(Brian Kelly) wrote in message . com...

I got my first dose by landing on 75M with one of the old
floor-mounted living room multiband wooden console radios owned by a
couple of old maid aunts. Was around the time of the broadcast of the
atom bomb tests on Bikini atoll.

My dad was at Eniwetok, and at several Nevada tests as well. He is
what is now called an "atomic veteran."

He has real military experience.

"Mike Coslo" wrote in message
...
Ryan, KC8PMX wrote:
Yep, As I was aware of that. And I never expected them to change for me
at
the last minute. BUT, I do believe that with enough warning ahead of
time
it should be considered more than fair for a VE team to make an
adjustment.
It should be no problem for a VEC to be able to send via code practice
oscillator!!!!!! Wouldn't that be a shame if the VEC's have become so
lazy
they can't even send a code test via a key because they are relying on
the
code CD's and tapes.

It's certainly possible, but in this day and age, I could see
prospective amateur one complaining that the custom test was too easy or
too hard, or complaining that he or she wanted to take the test from a
CD instead of a real person, or some other such.

Almost all of us can handle the standard test methods.


The rest can be accomodated for.

Over the course of my testing, I took tests at 4 different places:
Williamsport PA, Butler PA, State College PA, and Lock Haven PA. ALL the
VE teams were extremely helpful and accomodating. Those who knew of my
hearing problem when I took Element 1 (twice, cuz I flunked the first
time) were just great. The first time I took the test, they were more
bothered by my failing it than I was, and the second time, I spoke to
one of the VE's beforehand, and he outlined the different methods I
might use, and explained the lengths they were capable of going to to
accomodate my needs.

I just want to point this out, because the tone of you letter sounds
like you think that VE's are some sort of ossified "my way or the
highway" people. They aren't.

- Mike KB3EIA -


I can say this.. I HAVE seen some VEs who were real *******s. Not wanting to
help anyone. But I've seen those too, who helped all as much as they could.
However, my former comment still stands, according to the rules I've read,
if an applicant is handicapped and requires special equipment to use in
testing, it is THEIR responsibility to provide it for the VEs to use. It is
NOT the VEs place to provide it. There is a comment though I'd like to make
about the My way or the Highway when it comes to testing. It is "supposed"
to be required of the VEs to afford the candidates the best possible
conditions in which to examine. IF someone in the waiting or even an
applicant his/herself starts making it miserable for the others OR even
before hand if the applicant fails to provide all required documentation,
the VEs have a right to evict them from the area. JMS

(Brian) wrote in message . com...
(Brian Kelly) wrote in message . com...

I got my first dose by landing on 75M with one of the old
floor-mounted living room multiband wooden console radios owned by a
couple of old maid aunts. Was around the time of the broadcast of the
atom bomb tests on Bikini atoll.

My dad was at Eniwetok, and at several Nevada tests as well. He is
what is now called an "atomic veteran."

NOW we know why you turned out like you did. Sue the sumbitches.

He has real military experience.

"Ryan, KC8PMX"
wrote in message


They are supposed to make those provisions. If they did not, they
were
in
the wrong. However, I would not favor them using hand sent code with
an
oscillator for two reasons. 1) Oscillators are often not adjustable
in
pitch. 2) Some people who copy quite well have absolutely lousy fists
and
do not send good clean code. It takes a pretty good op to copy some
of the people out there.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE


And the fluctuation in CW skills is yet another reason to question its
validity as a testing element.

Kim W5TIT

But gee Kim, if someone has "made it" as a VE, shouldn't they be
proficient
in the mode(s) they are testing on?

At this point, it's not important or needed for morse
testing has LONG AGO deleted the "sending" part
of it and relied ONLY on the applicant decoding
pre-recorded tapes.

Seems to me that if someone is going to
qualify as a VE, they should be at an extreme proficiency level......

I've helped correct tests for teachers for subjects I
knew nothing about...nothing extradordinary there with
multiple choice...or checking a submitted set of
decoded morse text.

If a VE or VE team cannot effectively send a method of communication like
morse code as a required testing mode, it makes me wonder of the value of
the mode in the first place. If they are relagated to only using CD's or
tapes, I guess that would show the "dumbing down" of amateur radio,
bringing
it "one step further to extinction."

The reliance on tapes and CDs is because it is NOT all that
easy to be right on with sending code at any set speed (5, 13, 20
or whatever) by hand.

It is far easier to "machine generate" code text at specific speeds
and record them for a permanent use in testing.

Seems to me it should not be a problem for the whole VE groups to have a
set
"pre-scripted" QSO's. There could be as many as needed, 10, 20, 30 or
more
pre-made QSO's to send.

Far better to have the 20-30 or 40 prescripted QSOs recorded
and simply play back one. I initially learned morse for the
5 wpm test using 78 rpm record set from (I think) AMECO.

But, for all this speculation, the code test is soon to be just a historic
footnote, so what's all the fuss?

Cheers,
Bill K2UNK