The ECE Hub

EST: RF Spectrum Mnemonic with Radio Propagation

2010-01-06T05:44:00.000-08:00

Before I explain this diagram, I would like to give the credit that this Mnemonics is made possible courtesy of PERCdc Review Center. I merely improved and added my own stuff. This is to somehow enlighten the memory load of reviewees especially in EST. I guarantee that once you are familiar with this, you can easily recall this until the day of the board exam or even beyond that!.

This mnemonic touches several fundamental topics of EST and is very much essential because who knows there might appear a question or two from this one. (every Point matters).

Ok now for the fun Part. The Mnemonics. The letters with the green highlights are the 1st letters of the different ITU RF designations. (Ref: Page 17, Tomasi). In order for easy recalling of the different bands simply use this mnemonic : Every Very Very Loving Mom Has Very Ugly Son Except I.
* Please take note that Voice Comes First before VLF*

Now In order for you to know the frequency just remember this Mnemonic: VHS at 3:30, kasi Ma Galing.
*Take note that the V in there stands fot Very Low Frequency, the kasi Ma Galing corresponds to the frequency in kilohertz,megahertz and gigahertz respectively. The 3:30 signifies the frequency range for these three.

Moving on, We will proceed to Wave Propagation Topic and its relationship with the spectrum. In order for you to easily recall what wave describes what, simply familiarize yourself with the illustration and the apply this Mnemonic: My Kilikili Has D Most Decent C Mill.

And then as a final note: Just Remember SKY is High Frequeny, Frequencies below Sky are Ground and above the Sky is Space. Refer to the figure.

Once again. This diagram would not be possible without the mnemonics I've learned from PERCdc.

GEAS: Tips and Tricks

2010-01-05T00:19:00.000-08:00

GEAS is probably the 2nd difficult subject to study (next to EST). The very reason for this is that there are so many refrences out there and the subject coverage is also broad. Here are some tips on how to deal with GEAS:

1. Remember your Physics Book in College. ALmost all topics in GEAS are discussed in Physics except for Economy,Laws & Ethics and Management. Familiarize yourself with the concepts behind the problems. Do not focus so much on advanced topics.

2. Love the "Yellow Book". Excel's Yellow Book is probably one of the best references out there for GEAS, Forget about the discussions on the side of the pages, just focus on the questions and problems. Complement it with PERCDC's GEAS book because it provides more detailed discussions on the topics.

3. Do not attempt to study all. As usual, our mantra of "DO NOT STUDY HARD, BUT STUDY SMART" applies. Observe the trends of the previous exams and then start from there.

I will be also posting mnemonics on GEAS so stay tuned for more. I will be posting more frequently now since the holidays are now over and everythings going back to normal.

User Feed Back : Spongebob

2010-01-05T00:05:00.000-08:00

Here is another inquiry from one of our readers.

As Quoted:
"sir condi po ako sa EST..ano po dpt ko basahin or revuhin?mgtetake po ako dis april..tnx".

EST has a very broad scope but I guess this is where trending will play a big role. You have taken the last EST board exam right? I believe that it would be a good starting point as to where to focus your review.

Ask yourself this questions:

What made the last EST exam difficult?
What is the "meat" of the exam?
If I were to name a topic in EST that is somewhat the majority of the questions in the past board exams, What would it be?

Focus on those stuff and another thing, If you have'nt finished Tomasi, do not bother to finish it. Only read the Sattellite topics on Tomasi and then focus you attention on Blake. Also if possible, enroll in the refresher/coaching programs of the several ECE review centers.Also stay tuned for tips and tutorials in this blog.

User Feed Back : Emman

2010-01-04T23:56:00.000-08:00

Hello guys, I'm back from the Holidays, I am really glad that to get several feedbacks from my readers. I will answer each one of them. To start off with, I will answer Emmans query. As quoted:
"hello. makakapasa kaya ako bord exams kung sa january me start magreview? 2nd take ko na kung sakali sa april last march 2009 math at elects lang naipasa ko"

Emman, I firmly believe that it is not yet too late for you to study and prepare for the april board exams. For the following 2 reasons:

1. Your experience with the atmosphere of the board exam will play a very big factor. You will have an advantage over the 1st takers since you already have the "feel" for the exam. Believe me, the 1st time is so different.

2. Since you passed 2 subjects out of 4.It is safe to say that you are somehow prepared to face math & elex again. So you can allot more time on GEAS and EST. The 4 months or so is enough to do just that.

My advice for you is to take the board exam and believe that you can make it. Just keep in mind that you need to schedule everything. Do not waste time and discipline yourself. Its just 4 months so its best to really give it a shot. Good Luck!

Things that will help you FAIL the Board Exams..

2009-12-25T08:29:00.000-08:00

I noticed that many are asking the things that they need to do in order to pass the board exams. There's nothing wrong with that actually but I guess it would also be nice if we have an idea on the things that we should avoid while preparing for the board exams right?

Here are some things that I personally believe that will contribute to failing the board exams. This is based on my observations as well as the observations of other people.

1.Collecting all notes/books/reviewers/alleged leakages-
   This is a common practice among reviewers (me included)..However, its almost a guarantee that you will not be able to read/go over all of them. This will just confuse you further and can greatly affect your confidence..Here is a concrete example :
       "Board Exam is fast approaching, you already feel the pressure and then you see the piles of notes that you have'nt gone through. What would you feel?"

2. Studying till the break of dawn-
This is also a practice which I am guilty of during the early days of the review. However, I was enlightened by my mentors (Thanks PERCDC)..Studying till the wee hours of dawn is not effective and is highly discouraged. Why? The answer is simple, You will be taking the board exams from 6am up to 6pm. Now if you have been studying during nighttime for the entire duration of the review. Your mind will become accustomed to working at these hours and believe it or not. It is already a big factor during the exams.

3. Trying to Cover all the Topics-
   Yes you can try but I will bet that in the limited time of your review, you will be able to accomplish this. That is why we enroll in review centers, for guidance on the things that we need to focus on. So do not feel overwhelmed by Tomasi or any other book for that matter.

4. Studying Hard
   Hey! Are you sure about this.. Yes folks you read it right. STUDYING HARD CAN HELP YOU FAIL..why? Let me first define what is studying hard. When I say studying hard,it is when you try to absorb all the topics given to you,pushing your mind to memorize the confusing formulas in geometry,the periodic table, the constants..and etc.. In this way, you are already overworking your mind.Here is what I suggest: DO NOT STUDY HARD BUT RATHER STUDY SMART! ..Yes..there's a big difference between the two..Observe the trends by reviewing past board questions, and of course,refer to your Review Center.

5. Passing Ahead of Time During Weekly Exams,Practice Exams, Etc
   "Ohh, Look at me, I finished 3 hours ahead of time."..Well congratulations! You fail! Let me explain to you why passing early on practice exams help you fail..The board Exams is 4 hours for Math and GEAS and 5 hours for Elex and Comms. Now with the time allotted,(except for Math)..the average student can finish ahead on time especially for Elex..However, imagine all the things that you could have done if you decided to wait it out and maximize your time.Once you have passed, its already over for you. You have no more chance of maximizing your score. Just imagine all the points that you could have made if you just maximized your time. Remember, in the board exams, every point matters..

Well, I guess thats some of the few..I encourage those who read this to post comments or any violent reactions to my post...:)

I'm gonna take the April Board Exams, Can I still enjoy this Holiday Season?

2009-12-23T09:24:00.000-08:00

The answer is an obvious YES. Actually it is very much encouraged that you take some time off and ENJOY the Holidays, However this does NOT mean that you actually stop studying (as well as visiting this site for updates). Take time to celebrate but do not lose momentum, Think of it as this way, as of this moment, your mind is already attuned to studying to such an extent that it's already a part of your system. Now, if you suddenly stopped, all the momentum that you built up from the previous months will be gone and this can lead to undesirable events (trust me..the probability that you will forget all the things that you have studied prior to the vacation will increase). Be sure to maintain a steady study habit but do not forget the holidays. After all, we all need a break once in awhile.

Here are some of my tips for celebrating your holidays as well as not losing focus on your review:

1. Make a schedule of activities. Plan all your parties and if possible allot a time for studying. It just depends on your "diskarte"

2. Do not tire yourself needlessly. Proper sleep plays a sufficient role in retention.Be sure to have plenty of rest before review classes resume.

3. Avoid too much alcohol intake (I did not say you abstain from it.But please drink moderately)

4. Avoid doing things that might jeopardize or prevent you from resuming review classes or worse, taking the board exams. (untoward incidents such as firecracker accidents,barfights,untimely pregnancies, etc etc)

5.Lastly, never stop praying and asking for guidance!

Enjoy your holidays, future engineers and coleagues. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !

Mnemonics CAN Help

2009-12-18T03:33:00.000-08:00

We all passed a point in our student life wherein we have to memorize/remember long lists of information. Not everyone is gifted with a photographic memory and most often than not, we tend to forget what we have memorized as time passes. If only we can create a way to remember them just like we remember our names.That is the purpose of Mnemonics. With a little creativity, we can say farewell to traditional memorization.
Here are some tips (based on my experience) on making effective Mnemonics:

1. Organize the Information into a sequence such that it can make sense to you.
2. Create a story using (as much as possible) the 1st letter of each item.
3. Use short and easy to recall words (You made a mnemonic to compress the information, not to burden you further)
4. Once you've made a story, Write it or shall I say practice Writing it. Writing really makes a difference, It is much more effective than just relying on verbal repetition.

Well that's it. Your comments and suggestion will also help a lot.
You can Remember! A Home Study Course in Memory and Concentration

Mnemonics: Multi-Fiber Cable Color Code

2009-12-18T03:17:00.000-08:00

My apologies for delayed posting. I have been busy on chores. However I'm ready to blog again. So for our first Mnemonic. We will tackle the different Multi-Fibre Cable Color Coding Scheme. This can be found easily over the net, however, due to the sheer number (12 colors) one might have trouble memorizing/remembering them. So to reduce the load on your memory I hereby present to you the different Fibre cables and with its Mnemonic:

Position	Jacket color
1	Blue
2	Orange
3	Green
4	Brown
5	Slate
6	White
7	Red
8	Black
9	Yellow
10	Violet
11	Rose
12	Aqua
13	Blue with black tracer
14	Orange with black tracer
15	Green with black tracer
16	Brown with black tracer
17	Slate with black tracer
18	White with black tracer
19	Red with black tracer
20	Black with yellow tracer
21	Yellow with black tracer
22	Violet with black tracer
23	Rose with black tracer
24	Aqua with black tracer

MNEMONIC: Blue Owes Great Britain Several White Rabbits Because Yellow Violated RA9292.

Notes:

1.The Mnemonic only describes the 1st 12 colors. Cables 13-24 have the same color sequence except for Cable 20 which is Black with Yellow Tracer.

2.All have black tracers except Cable 20(duh!).

There you go guys, I hope this mnemonic will help you in your review for the board exams

Casio fx991ES vs. Sharp EL-W506

2009-11-21T18:17:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: This review is not being paid by either of these two brands and the author is not affiliated in any of the two. This is a review based on the actual board performance.

I have used both Casio and Sharp during the board exams and based on the performance of the two here are its pros and cons that were significant in the exams:

Sharp:

PROS:

*4X4 Matrix
*Faster in Integration
*Ease of recalling constants/conversions
*Shortcut Buttons
*STAT functions are easier to navigate

CONS:
*Different button placements (most if not all are used to casio, so it takes some time to get used to the new layout)

Casio

PROS:

*Table Function (for graphing equations)
*Familiar Layout (Majority of ECE's are casio users during college)

CONS:
*Can only solve up to 3x3 Matrices (To solve 4x4 matrices, you need first to transform the 4x4 to 3x3)
*List of Constants/Conversion Factors are not built in the calculator itself
*STAT Mode can get disorienting with all the menus that you need to go through

So I have listed the PROS and CONS for the 2 calculators and believe me. Both are great calculators, I'll leave the choosing up to you but keep in mind that the calculator is a very powerful tool. SO be very sure that you take time to study and learn the functions of your calculator. Do not wait for the board exam to come close before you start studying your calculator. The earlier you learn and harness the power of your calculator, the more prepared you'll become in facing the examinations.

So you want to pass the board exams?

2009-11-21T05:51:00.000-08:00

Passing the board examination is no simple task. It is not just attending review classes,answering thousands of MCQs(multiple choice questions),studying till the break of dawn and other things that typical students(me included) are doing when they are about to take exams. Passing the Board Exams is more than just those things I mentioned above. In fact, I have seen many hardworking/diligent students fail as well as those who have a very good academic standing during college.

It is very safe to say that we all have equal chances in passing the Board Exams. It is just up to us on how we take and maximize this chance. For those who are going to take the Board Exams: NEVER STOP BELIEVING THAT YOU ARE VERY MUCH CAPABLE OF PASSING and if you are having any doubts regarding your capabilities, I strongly suggest that you should immediately stop reviewing for you are only wasting your time. CONFIDENCE plays a big role in passing the board exam, however be very wary because sometimes IGNORANCE can be mistaken as confidence and it can be very fatal.

Believe in yourself but always remember that nothing is achieved without hardwork and of course, PRAYER! During my review, I have this very simple prayer which in fact is very applicable in all aspects of our lives and that is : "Lord,strengthen my heart and enlighten my mind." During the examinations, when I am faced with a difficult question, I would repeatedly say this simple yet powerful prayer.

This is just an introduction for this blog and I wish all those who will take the Board Exams in the future especially this coming March 2010 a VERY GOOD LUCK.

You can do it guys..

Welcome to the ECE Hub!

2009-11-20T19:26:00.000-08:00

Hi guys, welcome to the ECE Hub. This purpose of this blog is to assist young ECEs in their studies as well as their preparation for the Board Exams. Stay tuned and I do hope that this blog will really serve its purpose.