I left the TV trade in 1982 by which time the reliability of TV's was increasing. I continued in related work.
I feel that the C&G radio and TV courses gave people a good grounding to be able to adapt & work in other areas if employers were enlightened enough to give people a chance.
That reflects my experience, I left a couple of years earlier but the C&G courses and working on my own initiative as a field and bench technician made for an excellent experience for my other two long term jobs before retirement .
Frank
I joined the RAF in 1976 as an L Fitt NI (Electronics Fitter, Navigational Instruments) and was awarded a CGLI Certificate 222 (Part II Radio, TV, and Electronics Mechanic) on successful completion of my trade training course. The course was 15 months, full time naturally. Had I been motivated enough to give up a little of my spare time to study an additional maths module, I'd have got the 272 Technician certificate instead.
I stumbled on this site while being intrigued by what level the qualifications I obtained last century would be viewed at now as most qualifications a judged by what level they are in the grand scheme of things.
I too started off studying for the CGLI 48 certificate in Radio and TV servicing, I believe that Industrial electronics servicing was number 47. This was the most useful and relevant course that I took. I don’t know if there were any entrance qualifications, I think not as most of us were only 15. It was a very practical course which included tests in soldering, radio fault finding and TV fault finding which had to be passed in order to be awarded the certificates. In the 1960’s radio and TV was considered the “high tech” of the day with constant advances in technology. We felt that we were a quantum leap ahead of other trades and crafts. By the late 60’s there was a shortage of engineers, I don’t think the term technician had been inverting then. This shortage was exasperated as the older engineers who were mostly trained by the forces and did not do transistors. “Government rehabilitation” (training) centres were set up to train personal leaving the forces in TV servicing. By now colour TV was well established and with the colour endorsement on top of the 48 final certificate it was now a six year course of one day a week. Questions were asked as to why the armed services could train their personal up on advanced electronic systems in a much shorter time. We were told at college (Tech) that Radio and TV servicing course 48 was on the way out to be replaced with a shorter “Mechanics” course and more academic “Technicians” course. People were told that with a 48 final certificate you could transfer to level II of the Technicians course. Two of us decided to do this, I seem to remember that we had to do a maths bridging course as the Technicians course would introduce us to calculus, something that I have never had to use in anger. This course was called Radio, TV and Electronics Technicians I can’t seem to find any number. Once passing the part II exam I progressed to part III, this required two subjects to be studied. As I already had a Colour endorsement that counted as one so I only needed to study “Wired and closed circuit Television Systems”. After passing this I was awarded a Radio, Television and Electronics Full Technological Certificate. This course as far as I remember contained no practical element. I was not aware if any college offered the Mechanics course or anything about it, but reading this thread see it mentioned.
After this being a glutton for punishment I attended a Polytechnic to gain a HNC in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. I was disappointed that a pure electronics option was not available then 1970’s there was just a heavy current (generating and transmission) and a light current (electronics) options. One lecturer said he could not understand what the attraction of light current was, as when we got our sums wrong someone’s radio got blown up whereas if he got his sums wrong a town got blown up. I did not feel that this was a very comprehensive course in electronics etc just an academic and mathematics qualification. Unlike the good old 48 course. I must not bad mouth the HNC as it did open doors for me. I left the domestic TV side and briefly worked in industrial television repairing motorway cameras etc. Then the shortage of engineers was affecting the broadcasting side of the industry. They too were hampered by the time it took to train people up via their internal courses so were keen to appoint people with an HNC as “direct entry” engineers. Interestingly then Open University degrees were not recognised. By the early 1980’s the minimum “direct entry” requirement became a BSc (Hons) degree. In the 1970’s a huge amount of engineering effort was needed to service, repair and coax the best out of the equipment. In the 1980’s broadcasting equipment went through a revolution, no longer it had to be designed and manufactured in house with the rapid growth of TV stations in the states equipment became available off the shelf. More importantly by the mid 80’s it became more stable and reliable. A Japanese camera could be switched on and it would work, no longer left on 24/7 to minimise failure and drift. I left the engineering side and moved to the technical oversight of productions, as I was fascinated by the different skills and infrastructure required in the broadcasting system.
Going back to the 60’s and the dawn of high tech electronics ushered in by the space race and the growth of consumer audio visual devices it seemed we were set up for life. No one at least not I could have foreseen that with large scale integration devices would become virtually unserviceable and with the cost of consumer electronics plummeting it’s not worth paying for a repair, just put the money towards a later improved product. Even in broadcasting the need for engineering support diminished, with the convergence in technology resulting in equipment became computer based or controlled by them. I feel that I have experienced the best of the industry, it’s not something that I would advise anyone to go into now whereas there will always be need for plumbers.
Welcome to the forum, Bill - I'm currently still working in broadcasting, but hopefully for not much longer. I think forty years is enough for anyone!
Thank you Cathovisor, yes forty years is a long time especially if the interest is evaporating. I feel I was lucky as looking back I enjoyed my time. Twenty years ago when there started being culls of the over fifties I was made an offer that I could not refuse, I continued doing occasional overseas projects mainly as a hobby as a freelancer until 2014 but then I felt that the fun had disappeared.
Thank you Cathovisor, yes forty years is a long time especially if the interest is evaporating. I feel I was lucky as looking back I enjoyed my time. Twenty years ago when there started being culls of the over fifties I was made an offer that I could not refuse, I continued doing occasional overseas projects mainly as a hobby as a freelancer until 2014 but then I felt that the fun had disappeared.
Was one of those "overseas projects" the 2014 World Cup in Rio, by any chance...?
I have a feeling we may know each other if so... does TC5 ring any bells?
Thank you Cathovisor, yes forty years is a long time especially if the interest is evaporating. I feel I was lucky as looking back I enjoyed my time. Twenty years ago when there started being culls of the over fifties I was made an offer that I could not refuse, I continued doing occasional overseas projects mainly as a hobby as a freelancer until 2014 but then I felt that the fun had disappeared.
Was one of those "overseas projects" the 2014 World Cup in Rio, by any chance...?
I have a feeling we may know each other if so... does TC5 ring any bells?
Thank you Cathovisor, yes forty years is a long time especially if the interest is evaporating. I feel I was lucky as looking back I enjoyed my time. Twenty years ago when there started being culls of the over fifties I was made an offer that I could not refuse, I continued doing occasional overseas projects mainly as a hobby as a freelancer until 2014 but then I felt that the fun had disappeared.
Was one of those "overseas projects" the 2014 World Cup in Rio, by any chance...?
I have a feeling we may know each other if so... does TC5 ring any bells?
Yes, Yes and Yes, although I was only in Rio for a few days then spent the rest of the time in Brasilia. Were you one of the Gents that recognised me from a previous life having a pint at the IBC at lunch time and came over to talk to me? Did you used to commute from Peterborough (not to Rio)?
Finally after countless years searching, I have managed to obtain a very rare original course-book from the 1971/72/73 for the City & Guilds Radio, Television and Electronics Servicing course.
Once arrived I will scan and make available via the data library. Hopefully this is the start of finding the course material that seems to have all but disappeared.
I am unable to view this course book/syllabus, could you please link it so that all of the pages are available to view?
Thanks
The link to the C&G exam papers can be found via the navigation menu above, look under Radios-TV
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The link to the C&G exam papers can be found via the navigation menu above, look under Radios-TV
thanks I wasn't after the C&G past exam papers, I was looking for the Radio Television, Electronics course work syllabus of 837 that you posted the image of up thread. Did you get that booklet including downloading the pages?
