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.
- Median pay
- $63,520
- Doing it now
- 11,300
- By 2035
- Up 1.2%
- Usually needs
- Associate's degree
a year
across the country
1,000 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Bolt equipment into place, using hand or power tools.
- Check antenna positioning to ensure specified azimuths or mechanical tilts and adjust as necessary.
- Inspect completed work to ensure all hardware is tight, antennas are level, hangers are properly fastened, proper support is in place, or adequate weather proofing has been installed.
- Install all necessary transmission equipment components, including antennas or antenna mounts, surge arrestors, transmission lines, connectors, or tower-mounted amplifiers (TMAs).
- Install, connect, or test underground or aboveground grounding systems.
- Read work orders, blueprints, plans, datasheets or site drawings to determine work to be done.
- Replace existing antennas with new antennas as directed.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansSee 8 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Hands-on and practical
Organised and precise
Analytical and curious
Careers like this one
- Geothermal Technicians$49,230
- Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers$60,070
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment$74,090
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay$103,020
- Semiconductor Processing Technicians$51,430
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers$56,210
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $63,520 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.