Hi all,

I've been studying some of these questions for the Extra exam and I am having
a bit of difficulty. I think the biggest block is the fact that I'm never likely to need half the stuff I have to remember, and if I ever do, I'm going to look it up on the internet.

If I'm going to build an antenna, you bet your life I'm going to find one on the internet that someone has already designed, tested, and tweaked.

So for those who have recently studied and passed the extra, how do you get this stuff to stick in your mind long enough to pass the test?
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On 10 Aug 2020, Nigel Reed said the following...

I'm never likely to need half the stuff I have to remember, and if I

Then I'd argue you probably don't need extra. After a little over two years into radio, I've used something from every section of the test except
sat, and even that knowledge I've used in discussions with people.

Why are you interested in extra?

If I'm going to build an antenna, you bet your life I'm going to find
one on the internet that someone has already designed, tested, and tweaked.

I can tell you in no uncertain terms, every antenna you buy or built, *maybe* with the exception of a loop or metal vertical, is going to need some antenna knowledge to get the best performance out of it.

I have operated with plenty of people of all sorts, including a bunch with extra class, and about 80% of them have damn near no idea what they're doing with antennas, setup, and/or operating. I promise that if you learn what's in extra and put it into practice as you need it, you'll find value in it.

So for those who have recently studied and passed the extra, how do you get this stuff to stick in your mind long enough to pass the test?

Everyone is different. My son, Etienne, memorizes well and just used hamstudy.org to memorize the easy parts. Then he used The Fast Track to Your Extra... by Michael Burnette audio book for the harder parts.

I used hamstudy for the parts I mostly already knew. Then for the harder
parts, especially electronics, I would listen to the Fast Track book on 1.25x and follow along with the regular book.

Etienne passed with a couple wrong answers. I did worse. He was eleven at the time. :-/


- Andre, WI9AJR

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Re: Re: Trying to study for extra
By: Andre Robitaille to Nigel Reed on Thu Aug 13 2020 22:13:34

I'm not really following this line of thinking.

Not at all.
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Mike,

The only other thing is me balking at the cost of a decent radio
setup.

Yeah, why are hobbies always so damn expensive?

They're like spouses or significant others...we're married to them,
and all that goes with them. <G>

Do you, Sysop, take this BBS to be your lawfully wedded spouse??

OR

Do you, Ham, take Radio, to be your lawfully wedded spouse??

For "the rest of the story" on the latter, go to https://www.theweatherwonder.com/elk.htm -- and look for a file
called "The Triple Play". It is full of ham radio humor and puns.

Daryl, WX4QZ

... Why were the Indians here first? They had reservations.
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