From memory of my time in the Air Force at tech school; I don't remember just how many licensed amateur radio operators I met but it wasn't that many, perhaps two or three mentioned that they were radio amateurs.  I was more impressed that many of those I met  played a musical instrument.  For whatever reason, a fair share of those in tech school at Keesler and a few years later in college at TSC, had more then just a passing interest in music.  The only instrument I ever played was the stereo!

In electronics school at Keesler and later in college, the washout rate was about 50%.  There were three blocks of schooling at Keesler, a refresher math course in algebra with some trig, a basic electronics circuits course and then finally sets.  Everyone in the electronics courses went through the first two in preparation for the latter which were examples of what equipment one would maintain once you arrived at your assigned duty station.  The real Air Force as we would say.

I was in Ground Radio, others at school were in Navaids or Radar so there were at least six courses of sets, three for ground based equipment and three for airborne equipment.  Some in the barracks were also in radio operators school.  Learning Morris Code and how to type for some 6 hours a day was a strain on many.  I have no idea of the washout rate for radio operators, I was too busy studying for the next day in class!

In late 1967, solid state was replacing tube based electronics but most of the sets I studied at Keesler were tube based, either HF or UHF receivers, transmitters or transceivers.  The instructors mentioned that the newer solid state radios were already out in the field but, in reality, all I ever saw for the next 3 and a half years were tube powered radios.  Ground Radio seemed to be the catchall.  If it wasn't Navaids or Radar or in an airframe, it was Ground Radio's repair responsibility.  So the Mars station and the base PA system were also ours to maintain.  Fun times!

Regards,

Jim