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Cell site technician vs tower hand

The differences between cell site technicians and tower hands can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cell site technician has an average salary of $67,609, which is higher than the $38,967 average annual salary of a tower hand.

The top three skills for a cell site technician include RF, antenna systems and T1. The most important skills for a tower hand are CPR, RF, and OSHA.

Cell site technician vs tower hand overview

Cell Site TechnicianTower Hand
Yearly salary$67,609$38,967
Hourly rate$32.50$18.73
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs32,0997,550
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 49%High School Diploma, 54%
Average age4545
Years of experience--

Cell site technician vs tower hand salary

Cell site technicians and tower hands have different pay scales, as shown below.

Cell Site TechnicianTower Hand
Average salary$67,609$38,967
Salary rangeBetween $45,000 And $100,000Between $25,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between cell site technician and tower hand education

There are a few differences between a cell site technician and a tower hand in terms of educational background:

Cell Site TechnicianTower Hand
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 49%High School Diploma, 54%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringBusiness
Most common collegeInter American University of Puerto Rico BayamonNew York University

Cell site technician vs tower hand demographics

Here are the differences between cell site technicians' and tower hands' demographics:

Cell Site TechnicianTower Hand
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 93.9% Female, 6.1%Male, 96.1% Female, 3.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 6.3% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between cell site technician and tower hand duties and responsibilities

Cell site technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage LAN as an administrator for NATO HQ network.
  • Commission and troubleshot LTE, GSM, UMTS cellular systems.
  • Receive several weeks of Ericsson vendor training in Richardson, TX.
  • Coordinate with LEC's and wireless partners to build translations and turn up trunks.
  • Work closely with FCC and FAA guidelines to insure proper installation and amplification output limits.
  • Provide support to Nokia's development team for design and manufacturing faults on their handsets.
  • Show more

Tower hand example responsibilities.

  • Do grounding, terminations, fastening, proper bolting, support of leads, and cad welding.
  • Utilize Anritsu site master in conducting tests on sites while accomplishing tasks including lighting upgrades and troubleshooting of light systems
  • Operate all equipment and hand tools according to OSHA safety rules.
  • Complete installation of UMTS and GSM antenna's, lines, connectors, TMA's, jumpers and support hardware.
  • Assist sweep and PIM testing.
  • Perform Anritsu testing and fiber tests on hybrids.
  • Show more

Cell site technician vs tower hand skills

Common cell site technician skills
  • RF, 11%
  • Antenna Systems, 7%
  • T1, 6%
  • Fiber Optic, 6%
  • Test Equipment, 5%
  • Battery, 3%
Common tower hand skills
  • CPR, 16%
  • RF, 14%
  • OSHA, 14%
  • Demolition, 13%
  • Hand Tools, 11%
  • Transmission Lines, 7%

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