Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers
Repair, install, or maintain mobile or stationary radio transmitting, broadcasting, and receiving equipment, and two-way radio communications systems used in cellular telecommunications, mobile broadband, ship-to-shore, aircraft-to-ground communications, and radio equipment in service and emergency vehicles. May test and analyze network coverage.
Most important skills
- Repairing
- Installation
- Equipment Maintenance
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
Key knowledge
- Computers and Electronics
- Telecommunications
- Customer and Personal Service
- Mechanical
- Administration and Management
- Engineering and Technology
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
What the work involves
- Calibrate and align components, using scales, gauges, and other measuring instruments.
- Examine malfunctioning radio equipment to locate defects such as loose connections, broken wires, or burned-out components, using schematic diagrams and test equipment.
- Insert plugs into receptacles and bolt or screw leads to terminals to connect equipment to power sources, using hand tools.
- Install, adjust, and repair stationary and mobile radio transmitting and receiving equipment and two-way radio communication systems.
- Monitor radio range stations to detect transmission flaws and adjust controls to eliminate flaws.
- Mount equipment on transmission towers and in vehicles such as ships or ambulances.
- Remove and replace defective components and parts such as conductors, resistors, semiconductors, and integrated circuits, using soldering irons, wire cutters, and hand tools.
- Repair circuits, wiring, and soldering, using soldering irons and hand tools to install parts and adjust connections.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (30.7% of respondents)
- Related experience
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (31%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (35.4%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 3: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Low | Lower on contact with others than 69% of occupations compared | 49% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | High | Higher on dealing with the public than 60% of occupations compared | 38% of surveyed respondents chose “Important” |
| Teamwork | Moderate | Lower on teamwork than 50% of occupations compared | 57% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Very low | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 80% of occupations compared | 53% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom” |
| Time pressure | Low | Lower on time pressure than 77% of occupations compared | 38% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Conflict situations | Very low | Lower on conflict situations than 83% of occupations compared | 30% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Very low | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 80% of occupations compared | 52% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Consequence of error | High | Higher on consequence of error than 74% of occupations compared | 40% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: low
- Conflict situations: very low
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very low
- Consequence of error: high
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 0%
- Occasional contact with others: 19.19%
- Contact with others about half the time: 0%
- Contact with others most of the time: 31.39%
- Constant contact with others: 49.42%
n = 22, Incumbent 08/2022
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 8.38%
- Fairly important: 4.2%
- Important: 37.56%
- Very important: 13.1%
- Extremely important: 36.76%
n = 22, Incumbent 08/2022
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 0%
- Fairly important: 10.94%
- Important: 6.07%
- Very important: 25.98%
- Extremely important: 57.01%
n = 22, Incumbent 08/2022
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 8.4%
- Very little freedom: 10.35%
- Limited freedom: 4.2%
- Some freedom: 52.6%
- A lot of freedom: 24.45%
n = 22, Incumbent 08/2022
Time pressure
- Never: 4.79%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 18.37%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 19.89%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 38.27%
- Every day: 18.68%
n = 22, Incumbent 08/2022
Conflict situations
- Never: 30.12%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 30.25%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 18.49%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 21.15%
- Every day: 0%
n = 22, Incumbent 08/2022
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 19.48%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 51.96%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 12.23%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 11.63%
- Every day: 4.7%
n = 22, Incumbent 08/2022
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 9.54%
- Fairly serious: 13.74%
- Serious: 25.34%
- Very serious: 11.59%
- Extremely serious: 39.79%
n = 22, Incumbent 08/2022
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O*NET-SOC 49-2021.00 · SOC 49-2021 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8