XPost: uk.radio.amateur   
   From: al-nospam@nottoday.com   
      
   Roger Hayter  wrote:   
      
   > I find demonstrating to some   
   > jobsworth that I have the common sense at least of an average gnat   
   > distinctly tedious.   
      
   I fully agree that pointless “how to pick up a box” health and safety demos   
   are a waste of time to keep box-tickers happy, but the AR practicals do   
   have some practical value, for example:   
      
   Using an HF transceiver - Given they’re not cheap, and most candidates   
   don’t have one, then using one to put theory into practice is quite   
   sensible. Similarly, most candidates won’t have used (or own) an antenna   
   analyser, or have the kit to calibrate and test a VFO. Surely these are   
   quite useful (and relevant) things to be able to do/learn?   
      
   When I took my driving test many years ago, I found much of the test pretty   
   basic and tedious (“how do you turn on the hazard lights”, etc), but I can   
   appreciate the value of being able to demonstrate practical application of   
   theory.   
      
   BR de Al   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)