On the testing advice, you are the first one out of several who did not advise me to shoot for both. At this point, I am getting very high 80s and 90s on my Technician practice tests and am partway into my General course. My test is a month away. I think I have to go for it. I will either pass the general or flunk it. If I flunk it, the problem is solved. If I pass it, I don't see how it can possibly handicap me from learning the practical lessons I will pick up along the way.
Follow-up Question - Is there a rule or formula to specify the frequency where one band stops and another band starts, or is that simply rote memorization?
Personally, my advice
if you weren't already happily studying for General would be to
study for one license class, but shoot for the stars when taking the exam.
Just as an example, aiming to take Tech + General in one session means memorizing the band edges/privileges for both license classes, versus taking Technician and then being able to forget them and study for General.
But, if you're already studying for both, keep at it! It can certainly be done!
I will probably be banned as a lunatic but.... I have to vent. I invite any and everyone to tell me if anything I said below is wrong.
I think I partially found my own answer.
Band is based on wavelength. Actually, Wavelength and band (length) are the same thing
The formula for finding Wavelength in meters is found by - 300/ frequency in MHz (so that should also be the formula for finding bandwidth)
So, 300/14.25 MHz = 21.052 it is clear that 14.25MHz falls in the 20(s) meter band
however
300/4.000MHz = 75 BUT that is in the 80-meter band according to a chart I have.
Who calls 4.000MHz part of the 80-meter band and why??? By my calculations, it should be the 70-meter band. Where am I going wrong?
I am not saying I necessarily need this to pass the test, but I do need it to make sense of what bands cover what frequencies.
You must be new here -- if we banned people for being lunatics, the site would get lonely really fast.
Everything you wrote is mathematically correct, though.
This reminds me of a bit of advice I was given as a new shooter asking about different calibers of ammunition: treat the numbers as
names, and don't think too hard about them. For example, a 9mm bullet measures 0.355", which is the same width as a .380. But a .357 Magnum bullet is actually .357", so a .357 is wider than a .380. That hurt my head, but I have no problem accepting that the name ".357 Magnum" refers to something much bigger than ".380 ACP."
So, from your example, 14.25 MHz should technically be the "21-meter band," but that band is named "20 meters." Your math is impeccable, but the same can't be said of the people who were naming the bands. I'm guessing "80 meters" was named for the midpoint of the band.
Allow me to make a point about the tests.
The Technician test (FCC Element 2) will consist of 35 questions taken from a pool of over 400 possible questions. This pool is divided into several sub-elements. There is a specified pattern in how the questions on each copy of the test are taken from the sub-elements in the pool.
For example, Sub-element T1 covers the Commission's rules. The pool for Sub-element T1 has 6 groups of questions and each of the 6 groups has 11-12 questions. Each individual exam will consist of 6 questions from those 6 groups. In other words, there may only be 1 question on your test which asks about the material in Group T1A.
My point is that don't get wrapped around the axle because you find a particular topic difficult to understand or memorize. Don't assume that all of the questions on the test you take will cover that topic that you struggle with. It won't. The test is designed to cover the breadth of the material you need to know to have a Technician license, not to focus on a particular topic.
Also, your test will have 35 questions on it. You will need to answer 26 of those questions correctly. IOW, you can answer up to 9 questions incorrectly and still pass the test. Don't let your struggles with a particular topic keep you from taking the test.
Here's an example from when I took the Extra test. I struggle with Smith charts. I understand the concept, but I am no means an expert with Smith charts. There were, I think, 2 or 3 questions on my Extra test about Smith charts and I'm sure I got them wrong. I still answered enough questions correctly on the entire test to pass and get my Extra license.
A 2- or 4-year college degree doesn't prove that you know anything. It only proves that you understood or memorized enough to pass the exams. Hopefully, you understood enough that going forward in your career, you know where to find the information and have the ability to grasp the new things that you learn in your working career. Same with amateur radio. Passing a Technician test doesn't prove that you know everything. But, passing the test and getting your license does show that you've been exposed to the topics you might run across in your amateur radio career. It's a license to learn and the learning never stops.
+1 to this. I studied for General and got lucky, passing Extra with the minimum passing score. Full disclosure: I
still don't get Smith charts, but some day I'll be curious and learn them.
Not to say (nor is AK9R saying) you should just ignore parts you find difficult, nor that you shouldn't lean into your curiosity, but I love the advice of not treating the exam as the end. Ultimately, when you pass, the VEs are going to circle your new license class on the CSCE and sign their names, and your raw score doesn't really get recorded anywhere. (Technically, at least for the ARRL, the answer sheet which does have the score on it is sent back to the ARRL, but I don't think the FCC ever sees it.)
This kinda reminds me of
Cool whip being pronounced Cool hwip
I am so angry that this is actually an insightful answer.
