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Radio engineer vs communications engineer

The differences between radio engineers and communications engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a radio engineer and a communications engineer. Additionally, a radio engineer has an average salary of $98,659, which is higher than the $83,540 average annual salary of a communications engineer.

The top three skills for a radio engineer include RF, java and FM. The most important skills for a communications engineer are RF, unified communications, and unity.

Radio engineer vs communications engineer overview

Radio EngineerCommunications Engineer
Yearly salary$98,659$83,540
Hourly rate$47.43$40.16
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs18,73471,942
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4545
Years of experience66

Radio engineer vs communications engineer salary

Radio engineers and communications engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Radio EngineerCommunications Engineer
Average salary$98,659$83,540
Salary rangeBetween $66,000 And $147,000Between $62,000 And $111,000
Highest paying CityIrving, TXPalo Alto, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonCalifornia
Best paying companyAppleShearman & Sterling
Best paying industryTelecommunicationFinance

Differences between radio engineer and communications engineer education

There are a few differences between a radio engineer and a communications engineer in terms of educational background:

Radio EngineerCommunications Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeNortheastern UniversityStanford University

Radio engineer vs communications engineer demographics

Here are the differences between radio engineers' and communications engineers' demographics:

Radio EngineerCommunications Engineer
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 88.1% Female, 11.9%Male, 88.7% Female, 11.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 14.4% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between radio engineer and communications engineer duties and responsibilities

Radio engineer example responsibilities.

  • Process improvement efforts and/or other opportunities to automate these processes with computer applications with C++ and/or Java where applicable.
  • Create custom software products to support a variety of SCSI storage devices for SVR4 UNIX.
  • Design and develop RF/Analog broadband cable distribution equipment.
  • Execute event analysis and provide solutions to meet KPI requirements.
  • Evaluate technical readiness of VOIP over cellular technology for executive team
  • Perform testing of prototypes for conformance to FCC specifications during development.
  • Show more

Communications engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage project to migrate over to the new manage firewall system.
  • Manage Internet connectivity using redundant Cisco routers and manage Nokia firewalls.
  • Manage multiple construction and service provisioning projects within several service centers in south-east Michigan.
  • Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
  • Develop DFMEA's, PPAP'd parts and support all builds.
  • Design and prepare pre-production drawings using CAD-CATIA to customer-base specifications, maintaining PPAP requirements.
  • Show more

Radio engineer vs communications engineer skills

Common radio engineer skills
  • RF, 26%
  • Java, 13%
  • FM, 13%
  • Transmitters, 8%
  • FCC, 7%
  • Debugging, 6%
Common communications engineer skills
  • RF, 7%
  • Unified Communications, 6%
  • Unity, 6%
  • Troubleshoot, 6%
  • VoIP, 5%
  • IP, 4%

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