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Installation and repair technician vs tower hand

The differences between installation and repair technicians and tower hands can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an installation and repair technician has an average salary of $40,984, which is higher than the $38,967 average annual salary of a tower hand.

The top three skills for an installation and repair technician include ladders, test equipment and crawl spaces. The most important skills for a tower hand are CPR, RF, and OSHA.

Installation and repair technician vs tower hand overview

Installation And Repair TechnicianTower Hand
Yearly salary$40,984$38,967
Hourly rate$19.70$18.73
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs119,6957,550
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 34%High School Diploma, 54%
Average age4545
Years of experience--

What does an installation and repair technician do?

An Installation and Repair Technician specializes in installing and repairing equipment and systems in establishments and homes. It is their responsibility to communicate and meet with clients to identify their needs, assess installation areas, implement tests, inspect damages or defects, troubleshoot problems, and perform corrective measures as needed. They may also recommend practices, provide instructions, maintain the cleanliness of work areas, and refer clients to other services should the case require. They must also keep records of transactions and maintain an active communication line with co-workers for an efficient workflow.

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.

Installation and repair technician vs tower hand salary

Installation and repair technicians and tower hands have different pay scales, as shown below.

Installation And Repair TechnicianTower Hand
Average salary$40,984$38,967
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $66,000Between $25,000 And $59,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DC-
Highest paying stateConnecticut-
Best paying companyFlorida Power & Light-
Best paying industryUtilities-

Differences between installation and repair technician and tower hand education

There are a few differences between an installation and repair technician and a tower hand in terms of educational background:

Installation And Repair TechnicianTower Hand
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 34%High School Diploma, 54%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeNew York UniversityNew York University

Installation and repair technician vs tower hand demographics

Here are the differences between installation and repair technicians' and tower hands' demographics:

Installation And Repair TechnicianTower Hand
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 95.9% Female, 4.1%Male, 96.1% Female, 3.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 6.3% White, 58.6% 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 installation and repair technician and tower hand duties and responsibilities

Installation and repair technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage telecommunications installation and repair for hospital Nortel network.
  • Attend and run disaster recovery tests.
  • Repair and service customer voice/data systems, VoIP phone systems, and backbone networks.
  • Install the ONT hardware, run coax cable and terminate all connections at the customer premise.
  • Climb ladders to install, replace, or remove hardware on roof tops in all types of weather conditions.
  • Assist with the configuration, testing and display of the VoIP system to the senior leaders of the military.
  • 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

Installation and repair technician vs tower hand skills

Common installation and repair technician skills
  • Ladders, 21%
  • Test Equipment, 15%
  • Crawl Spaces, 15%
  • Hand Tools, 9%
  • DSL, 9%
  • Little Supervision, 4%
Common tower hand skills
  • CPR, 16%
  • RF, 14%
  • OSHA, 14%
  • Demolition, 13%
  • Hand Tools, 11%
  • Transmission Lines, 7%

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