Dick Carroll wrote in
:

Robert Casey wrote:

Dick Carroll wrote:



You view the situation as an EE who didn't need to study to work out
any of the technical problems on the Extra exam, few that there were.
Most applicants have the singleminded goal of passing the exam, and
learning beyond that goal is not only unnecessary, it gets in the way
of the goal at hand. So they naturally just don't do it. The curent
method of testing clearly facilitates that position.


I'm a EE, and like any reasonably successful college student, I still
made use of the
avaliable resources (the question pool) to prepare for the (at the
time I took them)
elements 4A and 4B. Found a few holes in my knowledge, and filled
them in for
at least long enough to score well on the tests (missed 1 on 4A, 2 on
4B IIRC).
Got the CSCEs, and then the extra on Restructuring Day.
Most students only study what is expected to be on the exams. Thus, I
could solve calculus exam problems (take the intergral of (csc
x^5)/(tan x^2 -1) dx)
but I still never got a good understanding of how to use calculus to
solve a real
world problem. Recently went looking for a "calculus for dummies"
type book, but all they had was how to do exam problems. Been there,
done that.



And obviously it wasn't a problemm and hasn't caused any problem, for
you and others similarly situated, nor for the ARS.

But.....how about all the Extras out there who have
successfully proceeded through the same system and emerged
with so little knowledge that they have no idea of even
how to design and build a simple *1/2* wave dipole?
With little or nothing beyond the question pools in their
libraries, many won't even know how or where to look it up.
And when(if) the day comes that won't be required to copy
ANY Morse code,one of the most used modes in ham radio,
at the most basic speed?


Which will affect their comprehension of dipoles neither one way or the
other.

Your linking of CW ability to comprehension of radio theory would be
frightening if it wasn't hilarious!

Understand that I'm not saying they shouldn't be hams, nor
that they shouldn't be allowed some HF access. We all start
somewhere.
But to allow them licensing into the top echelon of amateurs
is ludicrous and negates all that ham radio is supposed to stand for.

In short, it reduces the ARS to CB status.



Your thinking is so completely addled that I hardly know what to say in
reply.