Studying for My HAM Technician Class License

Getting out of my comfort zone. A reminder on what it feels like to learn.

Sometimes we plan on digging deep, other times it catches us by surprise. That was the case recently when I decided to get a HAM radio license. The entry level exam is the Technician Class License. I had an opportunity to attend a free training, but it was two all-day Saturday classes. I just couldn’t give up my Saturdays. I was told I would need to study at least 12 hours.

Ok, easy, and do I really need 12 hours of study? I didn’t keep track of all my study time, but all said and done, I estimate I devoted about 8-10 hours of study.

The first thing I did was check out the ARRL Ham Radio License Manual from the library. I thought I would just use that to study from.

The test covers the basic things you need to know as a licensed of Amateur Radio operator – FCC Rules; station license responsibilities; control operator duties; operating practices; radio and electronic fundamentals; station setup and operation; communications modes and methods; special operations; Emergency and Public Service Communications; radio waves, propagation and antennas; electrical and RF Safety.

What! I don’t know any of that stuff. After skimming through the chapters, I knew it would be in my best interest to purchase the book.

After getting the book, the first thing I did was schedule an exam in two weeks’ time. By setting a deadline that was not too far in the future, I was committed to learning the material. It gave me a target to strive for.

I did not set aside specific times for studying, I just knew that over the next two weeks, my free time would be devoted to studying. There were days I spent 2 hours studying, other days 20-40 minutes. I did have one day that I blocked off a 4-hour time period.

The idea is to spread the study out consistently over multiple days to increase memory retention.

The next thing I did was look at all the resources I had to study. There was the book, but also several sites offered online practice tests, flashcards and of course, YouTube.
I signed up for a site with online test prep and picked a YouTube video I thought would work for me.
The goal here was to use multiple modes of learning.

Engaging your mind in multiple ways helps solidify memory formation.

My official study started with just reading/skimming through the entire book. Then I attempted several of the test questions at the back of the book.
I watched an entire 45-minute YouTube video that basically just covered the questions and answers from the book. Then I moved to the online practice test.
What did I discover after a couple of study sessions? I knew nothing. None of the material could I even begin to associate with anything I already knew. It was completely new information to me.
This was going to be a little harder than I thought. I had a small panic feeling – “how will I do this in two weeks’ time?”

I was out of my comfort zone.

We are good at things inside of the comfort zone. Doing the things that we already do well makes us feel good, confident and competent. But there is no growth in the comfort zone!

Learning happens once you step out of the comfort zone and into this place where you start to feel uncomfortable. A place where you are doing something different. This is the learning zone.

Alert: Learning doesn’t happen in the comfort zone and it should be difficult.
“desirable difficulty”

Understanding this can make the learning process easier to deal with.

I started again. I read a chapter, but not the entire chapter word for word. The way the book is set up, is that at the beginning of each section, there is a list of test questions. I read the test question, found the answer and highlighted it.

I did this for every chapter.

I did the online practice test over and over. In the beginning, I barely got any questions right.

I reviewed the test questions at the back of the book.

I watched the YouTube video while I was on my exercise bike.

I reviewed the sections I had highlighted in the book and then would try to put it in my own words.

I wrote out what I did not understand and put it in words that made sense to me.

I learned the math.

When doing math, if you’ll be using a calculator on test day, use the same one during your study sessions. Write out the formulas, and steps to achieve the solution.

I came up with little tricks to help me memorize.

For example:

T6A04 – What electrical component stores energy in an electric field? Answer: Capacitor

This was how I remembered – Hmm, you would wear a Cap(acitor) in a field.

T5C02 – What is the basic unit of capacitance? Answer: Farad

Again, you might wear a cap in a field. Farad and field start with F.

See where I am going? A little word association. Whatever you can do to help you memorize.

I studied in multiple locations: the kitchen table, the home office, on the front porch, at the coffee shop, on the exercise bike. You multiply the number of perceptions connected to a memory by varying where you study.

Mixing up study locations can boost retention.

I finally started getting more questions right on the online practice tests. In the back of the book, I was getting right answers multiple times in a row.

I still did not feel 100% confident and more than once, I actually thought of postponing the test.

Here’s the thing though, it is a multiple-choice exam of 35 questions. You only have to get 26 questions right.

Yes, that means you can miss nine questions. That’s a lot. No one knows or cares how many you get right. You don’t need a perfect score.

Deep down, we want to learn, to grow, to improve. It’s not always easy. Immerse yourself in learning, have patience, and enjoy the process. Embrace the challenge, relish the difficult task and get out of your comfort zone. It might be difficult, but it will definitely be worth it!

Can’t wait to hear you out there – KE0ZXF

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

-Arthur Ashe

What to do during self-quarantine?

During this time that it is advised you self-quarantine, what are you suppose to do with yourself?

You can search the internet and find many suggestions.

Here are a few that I like:

Learn something new (sign up for my free class – Excel Basics: Learn While Creating a Personal Budget)
- Something new I just did – I got my HAM radio license. That required much studying for me. But it felt so good to stretch those mental muscles with completely new knowledge.
Complete a puzzle
Watch all the really long movies you’ve avoided until now.
Write actual letters to family and friends
Organize your Tupperware
Take time to reflect
Read an awesome book
Work – ugh

Hope to see you in class!

Be well and take care of one another.

How to Draw a Fox in Microsoft Word

Yes, you read that correctly. How to draw a fox in Microsoft Word. I know, Word is a serious program, a word processing application used for creating documents.

But let’s face it, Word is also used for creating the office flyer about the the upcoming birthday celebration or the St. Patrick’s Day festivities.

Of course, it is also used for creating a newsletter or a company brochure. For any of these projects, you have plenty of images available from different resources. But knowing how to work with shapes and manipulate those shapes is a great skill to have.

Maybe you don’t really need to draw a fox. You could find an image of a fox on-line. Easy peasy – all done. Well, drawing the fox is simply a fun way to practice – practice arranging, rotating and grouping the shapes to create something. And… you are creating something that you don’t have to worry about copyright issues.

Watch the video, practice with the fox and let me know what you think.

Click the link to watch the video: How to Draw a Fox in Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word Has a Calculator?

Word has a handy calculator built right into the program. Nothing fancy, just a simple calculator which lets you perform any basic arithmetical operation anywhere within Word.

Windows does have a more advanced calculator built in, but it’s kinda cool having a calculator right there in Word at all times.

Where is this calculator?

You actually need to add it to the Quick Access toolbar:

1. Right-click the Quick Access toolbar and select Customize Quick Access Toolbar from the pop-up menu.

2. Make sure For All Documents is selected in the Customize Quick Access Toolbar drop-down box.

3. In the Choose Commands From drop-down box, select Commands Not in The Ribbon.

4. Locate Calculate in the list and double-click it to add it to the list of Quick Access commands, then click OK.

What the calculator does

The calculator handles addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, percentages, exponentiation and roots.

Addition: +
Subtraction: – or you place the number to be subtracted in parentheses,
Multiplication: *
Division: /
Percentages: %
Exponentiation and roots: ^

If you were to type the numbers

2 + 2

Select the numbers and click the Calculator button. The result (4) is displayed in Word’s status bar.

The result is also stored on the clipboard, so you can paste it into your Word document or into another program.

You do not need to use an equal sign.

If you omit the operator, the calculator assumes you want to add the numbers.

If you were to type: 123 456 78.9 without an operator, the result (657.9) is displayed in Word’s status bar.

Calculate anywhere

The calculator works anywhere. You can even use the calculator on the following sentence:

At the meeting there were 5 realtors, 2 health experts and 1 MS Word nerd.

Select the sentence and click the Calculator button. The total number at the meeting will be calculated. Something to keep in mind though – if your text includes any special characters, you might get a wrong calculation.

You can also use the Calculator in tables to total up numbers in columns, rows or the whole table. In a table, you still need to use parentheses around a number or a minus sign to denote a negative number.

Something to take note of is that although it is possible to select numbers in non-adjacent cells in a table by holding down the Ctrl key, the calculator will not give you a correct total. Your selection must contain contiguous cells, rows or columns.

Order of Operators

The calculator uses operator precedence and parentheses to determine the order of calculations in more complex expressions.

For example:

2+2*2^3

gives you the answer 18, while:

2+(2*2)^3

produces the result 66.

If you don’t include parentheses in an expression, Word performs operations in this order:

percentage
power and root
multiplication and division
addition and subtraction.

And there you have it, Word’s calculator.

Download the pdf here: MSWordCalculator

Fear of taking an online class

I have been teaching an online class for a couple of years now at a local community college. I have my students introduce themselves on our discussion board and I always have several students who are new to an online class. Of course, they express fears and concern.

There are usually a combination of fears: the class will be too difficult, you don’t believe you will be able to work independently because of limitations on time or poor time management skills, and it is very common to be concerned that online study will be an isolating experience and that you will have no one to turn to when you are having difficulties. There is a perception that online classes mean no teachers or instructors will be available to help when you need it the most.

While these are all valid concerns, there are a few things you can do to be successful. Over the past several semesters, I think it comes down to three key things: take responsibility, time management and communicate.

Responsibility

Online classes take a certain amount of responsibility. You need to make a schedule for yourself. Don’t think you can just do everything the day before it’s due, because it’s impossible. It’s a good idea to sit down and set aside certain times when you’ll do certain assignments.

Also take the responsibility to read what the instructor has posted. I often post hints to assignments, answers to commonly asked questions and other various announcements.

Time Management

The flexibility to create your own schedule is often one of the biggest appeals of taking online classes. But that freedom can also be detrimental if you do not have solid time management skills. It can be easy to let assignments slide and miss due dates because of the flexibility that come with online courses.

It’s important to stay organized and follow a schedule because it’s difficult to catch up once you fall behind.

Communicate

You are not on your own. Your instructor or teacher is there to help. But you have to communicate with that person. Whatever the method is for you to contact your instructor or teacher, use it! Never feel like you are being the needy student and you don’t want to bother the instructor. Every instructor wants you to succeed.

You can search online for how to be successful in an online class. All the information you will find is valid. However, from my experience, it really does come down to those three things.

Take that online class, you will succeed.

The Excel Worksheet

Did You Know?

A worksheet is organized into a grid of cells, which are formed by the intersection of rows and columns.

Rows are identified by numbers. Row numbers can range from 1 to 1,048,576.

Column labels are identified by letters and start with A to Z. After Z, the next column heading is AA, AB, AC, and so forth. The last possible column label is XFD, which means there are 16,384 columns in a worksheet.

The total number of possible cells in a single worksheet is more than 17 billion. That is just one worksheet!!

I have just posted my first class on Udemy and need your help!

I have just posted my first class on Udemy: Excel Basics: Learn While Creating a Personal Budget.

It is a course for those new to Excel beginners or those that want to fill in some gaps.

This is a project-based course that takes you through creating a personal yearly budget. It is a step-by-step process broken down into multiple videos.

Along the way, you learn:

Entering text and numbers
Formatting text and numbers
Aligning and indenting text
Borders
Column width
Row height
Fill color
Copy and paste
Wrap text
AutoSum
Sum function
Simple formulas
Printing features

I am looking for feedback and reviews on the course. My students options matter and help me improve the course material and overall learning experience for future students.

If you are interested in checking out the course and giving feedback/reviews, I have a coupon code for free access.

Click on the link below to go directly to my Udemy course and sign-up for free:

https://www.udemy.com/excelbasics-personalbudgetproject/?couponCode=FOREVERMORE1ST

Phone Number Format in Excel

Here is a great tip to save you some time when entering phone numbers into Excel.

When entering a phone number into a cell, it is faster to just type the number without the dashes or parenthesis. You can format a cell to automatically format the phone number for you.

On the Home Tab, in the Number group, click the launcher arrow.

The Format Cells dialog box will open.

On the Number tab, select Special from Category and then choose Phone Number.

Click Ok.

Enter the phone number – just enter the numbers and when you hit Enter, the formatting is done.

Why Use Microsoft Excel? Need a reason to use Excel?!

Excel.

Chances are, that word alone stirs visions of lengthy spreadsheets and budgets with complicated formulas and charts.

It is true—Excel has become the standard in offices for pretty much anything that requires management of large amounts of data.

But, if you think Excel is only good for making you cross-eyed while looking at a bunch of numbers and financial reports, think again. There are tons of uses for Excel in business and at home.

The problem is that when people are asked to find a use for it outside of business or number crunching, most people are stumped.

I teach an Excel class at a community college and I get students who say they hope they don’t forget what they have learned.

Maybe you learned a little bit of Excel at work and you want to get better at it, but you can’t think of a reason to use Excel.

One thing I usually recommend is create a personal budget. But using Excel, doesn’t always have to involve numbers. When you have data, any data, use Excel to store it. One of Excel’s simplest yet most fundamental abilities is organizing data.

You can create:

Grocery lists
Inventory
Budget plans
Expense tracking
Vacation schedule
Trip planner
Tracking birthdays and anniversaries

You don’t have to have a lot of data to use Excel.

Of course, there are plenty of fancy apps and tools out there to help you do a lot of what I just mentioned. But, if you want to become really good with Excel, then you need to use Excel.

A passion of mine is cycling. I ride almost year-round. I have a few different bikes and I have to keep them maintained. What does that have to do with Excel?

I keep a very simply log of my bicycle maintenance. I track the date, which bike, what the maintenance was or the purchase made, cost and who performed the maintenance.

Really the purpose of this spreadsheet is so I can remember what I did with what bike. Because I am tracking this information in Excel there are some basic tasks I can do with this data, such as

Sort and Filter
Using the SUM function to see what my total expenses have been
Rename a worksheet
Add borders and fill colors
Use the Sumif and Countif functions
Create charts

Watch the video on my YouTube Channel.