My first radio qualification, 60 years ago today!

[Sparks]

Thanks,
The Wandsworth (completed in 1949)was what was known as a "flatiron" collier, specially designed for the upriver power stations of Greenwich, Rotherhithe and Wandsworth.   Wandsworth was, I believe, as far as colliers could get up the Thames.       The distant photograph shows the Wandsworth leaving South Shields several years after I left.   By that time, I was in a 10,700 ton iron ore carrier.    The masts of Wandsworth were telescopic, and would disappear into the hull at the touch of a button.   Same with the radar scanner.    The twin funnels were only about the size of half a dustbin, and not really visible from the outside.   My cabin was a six-foot cube containing just a bunk, daybed going under the end of the bunk to save space, a wardrobe, a fold-down desk and chair, and an oil lamp.    The oil lamp was for use in port when the generators were turned off.    The other picture shows us in ice whilst at anchor of Southend Pier in January, 1963.   We were not stuck, just anchored for the night before going up-river.   We just crunched out way through it when it came time to leave.     The Wandsworth has been at the bottom of the sea off Lisbon since 1968, after being rammed and sunk by the liberty ship Rio Tajo.      She had been sold foreign by then, and was sailing under the name of Pietro Rembado.
Bob

[Raditechman]

Thanks that is interesting.  I remember seeing ships that had funnels that hinged over  when passing under bridges on the Thames when I was a lad, it fascinated me at the time.  Something I never see now.
Must have been cold during that bad winter with no generators and just an oil lamp. You have a good memory to recall your voyages and ships.

John

[Sparks]

It was not cold onboard, because we had a steam radiator system that was kept hot by a coal stove, one for the crew at the after end, and one for the officers in the centre of the ship.      But after we had been loaded up north, we were usually shoved into the middle of the river and moored to a buoy for a week.     As soon as we were moored, they all cleared off home, as they lived locally, leaving me (from Preston) to amuse myself for a week without any power or food.     I could go ashore if I wanted, but it involved hailing a passing boat from one of the other colliers, and also depending on them to get back again which, in winter, was not much fun.    We had a gas-powered fridge aboard, that they always locked when they went home, and a gas cooker.      The radio officer from another collier showed me how to force the fridge open without damaging it, in order to get some grub.    Over Christmas 1962/63, we were alongside for a change in Wearmouth and it was snow and ice all the time.    The 2nd mate took me home for Christmas lunch, and the chief mate also took me home for lunch on another day, but for the most part, I was left to myself.   It was all pretty miserable, and I was glad to get off.    Looking back, I am glad I served in two colliers, and when two years later, I joined my first big passenger liner, a few of my fellow officers tried taking the mick out of my Lancashire accent, believing me to be a first voyager, but having served in two colliers sailing out of Clyde and Tyne, two ancient cargo liners and two iron ore carriers, I was more than able by that time to put them in their place, confident that I had as much, if not more right to be there as they did!
Ten years later, when as  2nd radio officer on the mighty RMS Windsor Castle, sailing out of Southampton, I was on the bridge having just dealt with a small problem on the main radar, I noticed that we were ovetaking a small flatiron, that turned out to be the sister ship of Wandsworth.     I was looking at it intently when Commodore Wright joined me and said "How would you like to sail in that then, Mr. Wilson!"       "I don't know about that, Sir," I replied, "I have already done my time in two of them in 1962!"      He was delighted, and told me that he started his sea career in "Hungry Hogarths" tramp steamers, and most of the "Mail Boat" men on here had no idea how the other half lived!
I sailed in 19 ships altogether, and remember every one of them in detail.     I came to love being at sea, and memories of the old ships always added a tinge of pride to the fact that I had ended up aboard the very best that the Merchant Navy possessed.    Here I am repairing the main radar aboard Windsor Castle in 1973. - A far cry from the old "flatiron!"      And the Windsor Castle leaving Southampton photographed when I was serving aboard the beautiful Reina del Mar, another fine passenger liner.
Bob

[Old Sparky]

I gained my first qualification (City & Guilds 433, part 1) in late 1971. Since then I obtained several certificates from Robert Bosch UK after attending refresher courses connected with their car radio & stereo products between 1972 & 1990, but never went on to study for the C&G 433, part 2. I stayed with the same small Auto Electrical firm for over 23 years until they closed down in'95. Since then I have been self-employed, supplementing the irregular income with part-time jobs outside the trade, and have now been officially retired for 9.5 years, though I still work part-time repiring radios, etc.

[Sparks]

I really don't know what I would have done if I was leaving school today. I have no interest whatsoever in modern electronics, beyond repairing household equipment. I certainly couldn't manage the exams, and practical ability counts for nothing these days1 Neither have I the slightest interest in modern ships and seafaring. I suppose the best bet (if I were leaving school today), would be to start an Ebay business. I often think I was born at just about the right time, the war was nearly over, and the future looked bright and cheerful. But technology has now passed me by, but fortunately, it no longer matters, and I am never bored, being able to fill my time with loads of interests.
Bob

[Old Sparky]

One of my instructors back in '71, summed things up nicely by sayng 'Theory without practice is Lame, and practice without theory is Blind' IN fact during the first half of the course, mornings were devoted to theoretical teaching, and afternoons devoted to practical work, from building first a valved AM radio, then a transistor set, progressing on to repairin commercial designs, Monochrome TV coming later, followed by detailed instructions on how to set up a colour TV, though the course didn't cover repairing them. Most of those onthe course went on to be TV Field engineers, whilst I repaired car radios & stereos in a workshop. Like you, Sparks, I wonder how I would cope if I was learning the trade today. It's a whole different ball game now, with such as computers, mobile phones, DVD & Blue Ray, plus Flat panel TVs of various kinds. Many of these things, from what I can gather, don't get repaired out of warranty, and, in my limited experience of modern gear, some of it is uneconomic to repair, a situation which can only get worse as time goes on. There's a posting over on UKVRRR called 'Recycling Old TVs' which indicates that a lot of them simply get taken away for scrap in any case!

[Sparks]

I know I wouldn't get anywhere in electronics, leaving school today.    The theory is way beyond my capabilities.     As far back as 1973, I was sent on an advanced marine electronics course, but after about two months of intense effort on my part, I realised that it was all "double dutch" to me.    I remained until the end of the first three-month module and even went into the exam room.     As soon as the question papers were handed out, I folded them up without even looking at them and walked out with cries of "you can't do that" echoing in my ears     I walked down to the docks where one of our big liners had arrived that morning, and found the superintendent, and told him that I had walked out, and wanted to go back to sea.    He took it all very calmly and told me to go on leave.    Off I went, and would you believe it, two weeks later I received a certificate in the post stating that I had passed the first model "Grade C average!!           How phoney could that be? as I hadn't even put pen to paper in the "exam!"      Anyway, another week went by, and I was told to report to the Southampton Dock Office where I was to join the "Fleet Management" team as Electronic Inspector!      I put up with that for three months (Despite it being serious promotion) and then said I wanted to go back to sea.     This time, they let me go, but after one voyage, I was despatched to Bilbao to supervise the fitting of the commuications and radar installations on one of our ships that had had a serious fire! - another three months gone     At the end of that time, I said that I wanted to go back to sea, and was immediately appointed as Chief Radio Officer in the newly repaired mailship.     The next two years were fantastic, but at the end of that time, they sold all the passenger liners, and I left the company.      I then managed to find a company that couldn't care less about my qualifications, as I was sufficiently qualified to serve as radio officer in any ship in the world.   My final years at sea from 1979 to late 1992 were fantastic, culminating in me getting a brand spanking new passenger liner with everything from satcoms/nav downwards.      I left in late 1992 when I finally tired of being at sea, having got married in 1987.     My wife was able to sail with me any time on the long-haul voyages to Cape Town and back, but  in the end, they were piling so much modern electronics on board that I grew weary of it and took voluntary redundancy to take up model shipbuilding and writing, with vintage radio thrown in as a hobby - without the theory - of course
Bob

[ppppenguin]

At the Sandford Mill museum in Chelmsford. Will put up some nice photos of marine radio when I get home.

[Murphyv310]

Hi Chaps.
Wow what a brilliant thread.
All the comments make me think of myself.
I left school at 15 in 1969, In the main I disliked school, was rubbish at maths but mostly due to my head being in the clouds thinking of fiddling with Radios and a way to get out of going with my Mum to Jehovah's witnesses meetings.
My ambition from an early age was to be a TV Engineer and joy of joys I was taken on as a pre apprentice on the 6th (I think) January 1970. I was still 15 but it was heaven on earth, the engineers were great as was Larry the service manager. The chaps could see I was keen and although I had to go for the grub and make the tea I was let loose on the bench.
In September 1970 I went to day release at Kilmarnock Technical College to the C&G 433 TV Mechanics course, the following June I sat the exam and got 99% and a Distinction. The following year Larry wanted me to do the 434 TV Technicians course, it wasn't in Kilmarnock though but at Motherwell College.
Motherwell was hard to get to from Irvine on the bus or train and I missed a good few sessions due to the winter weather, the maths were hard to grasp but I persevered. I eventually passed my driving test and had a 1960 VW 1200 Beetle with the 6 volt candles which helped massively with the travelling during third year.
I did pass my course at the end of the day and got a merit pass at 60 odd percent.
I went on the C&G VCR course and umpteen others, Microwave training, PAT, CD, DAT Minidisc, Sony EU service contest in Milan in 1997 to name a few.
Now it is all gone, health issues have caught up, at 62 I just seem to be on the scrap heap.

So the question is....... would I do it all again given the chance............ A resounding yes.......... The TV trade in the earlier days were wonderful even though the hours were long and it could be a hard slog. Better than going to JW Meetings by a long chalk

[Sparks]

I was offered an apprenticeship with the local radio & TV repair shop, but I had set my mind on going to sea. Every Saturday, my friend & I would go into town and do the rounds of the surplus radio shops and the junk stalls on the market (I still go to them every Tuesday, but they call it a "car boot sale" now ). Our favourite shop was Parson's on the corner of Saul Street Preston. I also liked going to Lisle Street and Little Newport Street in London, and also visiting the surplus radio stores in Liverpool, Newport and Glasgow when my ship called there!
Bob