# PMG 1st class



## Harry Nicholson (Oct 11, 2005)

Still tinkering with memoir - it keeps raising issues I've lost track of. I've just looked at my first class PMG. Apart from increased Morse speed, what was the difference between 2nd and 1st PMG? Was it only a deeper grasp of Telecoms Principles?


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## freddythefrog (Dec 15, 2007)

*Harry Nicholson*

Hello Harry the difference between 2nd and 1st class PMG certs was that the 2 exam papers for 1st class was a 75% pass mark in technical electricity and radio communication where as for 2nd class was 60% in both plus as you say the higher morse speeds.
Plus some of the questions for practical seemed harder to me for fault finding . Hope this helps you.
cheers 73;s de ftf


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## IAN M (Jan 17, 2009)

Here were the requirements for a 1st Class PMG in 1946.

The exam extended over three days, Monday, 17 to Wednesday 19 November, with the timetable as follows:
Monday morning - Receiving/sending plain language morse at 25 wpm and code at 20 wpm. 
Monday afternoon - Commercial working.
Tuesday morning - Electricity and Magnetism - two hour written paper.
" afternoon - Wireless Telegraphy three hour written paper.
Wednesday morning - Questioned on regulations by examiner for about 30 minutes.
" afternoon - Questioned on equipment by examiner. This could last for any length of time and another chap and I were questioned for 3¼ hours. Frankie Adams, the Post Office examiner and their Wireless Inspector at Leith, was very thorough. 

2nd Class candidates sat only one written paper.


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

Well I sat two written papers for the 2nd Class PMG at Leith in 1969 so that must have changed. I still have the exam papers, both three hour papers entitled _Technical Electricity_ and _Radio Communitcation._


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## Dave Woods (Apr 9, 2006)

BobClay said:


> Well I sat two written papers for the 2nd Class PMG at Leith in 1969 so that must have changed. I still have the exam papers, both three hour papers entitled _Technical Electricity_ and _Radio Communitcation._


Same here in 66/67 and there was a gap of some weeks between the written papers and the Morse / practical .


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## Harry Nicholson (Oct 11, 2005)

Hello, chaps. Thank you for all those responses - my tickets are 56 and 58 - with radar in between. So much has gone, just a few memory beacons flash when they feel inclined. I do wish I'd kept a diary. But it's surprising what does surface if you make the effort. 
Currently, I'm attempting to recall the radar course at South Shields. Bits and pieces float up: Barreters (to regulate heater current?) and carbon piles with a wheel driven compressing device to put pressure the carbon grains - those strange devices in the wartime Canadian Marconi Radar we trained on. Was it the Marconi 268?



IAN M said:


> Here were the requirements for a 1st Class PMG in 1946.
> 
> The exam extended over three days, Monday, 17 to Wednesday 19 November, with the timetable as follows:
> Monday morning - Receiving/sending plain language morse at 25 wpm and code at 20 wpm.
> ...


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## gwzm (Nov 7, 2005)

Hi Harry,

Just had a look in the appendices of my 1961 edition of the PMG Handbook that I had for my courses. The syllabus for 2nd Class and 1st Class exams is the same but the relevant appendix states: "Candidates are expected to show a more detailed knowledge than that required for the Second Class Certificate." That explains the higher pass mark needed to get a 1st Class PMG.
Paper 1 is Technical Electricity and Paper 2 is Radiocommunication. It then goes on to say "Candidates who already hold the Second Class Certificate are not required to take Paper 1."
'Twas all a long time ago. I sat the 1st Class in January '63 immediately following on from the 2nd Class.
Happy days,
John


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## Gareth Jones (Jul 13, 2007)

gwzm said:


> Hi Harry,
> 
> Just had a look in the appendices of my 1961 edition of the PMG Handbook that I had for my courses. The syllabus for 2nd Class and 1st Class exams is the same but the relevant appendix states: "Candidates are expected to show a more detailed knowledge than that required for the Second Class Certificate." That explains the higher pass mark needed to get a 1st Class PMG.
> Paper 1 is Technical Electricity and Paper 2 is Radiocommunication. It then goes on to say "Candidates who already hold the Second Class Certificate are not required to take Paper 1."
> ...


 This is definately correct - when i did 1st class I only sat a Radiocommunication paper.


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## cajef (Feb 8, 2012)

gwzm said:


> Paper 1 is Technical Electricity and Paper 2 is Radiocommunication. It then goes on to say "Candidates who already hold the Second Class Certificate are not required to take Paper 1."
> 'Twas all a long time ago. I sat the 1st Class in January '63 immediately following on from the 2nd Class.
> Happy days,
> John


That is how a remember it, also followed on from 2nd to 1st class ticket and my 1st Class PMG is dated 14th June 1963.


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## IAN M (Jan 17, 2009)

BobClay said:


> Well I sat two written papers for the 2nd Class PMG at Leith in 1969 so that must have changed. I still have the exam papers, both three hour papers entitled _Technical Electricity_ and _Radio Communitcation._


You are correct. The regulations did change. I have copies of the Handbooks for 1938, 1957 and 1975 if anyone wants to know about anything specific. 

When I sat the exam for 1st Class, failure in any part meant an entire resit. Some years later, a resit of the Morse test was permitted.


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

I did start the 1st Class course at Leith after completing the 2nd and BOT Radar but the money ran out so off I trotted to the Marconi Depot to get a job.

By the time I was able to get back to college, this time in Southampton in 1975, the 1st and 2nd were gone and the MRGC was in place. Although at Southampton Tech for the MED, I had sufficient funds to do the MRGC in parallel. I might be wrong about this but with the General you had to do all the writtens and technical practical side but none of the Morse requirement as 25 wpm had been dropped from the syllabus. I'm glad of that in a way because after five years at sea the morse would have been easy, but the amount I had on my plate with the two courses provided for a lot of long days as the college allowed us to attend evening classes to prepare for the MRGC.

The practical side of the MRGC was quite different from the PMG in style and structure.


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## Zl2axh (Oct 2, 2016)

*PMG Exams*



Gareth Jones said:


> This is definately correct - when i did 1st class I only sat a Radiocommunication paper.


I went through Leith Nautical College straight from school at the age of 15 whilst I was in learning and exam taking mode. I sat 2nd Class PMG and 1st Class PMG at the same time (there were different papers, but I don't remember what was different). Passed both and then did MoT Radar and Joined mv ***berland as 2RO at 17. Nobody on the ship took me seriously. Headed off to NZ. Did not even know where that was.


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