# Bnrs



## Harry Nicholson (Oct 11, 2005)

I've just uncovered a sheaf of City and Guilds telecoms certs from exams I took at sea (under the supervision of the Chief Officer). I studied by correspondence course with the BNRS (British National Radio School). The BNRS were at Croydon, Surrey. The certs. date from 1958 to 1962.
I recall sitting the exams in the radio room on Brocklebank steamers.
I'd like more memories of those events to surface. The study helped set me up for a career ashore.
Did any of you chaps study with BNRS?


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

Not with the BNRS Harry but I did complete the City and Guilds Telecommunications Technicians course levels B and C while at sea. I'd had to forego them when at Leith Nautical to concentrate on the PMG2 following my missing a term due to a road accident. Just purchased some syllabus books and a load of earlier exam papers and ploughed through it.
I sat the exams in the Old Man's Dayroom and had the luxury of the OM bringing me a cup of coffee halfway through (you don't get that in the classroom.) :sweat:


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## Harry Nicholson (Oct 11, 2005)

Thanks, Bob. OM's Day Room . . . that rings a faint bell. I also passed B and C. I note that I sat five papers in 1958, the same year that I returned for 1st class PMG. That seems a lot, but I expect the PMG study supported the C&G.
I'd hoped to gain Brit IRE but they kept moving the goalposts - I ended up in TV studios (now, that was different to the wireless room.)
BNRS seemed to have moved to Reading and then to the Channel Is. Seems it is no more.


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

If you got up to the C's and then I think it was 10 years of what they called _'Industrial Experience'_ you got issued with a C & G Full Tech. Cert. When I came ashore this was rather more recognized than the PMG2, General or BOT Radar which nobody shoreside had ever heard of (in the West Midlands anyway.)


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## Harry Nicholson (Oct 11, 2005)

BobClay said:


> If you got up to the C's and then I think it was 10 years of what they called _'Industrial Experience'_ you got issued with a C & G Full Tech. Cert. When I came ashore this was rather more recognized than the PMG2, General or BOT Radar which nobody shoreside had ever heard of (in the West Midlands anyway.)


Full Cert is familiar. I started the OU in its first year (was at the first Summer school - first lecture was on the origin of the Universe from an evolutionary angle . . . I was inspired and grasped for more). I put all my quals before them but got no credits -- OU said they would get around to looking at the equivalence of such obscure certs in a few years time. Didn't mind though -- OU was superb. I see you also did OU.


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

I started with the OU in 1986 during my last year at sea. I didn't get any credits for previous qualifications but that was good as I'd been out of studying for quite a few years by then.
Yes the OU was superb and the Summer Schools were something to behold (hard work and hard play.) I did it for 13 years so covered that period when those OU TV programmes would have you up all hours of the night through to the use of the Internet.
I'm glad I did it, and it benefited me a lot workwise, but I wouldn't put myself through that again …


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## Riccarton (Mar 23, 2009)

I too, used BRNS to study for C&G, sitting the exams on one occasion in Antwerp oin the Bridge, and another in the Master's Day Room in Luanda. Also while at James Watt College for 1st Class PMG. Did gain a certificate which proved helpful in satisfying entry for HND Electrical and Electronic Engineering, leading to IEE Part III.


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

It was kind of sad the lack of recognition for sea going tickets as they were substantial courses and once you'd got some sea time in not a lot of shore side jobs would be so demanding.


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## Troppo2 (Jun 25, 2018)

BobClay said:


> It was kind of sad the lack of recognition for sea going tickets as they were substantial courses and once you'd got some sea time in not a lot of shore side jobs would be so demanding.


For sure!

(MAD)


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## Harry Nicholson (Oct 11, 2005)

Riccarton said:


> I too, used BRNS to study for C&G, sitting the exams on one occasion in Antwerp oin the Bridge, and another in the Master's Day Room in Luanda. Also while at James Watt College for 1st Class PMG. Did gain a certificate which proved helpful in satisfying entry for HND Electrical and Electronic Engineering, leading to IEE Part III.


That's a successful track to take, Ric. 
Can you recall what time of year we took our C&G exams at sea? One master (a bit of a character) told the mate to give me the paper a few days early, so I could swot up; but the mate refused. I was embarrassed at the thought.


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## Riccarton (Mar 23, 2009)

From memory Harry, the exams were in May.

Have to admit that the ones I latterly sat while "at sea" did not achive a pass, largely due to not doing sufficient study.

Similarly for the HND and IET final exams, the Fields and Networks theory papers were my Achilles heel, requiring a second attempt to make the grade.

Sea-going experience did prove useful, as I could draw on this for Conclusions that had to be included in lab reports. Also meant no other student could ask for a copy if they were running out of time to hand theirs in.

Still managed a number of years later, somehow to get CEng, and then after a few more years FIEE!


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

That's how I remember it, C & G exams were in the Spring. OU exams were usually in October.


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## Harry Nicholson (Oct 11, 2005)

BobClay said:


> That's how I remember it, C & G exams were in the Spring. OU exams were usually in October.


Thanks, Ric and Bob. I'll assume it's May for the purpose of Vol2 of memoir. My first C&Gs are dated June 1958, a clutch of six: Maths, Telecom Principles, and Radio. After study during 1957, I must have taken them May 58 at South Shields when I was doing PMG 1st class. 
I was given the Intermediate Telecoms in 1959, and the Full in 1963. 
Such a wonder to have an empty and youthful brain. I'd hide under the bed if I had to tackle that study now.


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## Riccarton (Mar 23, 2009)

My Intermediate Certificate was either 1959 0r 1960.

I too would struggle, though I did manage somehow to keep a little more than vaguely up to date through being responsible for organising in Scotland for 20 years, interviews for IEE/IET candidates who had applied for professional registration at either CEng or IEng.

This gave a useful insight into what was happening in Scotland across a wide engineering spectrum. In particular I learned quite a lot about the offshore oil industry through some facinating interviews. And there where insights into the development of renewables and lesser known SMEs.

Things heard did encouraged finding out a bit more via the internet.


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## Riccarton (Mar 23, 2009)

Recently found some slips providing exam results and noted exams were held in June as well as May.
The slips were part of the exam answer book front page, in which one provided a reply address.


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## Harry Nicholson (Oct 11, 2005)

Riccarton said:


> Recently found some slips providing exam results and noted exams were held in June as well as May.
> The slips were part of the exam answer book front page, in which one provided a reply address.


Thanks for that response. I'd lost touch completely. So much paperwork goes astray when we keep moving job and town.


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

I do remember when doing C & G's at sea you could buy previous exam papers from them going back years. It definitely helped with the style of the questions.

To give you an example when I sat the A's in about 1968 we had the following in the short and sharp questions you got at the beginning:

"What is the binary equivalent of decimal number 22." I couldn't answer because binary hadn't been taught for PMG2 at Leith at that time. As much I think a surprise to them as us (rest assured it was taught thereafter.)

Seems trivial now, but just goes to show that in the age of the analogue, digital techniques were creeping up over the horizon.

I now know it's 10110 … I examined binary arithmetic right after the exam pretty furious with the college for being hit with a question I didn't even understand. But looking back on it, it wasn't their fault. The course was about the PMG2 and its syllabus accordingly, and the C&G exams were a sort of 'tack on.' Those quickfire questions were probably only a mark or two on the paper, and there was no other reference to the digital monster that was rapidly approaching, if nothing else that question made us aware of it.


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## R651400 (Jun 18, 2005)

Did C&G Telecomms B on day release and the certificates are dated May/June 1978..


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