Miscellaneous

BCC - CPCG - CMG or CTG
Course Photos - 1950-1962

We understand that these photos were taken on the first day of the course, which for the most part, was a Monday. We have also been advised that these photos were not "graduation photos" since they were taken at the beginning of the course and there were some trainees that did not graduate.

It is appreciated that there were probably a number of variations in Comm Tech courses between 1950 and 1962. We have, with the help of a number of Comm Techs and Radar Techs - managed to put together what appears to be a reasonable recall of the process which was followed in Clinton. Please provide additional detail or comments if you feel we are in error or that we are missing something important. Also - please bear in mind that we are restricting this section to those trades usually found at a Pinetree Line radar station. Many thanks. Ren.

As previously indicated, on successful completion of the "BEM" or the "BEC", you would then be streamlined into a specialist trade. For those that carried on in the world of "communication" the trainee was subjected to the following:

"BCC" - Basic Communications Course: On successful completion of "BCC" the trainee was once again streamlined in to one of the following:

"CMG" (Communications Mechanic Ground) - later - "CTG" (Communications Technician Ground) - with additional training at Clinton

"CMG" training covered theory, operation and maintenance of the ground radio receivers and transmitters in common use at the time. The trade's designation "Communications Mechanic Ground" "CMG" was later replaced with "Communications Technician Ground" "CTG" sometime in the 1950s.

Those that went the "Performance Checker" route from "BE" went directly to "Communications Performance Checker Ground" "CPCG". Training for "Performance Checkers" was devoted to equipment operation and maintenance. After a year or so in the field, the "PC" returned to Clinton or some other facility such as Ryerson in Toronto for training to the technician level. They ultimately graduated as "Communications Technician Ground".

As a "CMG" graduating to the field, you were expected to provide a higher level of expertise than the "PC". Reality was just the opposite as all the theory that the instructors had tried to cram into your head was of little use in the field. The "PC's" training was mostly "hands on" and they had to end up "teaching" the newly graduated "CMGs" how to become of some use in the field. Theory was a requirement for Trade Grouping Exams, but at that time, had little application on the job.

BCC - Basic Communications Course

CPCG - Communications Performance Checker Ground

CMG - Communications Mechanic Ground

CTG - Communications Technician Ground