Military Tech Training

[Jim Dick]

Ray,

We don't have to solder anymore. Crimp on connectors do a wonderful job. ;D

I guess I'm another one that remembers electron tubes. Trained in the Navy for Electronics Tech. Of course I've forgotten a lot of it. ;D Transistors were just coming into being and we had a one week course which took me two weeks to complete. Just couldn't get my mind wrapped around holes flowing opposite of electrons. ;D ;D ;D

 

[Ray D]

OK, Jim! Another guy old as me! You just gave it away!  ;D

We had transistors, too. We used some big guys in power circuits, and some smaller guys in counting circuits and timing circuits. Most of our filtering circuits were peanut tube diodes. "Transistor" radios were out, too. They had some you could put into a large pocket, and carry with you.

I'm still familiar with Navy test equipment. That's what we used. The Air Force had just been split off from the army and we had no "Air Force" equipment. So, everything in the lab had U.S. NAVY stenclled on the chassis.

Believe it or not, we built some of our own equipment! We used "Heathkit" kits. Built our own oscilloscopes, for example, and some of our VTVMs.

When I got out, they let me keep some of my tools. (A few of which, I still have.) And, they let me keep my VTVM and my PSM-6! I still had the high power probe, for the VTVM, and used it once every few years, to test my picture tubes. Thought I was getting away with murder. About 15 years ago, a friend saw my old test equipment - still working - still used, occasionally - drooled a bit, and I gave it to him. Wanted it to have a good home. It had been some time since anyone else had looked at it, and knew what it was.

Man, that was a long time ago!

Oh, yeah. Tried to go into electronic repair, upon getting out. Finally gave it up. Couldn't understand transistor circuits, for the life of me. They were just plain baffling!  ???  ???

Ray D

 

[Karl]

Jim,
Maybe this will help.

 

[Jim Dick]

Ray,

I ended up working for a local phone company. By the time I retired transistors were obsolete. Nothing much left but integrated circuits!!! Now that's a technology that really baffles me. ;D

 

[Jim Dick]

Karl,

Thanks but I don't need to know it now. ;D I finally understood the concept but it was really baffeling for quite some time. The holes stopped flowing in our AC feed tonight. We're sitting in darkness while the lights are on across the street. FPL has gone by several times but can't seem to find the problem. ;D  OK, ok, we do have the generator running.

 

[Ray D]

All the IC is, is a bunch of transistors - diodes. OK, millions of them. All they do is count, and they only count to "one." How simple can a concept get?

Not simple enough for me! Makes no sense, at all! Once in a while, I've had a glimmer of comprehension. But, that's as far as it ever went. Well, I did get my mind around the counting and the timing, in the Fire Control System. Pretty simple, though, compared to today.

My wrist watch, today, is more sophisticated than the missile guidance system I worked on, back then. And believe it or not, that system is still classified!

Ray D

 

[Just Lou]

You old Salts are bringing back memories.

I joined the navy and was trained on on aviation  electronics.  Radio, Radar, fire control. IFF etc..

Went to work for IBM when I got out and wound up designing computers for 38+ years.

Made the leap from tubes to transistors.  Not bad for a highschool dropout.

Only in America.  God Bless America...

Lou

 

[Jim Dick]

Ray,

IC's are just and, or, nor!

 

[Jim Dick]

Lou,

Yes, only in America. I, of course, am prejudiced but I think the Navy has the best training for someone that needs a career. Actually all the services have great training today!

 

[Ray D]

When I was in, they said "0" and "1." They also used them for yes and no. The most complicated thing they did was count, in binary base. If I had to get started, again, I couldn't. Would have to start with a new language, and go from there.

Ray

 

[Just Lou]

Jim,

I agree.  Without the Navy training I could not have had the career I enjoyed.

The electronics training got me the IBM job but most of my computer design work was at the "logic" level.

I had to depend on circuit level engineers to apply the latest technology to make things happen.
 
This ultra miniature packaging of today blows me away.

lou

 

[Ray D]

I'm going to get thrown out of here, for going off topic, but what the heck. I got my topic answer and this thread has already drifted a bit - - -

I didn't succede at following the electronics career. But getting in was quite a surprise. At that time, the AF got me away from the Navy Recruiter, by telling me I could pick my job, in the AF.

The deal was that they would give me a list of available jobs, and I could choose three. I would get one of the three. Several of my elders recommended that I choose something that would get me started on the outside, after I served my time.

As a kid, I wanted to be a cop, or a fireman. So, first choice was "Air Police." I'll be a cop. 

Chose "Fire Control Systems," second. If not a cop, then a fireman.  ;D

For third choice I picked "Tailboom Operator." Not something that would translate to civilian life, but sounded exciting - in case I couldn't be a cop or a fireman.

Go ahead. Imagine my surprise when I walked into my second choice, classroom, that first day, in "Fire Control Systems" school!  ???  Talk about something that wouldn't translate well to civilian life!  ???

Ummmm, they did have fire extinguishers in there, and I did learn to use them!  ;D

Ray D

 

[Jim Dick]

Ray,

You won't get into trouble. I just split the topic and renamed. ;D

I was going to join the Air Force but the recruiter didn't even look up when I walked into the office. His magazine was more important. Finally he asked if he could help me. I told him I was thinking of joining. I was told I needed to take a test. He said it would be two weeks before it could be given. Walked down the hall and just glanced into the Navy recruiting office. Two chiefs came out and asked if they could help. I said I might want to join. They told me I had to take a test. I asked when. They said "how about right now"! Took it later that day and told them I wanted to be a Yeoman or Personnelman.

Got a call a couple of days later to come back in right away. They told me I couldn't be a Yeoman because I had done too well on the test! Imagine my surprise! ;D They gave me two choices: Electronics Technician or Nuclear Power. I told them I didn't know anything about either one. They said that was OK because the Navy would train me. Since this was 1960 I figured Nuclear power was the coming thing. They said I would have to sign up for 6 years. I said give me Electronics. ;D ;D

That training provided me with enough skills to have a 32 year career with Southern New England Telephone.

 

[Jim Dick]

Lou,

It certainly was the best! I agree that subminiaturization is best left to those that design it. Just trying to imagine some machine burning little paths on a micro chip to create a massive circuit blows my mind!

 

[fredethomas]

After bootcamp in Bainbridge I went to Navy Airman prep school in Jax  For several weeks we reviewed, spending three or four days with each of the 12 aviation rates. At the end we could choose what was open based on test scores.  I went to Memphis for AT School.  That was about 6 months of intense electronics.  Then to a squadron to work on aircraft electronics.  We did all the equipment at the time.  No separation into radar, com, nav or ASW at the time.  Later taught electronics school during the cross over from tubes to junction diodes and transistor.  Taught for four years - six hours a day and five days a week.  Had the theory down good on everything from high powered magnetron circuits  to all the gates and oscillators.  The change over to transistors was tough as the Navy had no good lesson guides.  We spent too much time teaching the math of hybrid parameters - h11, h12, h21, and h22.  Not enough trouble shooting.  There as no test equipment, no repair parts - nothing.  That is why we went to board exchange.

I know nothing now as that was over 50 years ago.

 

[Jim Godward]

>>Go ahead. Imagine my surprise when I walked into my second choice, classroom, that first day, in "Fire Control Systems" school!     Talk about something that wouldn't translate well to civilian life!  <<

I found the Army Fire Control School translated well AFTER 4 years of engineering school although there were lots of jobs for Radar repair, radios etc. that I could have taken.  The school was excellent and compared to my university classes it was a 9 or 10 and the U was usually a 7 or 8 at best.  Interesting !

I have all my class books and the TMs and if I ever get to El Paso, the museum there wants it all.  Of course I have to figure how to get it into the MH.  Way too expensive to ship. VBG

 

[Jim Dick]

Hi Fred,

Even though we had a separation in the rate when we were assigned to a smaller ship, such as the Fletcher class destroyer, we did everything. There just weren't enough techs to specialize in one technology. On the Buchanan, DDG-14. we were more specialized as they had quite a few ETs aboard. I never did work any radio gear on that one.

 

[N Smock]

.JIm

You are right about working on everything on the Fletcher class (DD531). I was an ET and worked on the radar (primary skill) then radios, TWX, ECM, 1MC, Fire control, Servos for the Helo drone, Sonar and of course the skippers home TV set. Got a nasty jolt from the plate voltage in after radio one day. Went to my bunk for the rest of the day after I could get up off the deck.

Nelson

 

[Jim Dick]

Nelson,

We didn't do Fire Control or Sonar as they had their own techs. I received a jolt one day from the plate voltage on a radar repeater. It hurt but didn't put me down. When I was on the Charles Adams class destroyer one of our 2nd class ET's was playing around with the SPA-37. The filamints on the output tube were erratic. I saw him holding onto the metal cabinet door and whacking the filamints with the back of his other hand. I had to leave as we were getting ready for a dependents cruise. When I came back to the radar room there was a crowd of people and the Doc. This tech had managed to get bit by the voltage which burned a hole in the palm of one hand and another on the back of his other hand! He was lucky to be alive!!! What saved him was a 3rd class had come in after I left and was sitting where I had been. He heard the tech yell and grabbed the dickie on his jumper to pull him off.

On one of the Fletcher class DD's we had an ET striker that tried to remove a huge fuse with a pair of gas pliers. He didn't see well for a few hours. I was told it made lit up the radio room!!

 

[caltex]

Ray, Fire Control Technician does sound like being a fireman doesn't it?

    "Chose "Fire Control Systems," second. If not a cop, then a fireman. "

Reminds me of a gentleman I used to work with who wanted to be a radio announcer.  He signed up for "Radio/TV" and finally came out as an electrical engineer.