"JB" wrote in message
news:uSDBk.486$UB3.159@trnddc07...

I took the General Radiotelephone Operator's License exam in 1981, just
after it went into effect. However, they were still giving the old 2nd
class
exam, which was mostly about tube technology and which shared nothing in
common with the Extra Class amateur exam of the time.

I did 2nd Phone in the late 70's and there was tube, transistor, RTL and
TTL
logic theory, and 'complete the schematic' type questions but less of that
and more general types of engineering and circuit theory, AC/DC theory, RF
and transmission lines and most of it involving Electronic Math. Trig,
Vectors, no Smith charts or Calculus. Very little of it had anything to
do
with tubes specifically. The rest was FCC parts. It was said at the
time,
that it was more like the Advanced Ham ticket. I got my Advanced a year
or
two before, and I agree the technology level was equivalent and it was
about
200 questions or so. Later when I did the Extra, (90's) there were
questions well beyond the 2nd Phone but only 25 of them! The code test
and
the noise floor equations made me strain. I wish the bandwidth and
modulation questions were on the Technician class test though.


------------

Yep, the solid state and basic computer theory were there too, but I was
surprised that they used a schematic of an RF tube amp for diagnostics
purposes. I was sure that they were going to use solid state equipment for
diagnosis. I was wrong. As it turned out, tubes are always easier for me to
figure out, so it ended up being a plus for me.

The Advanced Class amateur license test was definitely the pinnacle of
amateur radio technical testing, but I didn't feel it was up to the 2nd
Phone test that I took for the General. In fact, I even found a few mistakes
in the Advanced test.

The Extra Class test (I took it in 1985) did include a question or two that
required some trig, but I figured out the answer in my head before finishing
the equation. It was obvious that the conjugate impedance was going to be
capacitive. There was only one answer with a -j, so it was obvious that that
would be the correct answer.

Ed, NM2K

The Extra Class test (I took it in 1985) did include a question or two
that
required some trig, but I figured out the answer in my head before
finishing
the equation. It was obvious that the conjugate impedance was going to be
capacitive. There was only one answer with a -j, so it was obvious that
that
would be the correct answer.

Ed, NM2K

I picked up on that too. If you didn't know what was going on there, you
would be left drudging through a math problem.

The thing about Trig was having to memorize all the substitutions in order
to poke the problem into a manageable calculation, or you wind up losing
precision. If that happens, you wont have the clear cut answer for the
multiple guess.

In some ways I miss tube equipment. Now I have to deal with surface mount
technology. Even for a resistor, I risk putting a soldering iron up my nose
while squinting through a loupe. I just dread the idea of replacing a chip
with 100 legs or more. In the 70's you had to know tubes and everything
else too because there was so much transition. Ham Radio magazine was my
best friend, and it was an opportunity to learn the discrete versions of
complex stuff like synthesizers and various issues that had to be overcome.
It's all easier now. If you can figure out what a controller is supposed to
do, all you have to do is make sure the rest of the components can comply.
But there is so much offshore cheap junk now that almost everything is
worthless to fix but cheap to modify. Except for industrial controls and
things like that. But now customers are just trained to throw stuff away on
a bigger scale. I get the idea that We as American citizens are not allowed
to know technology any more.

JB wrote:

In some ways I miss tube equipment. Now I have to deal with surface mount
technology. Even for a resistor, I risk putting a soldering iron up my nose
while squinting through a loupe. I just dread the idea of replacing a chip
with 100 legs or more.

These things are the best. They are stereo so you get depth perception.
They are cheap and the optics are very good. I can read the numbers
on parts the size of a grain of salt and I'm 59 years old. I have no
SMT dread.

http://www.mageyes.com/

But now customers are just
trained to throw stuff away on a bigger scale. I get the idea that We
as American citizens are not allowed to know technology any more.


Its not the technology... its the economics. Why in the world would a
consumer want to more in labor charges for a sophisticated electronics
product that cost less to replace than repair?

Ed K7AAT

On Sep 22, 10:32*am, "JB" wrote:
The Extra Class test (I took it in 1985) did include a question or two
that
required some trig, but I figured out the answer in my head before
finishing
the equation. It was obvious that the conjugate impedance was going to be
capacitive. There was only one answer with a -j, so it was obvious that
that
would be the correct answer.

Ed, NM2K

I picked up on that too. *If you didn't know what was going on there, you
would be left drudging through a math problem.

The thing about Trig was having to memorize all the substitutions in order
to poke the problem into a manageable calculation, or you wind up losing
precision. *If that happens, you wont have the clear cut answer for the
multiple guess.

In some ways I miss tube equipment. *Now I have to deal with surface mount
technology. *Even for a resistor, I risk putting a soldering iron up my nose
while squinting through a loupe. *I just dread the idea of replacing a chip
with 100 legs or more. *In the 70's you had to know tubes and everything
else too because there was so much transition. *Ham Radio magazine was my
best friend, and it was an opportunity to learn the discrete versions of
complex stuff like synthesizers and various issues that had to be overcome.
It's all easier now. *If you can figure out what a controller is supposed to
do, all you have to do is make sure the rest of the components can comply..
But there is so much offshore cheap junk now that almost everything is
worthless to fix but cheap to modify. *Except for industrial controls and
things like that. *But now customers are just trained to throw stuff away on
a bigger scale. *I get the idea that We as American citizens are not allowed
to know technology any more.

I had to take a test for the FAA once that the prep material took you
through all kinds of cr stuff that I studied for two months.
When I finally took the BIG test that my job depended on it was ALL
about decibles. The two hour 50 question test took me twenty minutes
and I never picked up my calculator. About all you had to know was 1db
was 20% 3db doubled or halved and every 10db
was 10 times and you pick the multiple guess answer. I remember the
guy giving the test thought I had given up and turned the
test in after only 20 minutes .He certainly was surprised when he
found I ACED it.The people that failed it all knew what they were
doing
They just got bogged down in the crank and grind of the math.

Jimmie