[TenTec] Extra Class Licensing

[Jim Lowman]

Today's electronic technicians have different skills
than those of years past.

When I got out of radar school in the Air Force and
got my first permanent assignment, we were all
required to troubleshoot and replace to the component
level.  By the third year I was sent to solid-state
and digital classes, and advanced classes on the newer
FAA-type air traffic control radar systems.  

With these newer systems, we would troubleshoot to the
circuit card level and replace the entire card.  In
fact, we were prohibited from repairing the failed
cards in the field; they had to be returned to a depot
for repair or, if not cost-effective, disposal.

If I had to guess, I'd say that we have way fewer
electronic technicians today than 30 years ago.  Of
those today, I'd estimate that few of them would know
how to use the oscilloscopes and meters that were the
mainstays of my work on the radar.

On the older radar systems, it might take an
experienced technician with a scope two-three hours to
perform a complete alignment.  With the newer
equipment, often there was nothing more to adjust than
the power supply voltage.

But, I could be wrong.  I gave up hardware for
software in the late 1970s, after returning to
civilian life.

It is no coincidence that may hams of my era and older
came from the electronics field.  In my case, it was
ham radio that landed me the good education and
assignments to work on complex electronic systems.

73 de Jim - AD6CW  

--- "Jacobs, Gordon" <G_Jacobs at wfec.com> wrote:

> My 2 cents for what it's worth! I occasionally hire
> technicians. I have
> interviewed approximately 20 applicants in the last
> 3 years. With all kinds
> of qualifications and schooling at least 10 of them
> could not tell me what
> ohms law is. They could program routers and all of
> that stuff, but when it
> came down to basic trouble shooting you can forget
> it. It seems that some
> thing is lacking in this computer age. Of course I
> am just an OF. Gordon