Any Tips on Extra Exam?

[T.C.-TopCat]

Hey Fellow Hams,

I'm sitting for the Extra exam on June 11th. I've studied as hard as I
can on ever section, however, the math is the biggest hurdle for me. I
admit that I'm weak in mathematics. The Algebraic principles have long
left me shortly after my college days; which were seemingly so long
ago.

My question for those of you who have sat for this exam, is it
possible to pass it without getting the math? I have some of the basic
formulas down, however, mostly memorized the answers to about half of
them. I know I need 37 our of 50 to pass but was wondering about how
many calculations were on the exam? I fully understand test are
different but from what I understand the format is the same, in the
ration of questions for each section as described in ARRL's study
guide. Any constructive advice will be appreciated.

73s

TC

[krj]

There are only six questions that require algebraic principles. If you
can get the others correct, you can miss all the math questions and
still pass. Miss none, you get all the extra privileges, miss 13, you
still get all the extra privileges. (I missed six).
krj

[Bill Grimwood]

I passed mine several months ago and I had only one math problem and
fortunately it was one that did not require trig. The last I used trig was
in high school in 1962.

Study hard, If I can pass it anyone can. I am not technically inclined.

Bill

"krj" <joyn...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:Sssge.8481$7A2....@bignews6.bellsouth.net...

[T.C.-TopCat]

KRJ and Bill,

Thanks for the reassurance! Hopefully this time next month I'll have
all the Extra upgrade, if not... there's always next month.

73's
TC7

[Tony]

Take on the air study test. Here is a site to go to.
Keep it up till you pass 7 of 10 test you take.
Then Go for it.
Good Luck..
http://www.aa9pw.com/

On Wed, 11 May 2005 13:35:35 -0500, T.C.-TopCat <*****@***.com> wrote:

[Jennie]

Get the book ARRL Q and A, not the big book.  This is the best book, it has the q and a.  Better than Gordon's book too.

Read and try to figure the questions out. Hightlight the correct answer and only study the ?s will the correct answer. Again, only look at the correct answers...

 

Do not mess with the log formulas or the ones with J...Unless you are good at math.

 

 

Two things u have to remember.

 

1.       Two Resistant and Capacitance in Series      -   R1+R2           (C1 x  C2) / (C1+C2)

 

2.       Two Resistant and Capacitance Paralley    (R1 x  R2) / (R1+R2)          C1+C2

 

There formulas are not in the questions but the answers need to plug into other formulas.

 

Get the Casio Fx-260 solar at walmart.   I found it to be an excellent calculator for the test. I passes after a few weeks of studing, only missed 4...

 

Bill

KI4HPZ

"Tony" <to...@ameritech.net> wrote in message news:c6o6811e5tcqckb4j...@4ax.com...

[Capt. Wild Bill Kelso, USAAC]

Top..

After studying the theory, I took about a hundred online tests at www.qrz.com.
That gave me just about every combination of test questions and I think there
were two to three(ok, maybe four) real math probs on it... give it a try.

Good luck,

TJ, NS2E

--
=================================================================
Pilots track their lives by the number of hours in the air,
as if any other time isn't worth noting....
Michael Rarfit

[christine]

hi,

I also studied the general arrl book and used the practice tests
on eham.net to pass my general.

If I answered the question wrong, I looked the topic up
in the arrl study guide.

For my cw, I used the
arrl cdrom and also purchased NuMorse. I learned the
morse in a month, and the receive took about six weeks.

73 christine

[Jennie]

My advise above will get u there faster...

"christine" <ch...@nospam.com> wrote in message news:4291E590...@nospam.com...

[Roger]

On Wed, 11 May 2005 13:35:35 -0500, T.C.-TopCat <*****@***.com> wrote:

>Hey Fellow Hams,
>
>I'm sitting for the Extra exam on June 11th. I've studied as hard as I
>can on ever section, however, the math is the biggest hurdle for me. I
>admit that I'm weak in mathematics. The Algebraic principles have long

The Algebra needed is simple, something that I can do at my age, well
past retirment. Although they teach it a bit different now days, the
basics are still the same and work reguardless of which way you learn.
If you learned it once it only takes a bit of review. Unless things
have changed a lot, the math is very basic.

>left me shortly after my college days; which were seemingly so long
>ago.
>

You can learn the theory in about the same time as memorizing the
questions. If you learn the theory, the questions are a snap.

>My question for those of you who have sat for this exam, is it
>possible to pass it without getting the math? I have some of the basic
>formulas down, however, mostly memorized the answers to about half of

There is nothing you can't work in your head if you know the theory.
Yes, there are short cuts and rules of thumb. An example would be db.
Rember db is a ratio. Every 3 db is double the reference and 10 db is
10 times, while 20 db is 100 times (10 X 10)

Ohms law can be used several ways:

Where P = Power in watts, I = current in Amps, and E = voltage in
volts.

P = I * E Power = current multiplied by the voltage (PIE)
If you want to know current "I", then divide both sides by E

That gives you P/E = (I * E)/E
or P/E = I The Es cancel out in this case.

For E then divide both sides by I and you get:
P/I = (I * E)/I with the Is canceling which gives
P/I = E

And one other version for power:

P = (I^2) * R
Or
P = (E^2)/R

Again you can divide both sides by R to get E^2 or I^2 and to get e
or I take the square root of (P/R)

For series resistance, just add them together. Three 25 ohm resistors
= 75 ohms.

For parallel resistances of equal values, divide by the number of
resistors. Three 75 ohm resistors = 25 ohms.

For capacitors do the opposit of resistors. Parallel capacitance adds
while series capacitance is the product over the sum.

I don't know if they will even get this complicated but:

for parallel resistors of unequal values, only do two at a time.
and that is the product divided by the sum. Given 50 ohms and 75
ohms: It's (50 * 75)/( 50 + 75) = 3750/125, = 30

If it were 50, 75, and 100 ohms in parallel, you would do the first
two which resulted in 30 ohms. Then do the 30 in parallel with the
100, or (30 * 100)/ 30 + 100) = 3000/130 = 23.076 or roughly 23 ohms.

For any one who has taken the test recently, does it get any more
complicated than that, if that much?

Any other math problems such as path loss (which is additive)

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

>them. I know I need 37 our of 50 to pass but was wondering about how
>many calculations were on the exam? I fully understand test are
>different but from what I understand the format is the same, in the
>ration of questions for each section as described in ARRL's study
>guide. Any constructive advice will be appreciated.

I'd review the theory to the point of understanding what they are
asking, then go through the questions to see how well you do
understand. Then brush up on anything that gives you trouble.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com
>
>73s
>
>TC

[Roger]

On Wed, 11 May 2005 16:22:30 -0500, "Bill Grimwood"
<bi...@grimwood.net> wrote:

>I passed mine several months ago and I had only one math problem and
>fortunately it was one that did not require trig. The last I used trig was
>in high school in 1962.

I've never seen one that did.

[Butch Magee]

However hard you have to study for the extra, you will never have to study as hard as every body did for the Advanced Exam.  Just put in 15 or 20 min. a day on the internet study helper tests and do purchase the FCC rules part 15 fdrom the ARRL, it is worth more than it's weight in gold,  There are too many ways to twist a phrase on the rules, now go'n do it.  Oh, A buddy of mine at the old FCC Field Office in NOLA says that he thinks thats the reason they got rid of the Advanced, the AHs at the FCC HQ couldn't pass the thing themselves.  The politicos there, according to my friend, are the reason we have the vanity calls as we do today.  They couldn't pass anything harder than the Novice Exam, (their General class underlings could give them their Novice exam, and of course they would never fail the code under those conditions) anyway, that is how they got their 1 X 3, generally with a W in the prefix and of course when they got their no code general ticket it was a 2 X 2 with the W up front and then the no code Extra gave them the precious "W" by 2 for life.  When I fully recover from a little medical problem I have I will study my butt off too, so good luck to you my friend, and God bless us both on this thing.  Yep, I'm going for my "W by 2" my ownself.

73,
Butch KF5DE

[Sharpie]

On Wed, 11 May 2005 13:35:35 -0500, T.C.-TopCat <*****@***.com> wrote:

If you plan on being a ham, learning or in your case re-learning
some basic math that may be needed on the test should be worth it.
I think the question pool should be refreshed every day online so
the answers cannot be passed on or memorized. You already have
it easy. If you find an sample of the Advanced Class test, you will
see that the Extra Class test of today has hardly any math in it.
The elimination of the Advance Class test has already been a
"math bypass" where hams now only have to count on their
fingers. Do you want to know how to make youantennas
resonate, or how to scale them up or down? Uh-oh, is that some
fraction thingy math? Just study and take the test. I see you posted
on June 11th. I wonder if you passed.
Ironically, I am also T.C. TonyCat - not posting my call though
73