Cable operator vs signal technician

The differences between cable operators and signal technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a cable operator and a signal technician. Additionally, a signal technician has an average salary of $51,106, which is higher than the $36,106 average annual salary of a cable operator.

The top three skills for a cable operator include doff, hand tools and safety standards. The most important skills for a signal technician are traffic control devices, CDL, and DOD.

Cable operator vs signal technician overview

	Cable Operator	Signal Technician
Yearly salary	$36,106	$51,106
Hourly rate	$17.36	$24.57
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	32,814	25,177
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	Associate Degree, 42%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Cable operator vs signal technician salary

Cable operators and signal technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cable Operator	Signal Technician
Average salary	$36,106	$51,106
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $47,000	Between $37,000 And $69,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between cable operator and signal technician education

There are a few differences between a cable operator and a signal technician in terms of educational background:

	Cable Operator	Signal Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	Associate Degree, 42%
Most common major	Business	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	New York University	Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Cable operator vs signal technician demographics

Here are the differences between cable operators' and signal technicians' demographics:

	Cable Operator	Signal Technician
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 72.1% Female, 27.9%	Male, 84.8% Female, 15.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 4.9% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 5.0% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between cable operator and signal technician duties and responsibilities

Cable operator example responsibilities.

Manage the master calendar and schedule resources such as communication equipment, weapons, transportation and ammunition forecast and delivery.
Start and doff cones of ply yarn and place on doff rack.
Supervise the extrusion dept, braiding dept, cabling dept and shipping dept.
Inspect cable, measure samples using an OD tape and enter information on appropriate paperwork.
Monitor combat missions through satellite and computer global positioning systems in order to prepare accurate reports for unit commanders.
Identify business through analyzing results, sales plan and effectively utilize payroll hours

Signal technician example responsibilities.

Used UNIX base analysis systems to accomplish all tasks.
Compose written reports of data collect from patient evaluation and present to department chief for thorough analysis of patient diagnosis.
Coordinate with road masters and other CSX personnel to get cars spot and efficient completion of all require task.
Assist in the construction and installation of ATC and PTC systems.

Cable operator vs signal technician skills

Common cable operator skills

Doff, 49%
Hand Tools, 28%
Safety Standards, 8%
Quality Checks, 8%
RAN, 2%
Extrusion, 2%

Common signal technician skills

Traffic Control Devices, 22%
CDL, 14%
DOD, 9%
Signal Systems, 7%
MUTCD, 6%
IMSA, 6%

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Cable Operator vs Signal Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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