About a month ago, the 2008 version of my General Class license course got started. We’re using the ARRL General Class License Manual as the text, but it’s really not the best text for those that might be having trouble understanding some of the basic concepts.
Concidentally, a thread just got started on the Flying Pigs QRP mailing list discussing electronics tutorials on the Web. A couple of good ones have already been mentioned:
- Electonic Circuit Theory (Univ. of Texas – Austin). This tutorial is interesting because it uses a mechanical analogy, not a hydraulic analogy to illustrate the concepts of voltage, current, and resistance. It also uses a Flash animation to illustrate this.
- Socratic Electronics. This site purports to use the Socratic Method to teach electronics. It notes,
Central to the Socratic Electronics project is a large collection of questions and answers, intended as student assignments. By requiring students to research answers to these questions, then present their findings in class, students learn how to locate information, problem-solve, collaborate, and clearly articulate their thoughts while learning the basic subject matter.
That sounds like an interesting concept that I’ll have to look into for future classes.
I can’t say that I’m a fan of the ARRL General License book. It reads fine until the electronic parts which are just horrid. Each section is like coming into the middle of a conversation. So I’ve got some items to add to the list…
Ham Radio Podclass
http://www.hamradioclass.org/
They take your trough the information you need to know for both Technician and General class licenses. Extra class starts this Summer.
MIT 6.002 Circuits and Electronics
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Electrical-Engineering-and-Computer-Science/6-002Spring-2007/VideoLectures/index.htm
Beginners class with video lectures, assignments and notes.