Exam papers 1963.

[Hawkey01]

Yesterday looking through old papers I came across these. They would have been my exam papers for my 1st Class PMG. Could I do it now - no - all the data must have gone to a Cloud. Not having done any theory or practical since 1970 its not surprising.
A little practical when at various coast stations and the odd bit at GKA. Engineers to do all the tech stuff.
No doubt some will still be able to come up with the answers. I could probably drag the old formula from the grey matter for the maths.

Neville

[King Ratt]

Interesting to see Q2 about npn transistors. I did my PMG1 a year earlier (failed on the Handbook!) but transistors were just being introduced into the syllabus at Leith around then. I would most certainly fail these papers today!

73 de KR

[BobClay]

I did my PMG2 at Leith in 1969. By then they had a Crusader and an R408 in the shack, and upstairs in the Radar School a Raymarc. The transistor had come of age. When I took the MRGC at Southampton in 1975 students were whining about silly valve questions !!

As Albert said ... it's all relative.

[Farmer John]

I usually will have a punt at most things I can be asked. Score on this lot, 0%, and that's allowing 5% for putting my name down.

[David]

My PMG1 is dated 8th March 1963 from Riversdale. I just looked blank at most of those questions. NPN Transistors were indeed 'just in', so we all learnt the answers. Likewise Foster Seely discriminators. I could never get to grips with vector diagrams, so I just learnt the answers. Luckily both questions came up !!!

David
+

[Tony Selman]

Neville, wow that is a trip down memory lane. I would have taken the exact same exam because I took my 1st Class Part One in December 1963. I presume that every college sat the same exam, perhaps on the same day. I passed so I must have been better then than anything the grey cells can conjure up now. I could have answered all the questions (then) and thank God the two compulsory ones were not impossible. It was getting 70% to pass that was the problem, bloody hard exam 1st Class PMG.

[Shelterdeck]

Some of the questions I could still answer, but I got 2nd class in 1960 and 1st class in early 1962, both before transistors and frequency modulation came in. Theory was always a struggle with me, but I did eventually understand valves. I walked out of the Advanced Marine Elecronics course in Southampton in 1974 as it was totally beyond me. Didn't affect my career though (despite eveyone assuring me I had thrown away my future). I finally tired of it all in late 1992 and took voluntary redundancy at the age of 48. Never had much problem repairing the equipment though and I still dabble from time to time. I designed and built this vintage-style 3-valver a few months ago, and it works a treat. The three valves are between 70 and 80 years old. Screen grid RF amp. Triode detector and kinkless tetrode output. The coil screening cans are stainless steel salt sellers. Most of the components are modern, but concealed inside wooden vintage-style cases. Valve-holders home-made. Grid bias is a CR2032 button cell (3V). Coils are a few miniature RF chokes, 47uH for aerial and grid coils and 100uH reaction choke. Runs off 2V LT and 100V HT. Really hate modern radio and electronic equipment, but I still have all my test gear, and often do a bit of home-servicing, based more on instinct than any deapth of knowledge.

[Gulpers]

Shelterdeck,

Is that 3 valver black & white or colour?

[Shelterdeck]

Just to get it in the right era - but it doesn't look half as good - does it?

[Gulpers]

Originally Posted by Shelterdeck

Just to get it in the right era - but it doesn't look half as good - does it?

Ah, that's the black & white model and the previous thumbnail was the colour one - thanks for clearing that up.

[Naytikos]

I hesitate to comment as I'm still deeply involved in component-level fault-finding; not very many valves (tubes) around, though; and NPN transistors are a rarity: try GasFET or MOSFET.