When starting something new, there is so much to learn and the investment required to be successful usually involves a fair amount of time. It's almost always a great idea to not have to do it alone. Sharing the joy and the pain of pushing yourself forward in life makes the triumphs sweeter and the failures bearable. I will always remember my experience in earning my amateur radio license.
As I mentioned in one or more of my previous posts, there are so many different things to learn in ham radio that it can boggle the mind. You have to take it in little pieces. I have no idea how all of this technical material ended up under a single heading labelled "amateur radio." One thing is for sure--nothing in the study material is useless and most likely you'll need to know it all at some point. Having said that, it's not impossible. The licensing test is simple: just 35 questions chosen from a set pool of over 250. An exam participant may get up to 9 wrong.
This experience can be compared to CPR: Do you want someone trying to save you who knows some of the essentials or would you prefer someone who put in the effort to learn what's necessary? I studied the book, a few forums and all of the questions. I also made sure that I looked online for additional info on topics I didn't understand. I even studied test-taking strategies to help my confidence. I was also fortunate enough to have
In doing so much studying, I realized that I can push myself harder than I have in the past. I can also learn things that I didn't think I could possibly tackle before. The math equations and problems found in the book and on the test were useful in real life and were things that I could use around me in my home and in my other hobbies.
I enjoyed having my dad with me in studying and while taking the exam. We were able to quiz one another and also help each other understand all that was necessary. Yep, he got on my nerves a bit, but I'm used to that. It was especially nice to have someone there to prod me into studying when I felt I had already enjoyed enough for one day.
When Friday morning came, we both took our seats. We were seated next to each other. Although we would be taking different exams, the experience would be exactly same for each of us. Dad was testing for his Level 2 - the General Class License - and I was testing for my Level 1 License. Although we felt confident in our studying, our nerves had managed to get the best of us. The testing hadn't even started and we both were already worked up.
Have you ever sat down in front of a test or stood before a group to give a speech and realized that your mind was blank? That describes the experience too well. That morning, neither of us managed to pass our exams. It wasn't a complete flop by any means, mostly just a narrow miss; but we weren't finished. We were encouraged by the proctors to try again right away or to take the day to rest and study a bit more then return the next morning. We chose to come back the next day and give it our best shot after some rest.
We took the remainder of the afternoon to get some sleep. We also reviewed the material again and took the online practice exams to see how we might get along the next time around. By the time we "called it an evening", each of us had passed 5 or more online practice exams with at least an 85% grade, with most tests in the 90's. There were even a few perfect scores.
The next morning, we both showed up to take the test just like the day before. This time, we were much more confident and better rested. We took the same seats we sat in on Friday but we both chose different numbers during check-in for our visitors badges--because surely this little effort ought to change our game! After about 10 minutes of testing, the examiner came by and picked up my exam. My dad finished a minute or two after me. The head examiner took them to the front of the room to a table where 3 others were waiting to have a whack at reviewing our answers.
The way the grading works is like this: The exams are given in the format of booklets comprising 35 questions. You are given an answer sheet similar to a standardized test on which you black-out the letter of the correct answer. This is then turned in for review. At that point, three volunteer examiners take turns checking your answers. People make mistakes and having 3 "judges" for each exam makes the grading fair and sure.
The first examiner pulled out a thin blue transparent film and laid it over the answer sheet that I had turned in. He started to make marks in red, one right after another. Keep in mind, that an exam participant can only miss up to nine. I stopped counting at four. It was at this point that my dad leaned over and told me I was turning green and that I looked as though I was going to pass out or puke. He smiled and said "it's OK to breathe!" We laughed and looked to the front of the room. I didn't get the chance to see how the V.E. finished grading my exam. Did I miss too many today? Was I going to go home disappointed? I watched the second examiner go through my test and noticed that he didn't make any additional marks. That's when the exam session manager gave me a thumbs up. After another few minutes, he brought over my certificate of completion and some handouts and welcomed me into the field of amateur radio! I felt a great sense of relief and personal satisfaction at having accomplished what I set out to do. It was only then that I started to relax. My dad got a thumbs up on his too as he only missed three.
The feeling of triumph that I had once we had passed the exam was nice. I had become licensed and had joined a new community of great people. It was a very good feeling! Everyone who took a test that day with us passed--everyone. I had never really thought about being an amateur radio guy; but here I was, licensed at 16. The cool thing about all of this is that my dad was beside be the whole time. Whether it was studying, testing, failing, or passing... we did all of that together.
The examiners were friendly and encouraging. We were able to sit around and talk a while. They mentioned that they have some community service events going on that morning and that it may not be too late to assist if I was interested. I told them I would like to help. Heck, that's the goal of this project. So I went downtown to help one of the ham volunteers at the rodeo parade. I didn't get to do anything because it was basically over when we got there. Our exam time put us there a little too late. I found out that each year, the radio guys help organize the parade and tell who's coming up next to the announcers because the float and participant line-up changes even at the last minute. The radio lets them fulfill this role because of the coverage that it gives. This will be something that I will participate in next year. I have also given my name so that I can be included in the future projects that need hams in our area.
Looking back on this, I can say that it was a success. I learned new things, met new people, experienced temporary setbacks and then enjoyed personal success. I don't know if it's because I play it safe too much or if I'm as smart as I think I am, but I don't fail often enough. Falling short and learning how to get back up and move forward was one of the most important things about this experience. I also learned that I can afford to push myself a little bit more. Ultimately, I have also found yet another thing that I have in common with my dad.
After thinking it over and talking about it together, we have decided to just keep going until we can't go any further. It looks like we'll be going to take the next level of exams over the summer.
If anyone would like more information about the type of questions that are on these tests, you can click this link to take you to the official testing site for the A.R.R.L. Or you if want the PDF you can click this link.
They have online study materials and practice tests available. Their online store also sells the books we used in preparing for this exam.
I encourage everyone to learn and try something new and worthwhile. When you do, be sure to drag a friend or family member along because at some point they may be the ones pulling you.
I'll end with a quote:
"Learn to not settle for mediocrity. There's enough of that in the world already. Instead, let's strive to think and be better."
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