Introduction to RoadTests - All Comments

RE: 5 Reasons Why An Applicant Is Not Selected as an Official Roadtester

dougw — Sat, 13 Aug 2022 18:56:04 GMT

I suspect [mention:77de285dc3304dd5b943ccb7ee803caa:e9ed411860ed4f2ba0265705b8793d05] is correct, the "frivolous" applications are just quick attempts to get something for "free". The applicant knows their one-line application is not going to win against serious applications, but they are thinking maybe if all other applications are even worse frivolous applications, they will come away with something for very little effort. I assume they are learning this strategy doesn't work well on this forum, but hope springs eternal...I doubt any amount of lecturing about what constitutes a good application will eliminate this type of application, and I wouldn't get too fussed about them not getting the message.

To some extent all applications have a similar strategy. When I apply, I try to write an application that is good enough to win against the types of serious application this forum inspires, which implies my assessment of what is good enough to win is much higher than a frivolous application.

RE: 5 Reasons Why An Applicant Is Not Selected as an Official Roadtester

rscasny — Sat, 13 Aug 2022 18:19:26 GMT

The 11-word test procedure was something to the effect (my paraphrasing here): "To test the capacity of the device I designed." That was the entire test procedure he uploaded to me. So, the kit I would be sending this prospective roadtester would enable him to do this testing of a prototype he was working on. I just don't think this is enough. Even a paragraph that discusses the kit and how it will be employed in this testing would tell me much more than this statement. I wouldn't want someone to write a 1,000-word proposal. I don't think it's always needed. But I have learned over the years the degree of detail in a test procedure tells me if the applicant can handle the roadtest or it might be a bit too much for him. If it's too much, then discouragement can follow, the need to a lot of support, or the roadtester will just return the kit to me. All this could lead him to not applying for a roadtest again, which I don't want to see happen.

RE: 5 Reasons Why An Applicant Is Not Selected as an Official Roadtester

colporteur — Sat, 13 Aug 2022 01:48:29 GMT

I occasionally see blog posts that reproach the RoadTest Review selection...'I have applied numerous times and have never been selected."

I'm surprised that applicants don't appreciate the expectations for an application. No, I take that back. I'm not surprised. Maybe the application effort reflects the commitment. I want something for minimal effort. What does FREE cost?

My application reflects the understanding I am up against some pretty stiff competition from this community to be successful. If successful in the application, getting feedback during the process is ideal. I enjoy engaging the community and making them a part of the process.

I'm brainstorming a RoadTest Review workshop. A committee of successful RoadTester would offer the opportunity to have applications critiqued. Participants submit applications to get feedback. I have done this exercise for creative writing. It can be difficult and rewarding. Having a third-party critique your work and rip it apart can be hard to take. Getting the right feedback can lead to improvements.

I would like to think the poor application is a lack of understanding but I'm thinking with the amount of feedback that has been provided regarding RoadTests it is hard to not be critical when someone submits an eleven-word test procedure.

RE: 5 Reasons Why An Applicant Is Not Selected as an Official Roadtester

shabaz — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 22:59:08 GMT

I'm guessing part of the problem is that some applicants are simply not putting themselves in the shoes of the reader!

I sometimes wonder what sort of information presentation skills colleges/unis churning out, but also what skills to take a very new, perhaps partially undefined situation, and devise a plan to work through it. An 11-word test procedure sounds bizarre : ) but now I think about it, sometimes even with graduates from great uni's, I sometimes have to 'kick start' them by writing a suggestion or two, until they get the idea of what sort of content or kind of thinking is expected!

A kind of similarish specific situation that is top-of-mind for me, because I'm currently having to deal with it, is that academic papers are in a specific style which is great for a self-study deep-dive into a technical topic, but one would never present such a document in 99% of work-related activities. Proposals, test plans, and knowledge transfer activities are all situations better handled in a different style/language.
Sometimes there are blogs written like an academic paper, they look really unusual, because one can't shoe-horn an academic paper PDF into a blog post directly, and sometimes they are hard to read, with (for instance) references at the end, whereas the blog format allows for links to be embedded right at the location in the blog where the information is most useful. (References at the end are useful, but they are not a replacement for URLs).

I've got to review some projects, and I know I'm going to have to work hard to assess one of them because the author has written the blogs very much like an academic paper, which is a great achievement, but an academic paper typically won't provide anywhere near as much information to replicate a project compared to normal blogs with links to schematics and so on, because an academic paper usually focusses narrowly on one specific area, and schematics (if any) are usually very high-level, and code is usually absent, so I'll have to scrutinize the text a lot more to see if it's more useful than other projects which provided code and more directly usable schematics.

RE: The New Members Blog Series HOW MUCH DO ROADTESTS COST?

colporteur — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 22:38:50 GMT

I don't want to discourage anyone from participating in the RoadTest program but I think it is important to be aware there may be costs you do not anticipate.

A personal example was testing a PoE device for a Pi. I didn't have a switch to provide PoE power. In the end, I purchased two different power supplies. One I used to conduct the RoadTest and a second to prove out an issue I had during the RoadTest. The purchases were less than $100. I was fortunate to be able to cover the cost. It would be unfortunate for an individual to get a negative rating because they failed to anticipate associated costs.

Another example I can extrapolate from a current competition. A Raspberry Pi is offered as part of the kit. It makes no mention of a power supply or memory card. My assumption is I will need to have those components, if not there is a purchase in my future. You could argue they should be provided. If they are not and you assumed they were your efforts will come up short.

I confess it is difficult at times to get a clear understanding of the parts requirements. What will be provided, what do I have an will need or what I will need to purchase.

You never pay anything to participate but that doesn't mean it will cost you nothing to participate.

RE: The New Members Blog Series HOW MUCH DO ROADTESTS COST?

embeddedguy — Sun, 13 Feb 2022 16:15:32 GMT

Thanks for sharing your views and details about the road tests. Being someone who has done several road tests I still may find creating impressive visuals for the road test. It would be nice for me to know which kind of HQ Images, videos, etc, and tools such as cameras, software are being used by other road testers to create impressive documents.

RE: The New Members Blog Series DO YOU HAVE ROADTESTER HELP, ASSISTANCE OR SUPPORT?

DAB — Sat, 12 Feb 2022 18:54:25 GMT

You can also ask for help from other members of the cummunity.

RE: The New Members Blog Series HOW MUCH DO ROADTESTS COST?

javagoza — Sat, 12 Feb 2022 10:40:45 GMT

I haven't taken part in the road test program yet, not because I don't want to but because if I did I would like to do very well. And here comes the problem, what characterizes a good road test? I have in my memory some road test reports that for me are really surprising from a technical and educational point of view. But were they good for the sponsor?
This text gives a tremendously important key for me, a good road test must meet the expectations of the sponsor. But, what does the sponsor want? A technical review of the product, the honest impression of the average user, an advertising report of the product... I think it is very important that the road testers, once chosen, are informed of the expectations of the sponsor, that would at least give me the security of working in the right direction, focusing efforts on meeting those expectations. I don't know if this would detract from the freshness of the reports.

On the other hand, it bothers me a lot when I read comments indicating that the reports are not impartial or that they are paid by the sponsor without realizing that the person doing the road test is exposing himself to losing his credibility. If there is something that I like about the program, it is that I have not seen dishonest reports and when a report is below the high expectations that we all have, there is always a member of the community who invites and/or guides the tester to improve some aspect of their report or guides the tester to perform some additional test on the device.

And finally congratulations to the team that manages the road test program for their hard work and dedication to the program.

RE: The New Members Blog Series WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BE A ROADTESTER?

rsjawale24 — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 17:32:44 GMT

It seems all the example roadtest links are for 3GHz spectrum analyser.

RE: The New Members Blog Series HOW LONG IS A ROADTEST?

station240 — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 16:26:17 GMT

"gate drove" opps small typo there.

Definitely worth writing a roadtest application in say Microsoft Word if your unsure. Once you have the details of what you plan to test, you can get a much better idea of how long it's going to take time and planning wise.