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Author Topic: Extra Class Upgrade.  (Read 911 times)

KX4OM

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Re: Extra Class Upgrade.
« Reply #15 on: September 22, 2020, 06:18:19 PM »

After 39 years as an Advanced, I did it for the challenge to dive into the digital modes, dig deeper in the new technologies and to self-justify buying a brand new rig, newer than my 1977 vintage Tempo 2020 and a few all-tubes boatanchors. I still mostly build and experiment rather than operate. The rig is an IC-7200 bought during the final closeout discount days.

Ted, KX4OM

https://www.qsl.net/kx4om/
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W7XTV

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Re: Extra Class Upgrade.
« Reply #16 on: September 22, 2020, 07:19:43 PM »

After 39 years as an Advanced, I did it for the challenge to dive into the digital modes, dig deeper in the new technologies and to self-justify buying a brand new rig, newer than my 1977 vintage Tempo 2020 and a few all-tubes boatanchors. I still mostly build and experiment rather than operate. The rig is an IC-7200 bought during the final closeout discount days.

All of which can be done with a General ticket.  I don't believe there are any digital mode operations in the bottom 25 kHz of 80, 40, 20, or 15 meters. 

The main advantage of having an Extra is if one is a CW DXer.  I've heard very few countries on the 15/20 Extra phone bands that aren't available in the or General bands.
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W6BP

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Re: Extra Class Upgrade.
« Reply #17 on: September 22, 2020, 08:32:18 PM »

First, you have to convince us to convince you to upgrade.
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SOFAR

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Re: Extra Class Upgrade.
« Reply #18 on: September 23, 2020, 01:08:36 AM »


To all the Extra Class Hams convince me to upgrade.

I don't think you should upgrade.

I did it because I wanted it. And didn't fret over 'bang for the buck' or 'investment payback'.
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W4KYR

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Re: Extra Class Upgrade.
« Reply #19 on: September 23, 2020, 05:49:27 AM »

It is 27 years since I upgraded to Extra Class. I did it for three reasons.

1. To see if I could do it.
2. To get it out of the way.
3. So I didn't have to deal with sub band restrictions anymore.
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AC2EU

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Re: Extra Class Upgrade.
« Reply #20 on: September 23, 2020, 07:08:42 AM »

I like the Extra because I can use the entire Ham spectrum!

KF5LJW

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Re: Extra Class Upgrade.
« Reply #21 on: September 23, 2020, 09:45:33 AM »

Study? Why waste your time with that? Just get the Test Pool Questions and Answers. Anyone can get an extra ticket. Today just pay the exam fee and you are a ham. You are now equal to CB'ers when you upgrade.
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K6CPO

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Re: Extra Class Upgrade.
« Reply #22 on: September 23, 2020, 12:27:36 PM »

If you ever want to become a Volunteer Examiner, you will be more valuable as an Extra than a General.  As a General Class examiner all you will be able to do is administer the Technician exam.  As an Extra you can administer all three.
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AJ6KC

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Re: Extra Class Upgrade.
« Reply #23 on: September 23, 2020, 06:12:44 PM »

It’s just a license, how ever you got it, doesn’t matter. What matters is what you’re going to do with it. Communicate. Under unusual and varying conditions, communicate.

The experienced amateur Extra can do that and understand why it works. The amateur General is adept at this and is learning more. The amateur Technician is learning this and all this.

In an ideal world!  ;D

But, give me the test questions and answers, I will pass all three tests in one sitting. Which is exactly what I did. When I decided I wanted a ham radio license, I read all the answers, I had enough math background to understand how to do all the math problems but it was way easier to memorize all the correct answers.

It’s been a year since I walked a way with my amateur Extra license from one sitting. I now know what I don’t know. I’m working on it.

My point is if you want to make Amateur Radio a guild level skill, then no more multiple choice exams. A skill level interview is the only way to pass on to the next level. Then and only then will an amateur Extra be able to answer two questions anytime after their exam.

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W9FIB

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Re: Extra Class Upgrade.
« Reply #24 on: September 24, 2020, 04:00:22 AM »

Study? Why waste your time with that? Just get the Test Pool Questions and Answers. Anyone can get an extra ticket. Today just pay the exam fee and you are a ham. You are now equal to CB'ers when you upgrade.

CBers do not have a license or call sign. So you are already above being a CBer.

Plus you get radio spectrum far beyond 11 meters. So again it's not a CB.

Following what the FCC asks for to upgrade is a reality. If you don't like the current standards, petition to get them changed. But to run down someone who is following the current rules is just not right. The complaint should be with the FCC, not with a fellow ham.

It’s just a license, how ever you got it, doesn’t matter. What matters is what you’re going to do with it. Communicate. Under unusual and varying conditions, communicate.

Absolutely!

Then there is the pride and satisfaction of having actually done it.

That is the main reason I upgraded.
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73, Stan
Travelling the world one signal at a time.

W5OT

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Re: Extra Class Upgrade.
« Reply #25 on: September 25, 2020, 10:19:19 AM »

"To all the Extra Class Hams convince me to upgrade."

It's like being a Cop..........you can go anywhere and do anything and nobody can give you crap for being in part of the band you aren't supposed to be.
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K1VSK

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Re: Extra Class Upgrade.
« Reply #26 on: September 25, 2020, 04:56:40 PM »

As others said, becoming an Extra used to require some effort but it isn’t really a challenge to anyone today. If the extra bandwidth is meaningless to you, why bother?

Taking the Extra exam isn’t any indication of knowledge which can be learned regardless of why you study. The challenge is in learning; not getting the merit badge. Lots of people, myself included, could easily pass the test but many see no benefit. In my case, it’s not worth the effort wasting time to drive to a test site and sit through the session just to get something I’m not interested in.
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TMA34

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Re: Extra Class Upgrade.
« Reply #27 on: September 25, 2020, 06:14:22 PM »

As others said, becoming an Extra used to require some effort but it isn’t really a challenge to anyone today. If the extra bandwidth is meaningless to you, why bother?

Taking the Extra exam isn’t any indication of knowledge which can be learned regardless of why you study. The challenge is in learning; not getting the merit badge. Lots of people, myself included, could easily pass the test but many see no benefit. In my case, it’s not worth the effort wasting time to drive to a test site and sit through the session just to get something I’m not interested in.


I Agree   
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KM1H

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Re: Extra Class Upgrade.
« Reply #28 on: September 26, 2020, 07:38:39 AM »

Quote
The material for the Extra class license isn't any more advanced than the sophomore level of an EE degree.
Been there, done that.

WOW, they sure have dumbed down the EE degree!  Most companies these days appear to have a high level of well educated immigrants.
AND I would not suggest even mentioning amateur radio on a resume which is really CB for the 21st century in most respects.

Carl
Ham since 1955, Extra since 1968
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N8AUC

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Re: Extra Class Upgrade.
« Reply #29 on: September 26, 2020, 07:25:25 PM »

Quote
The material for the Extra class license isn't any more advanced than the sophomore level of an EE degree.
Been there, done that.

WOW, they sure have dumbed down the EE degree!  Most companies these days appear to have a high level of well educated immigrants.
AND I would not suggest even mentioning amateur radio on a resume which is really CB for the 21st century in most respects.

Carl
Ham since 1955, Extra since 1968

Gee Carl, you got your Extra when I was in the 3rd grade, and you were first licensed 5 years before I was born.
Congrats. That means you're older than I am. If I remember right, didn't you work for National Radio back in the day?
I had an NCX-3 for a while many years ago. That was a nice rig for the price. I presume, based upon the seemingly condescending tone of your comments, you earned a BSEE degree too. Right?

When I earned my BSEE 38 years ago (class of 1982), you didn't even declare your major until you were a sophomore.
First year was loaded up with prerequisities like Chemistry, Calculus 1 (Differential), Calculus 2 (Integral), Physics 1 (Mechanics), English, elementary computer programming, along with your humanities and social science requirements. I took a 3 course sequence in History to satisfy my humanities requirement, and a 4 course sequence in Economics for my social science requirement. Sophomore year you got 3 dimensional vector calculus (Calculus 3), differential equations, signals and linear systems 1 and 2, Electronic Circuits 1 and 2 with lab, Physics 2 (Electricity and Magnetism), Physics 3 (Modern Physics - subatomic particles, etc), Electromagnetic Fields 1 and 2.

The only part that has anything to do with what you learn for an Amateur Extra was in Circuits 1.

Dumbed down? Hardly. One in three freshmen couldn't handle the workload and dropped out completely. 2 of 3 people declaring an EE major didn't survive sophomore year. What drove most people out of the EE program was Calculus 3 and EM Fields 1. Getting people to thoroughly understand Maxwell's Equations, while learning the calculus needed to do so simultaneously was more than most people could handle.

Compared to an EE degree, Amateur Extra was a piece of cake (along with every other FCC exam I've ever taken). From a purely technical perspective, the old Advanced class license was more difficult than Amateur Extra was, at least when I took them. Then again, in those days you didn't have to send and receive morse code at 20 WPM for the Advanced. In my experience, irrational fear of the code requirement is what kept most people from even trying for Extra back then. Of course that's gone now. Any sophomore level EE student enrolled in a competent program, should be able to almost coast through any of the Amateur Radio exams. It's not the EE programs that have been dumbed down, it's the Amateur Radio licensing requirements. They aren't what they used to be.

And who said anything about mentioning an Amateur Radio license on a resume? I haven't seen anyone care about that on a resume in 30 years. Regarding well-educated immigrants? They are no better educated than American students. In fact, many of them studied here in the U.S. But companies hire them on H-1B visas because they work cheap, and are useful to suppress salary levels among engineers. You just can't hire them if you're a defense contractor, because most H-1B visa holders are unable to qualify for the security clearance requirements.

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