nice person asks you if you want to buy any of the General or Extra Class study guides you can say you don't need them any more. 🙂

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A reminder that the Extra question pool changes either next month or July. Wait to buy any Extra study guides until they have been updated.

I passed my General test in January and went ahead and took the Extra test. I got 50% on the Extra without even studying for it. I need to start studying again for the Extra.

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15 minutes ago, WRYZ926 said:

A reminder that the Extra question pool changes either next month or July. Wait to buy any Extra study guides until they have been updated.

I passed my General test in January and went ahead and took the Extra test. I got 50% on the Extra without even studying for it. I need to start studying again for the Extra.

The new question pool is already available to download for free. 
But honestly if you learn and understand the concepts in the old test you should be able to pass the new test. The concepts haven’t changed. 

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On 5/8/2024 at 8:08 AM, WRXB215 said:

@Davichko5650 I don't know what "caterwauling" is, but I'm pretty sure I agree with you. 😁

 
see below - the wailing of the "Ive been a ham for XX years, I had to test at FCC, I had to copy 300 wpm  (interestingly enough, I have been a ham for 32 years now - was Tech+ for 28 of them)
cat·er·waul
/ˈkadərˌwôl/
verb
gerund or present participle: caterwauling
  1. make a shrill howling or wailing noise like that of a cat.
    "he seems to think that singing soulfully is to whine and caterwaul tunelessly"
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  • 2 weeks later...

just thought but it makes more since to my brain if the different classes of ham radio were actually general, technician, extra. where you learn about general ham radio first then you get technical then last of all you learn about the extra stuff. Just a thought. 

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