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Communications technician lead vs tower hand

The differences between communications technician leads and tower hands can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a communications technician lead has an average salary of $113,656, which is higher than the $38,967 average annual salary of a tower hand.

The top three skills for a communications technician lead include troubleshoot, hand tools and communications plan. The most important skills for a tower hand are CPR, RF, and OSHA.

Communications technician lead vs tower hand overview

Communications Technician LeadTower Hand
Yearly salary$113,656$38,967
Hourly rate$54.64$18.73
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs111,1547,550
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%High School Diploma, 54%
Average age4545
Years of experience--

What does a communications technician lead do?

The job of a communications technician lead is to install, maintain, and service various telephone equipment. Communications technician leads install both data and voice communication circuits and limited video transmission aspects. These leads utilize specialized telecommunication tools and hand tools during equipment installation. They collaborate with a certain team to troubleshoot issues associated with cables and communications. The professionals need to acquire extensive knowledge in the use of technical publications, schematics, diagrams, and troubleshooting.

What does a tower hand do?

A tower hand is an individual who climbs towers or poles to install, repair, and perform routine maintenance on electrical equipment. Tower hands are required to climb up very tall structures to perform maintenance on equipment such as power lines, cell tower components, or radio antenna equipment. They must perform audits on their climbing equipment so that they can determine the quality of their equipment as well as avoid defects. Tower hands must be competent climbers so that they can safely climb towers while carrying heavy equipment.

Communications technician lead vs tower hand salary

Communications technician leads and tower hands have different pay scales, as shown below.

Communications Technician LeadTower Hand
Average salary$113,656$38,967
Salary rangeBetween $78,000 And $165,000Between $25,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between communications technician lead and tower hand education

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

Communications Technician LeadTower Hand
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%High School Diploma, 54%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityNew York University

Communications technician lead vs tower hand demographics

Here are the differences between communications technician leads' and tower hands' demographics:

Communications Technician LeadTower Hand
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 85.9% Female, 14.1%Male, 96.1% Female, 3.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 6.7% White, 57.3% 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 communications technician lead and tower hand duties and responsibilities

Communications technician lead example responsibilities.

  • Manage telecommunications installation and repair for hospital Nortel network.
  • Train soldiers on the procedures for secure radio and PC communications.
  • Assist in design and installation of this business's LAN system, expand network for VoIP, and wireless access points.
  • Conduct analysis in determining business process improvements for corporate telecommunication infrastructure.
  • Assist with and refer troubles on DS3 and OC3 level issues to fiber technicians.
  • Perform as liaison with Verizon for installation of T1s, DS3 circuits, and respond to requests for proposals.
  • 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

Communications technician lead vs tower hand skills

Common communications technician lead skills
  • Troubleshoot, 37%
  • Hand Tools, 34%
  • Communications Plan, 8%
  • RF, 3%
  • Technical Support, 2%
  • Test Equipment, 2%
Common tower hand skills
  • CPR, 16%
  • RF, 14%
  • OSHA, 14%
  • Demolition, 13%
  • Hand Tools, 11%
  • Transmission Lines, 7%

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