Radio operator vs transmission operator

The differences between radio operators and transmission operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a transmission operator has an average salary of $68,189, which is higher than the $48,107 average annual salary of a radio operator.

The top three skills for a radio operator include radio communication equipment, power generators and RF. The most important skills for a transmission operator are switches, communications systems, and NERC.

Radio operator vs transmission operator overview

	Radio Operator	Transmission Operator
Yearly salary	$48,107	$68,189
Hourly rate	$23.13	$32.78
Growth rate	-	-7%
Number of jobs	27,985	27,059
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	30	30
Years of experience	-	-

Radio operator vs transmission operator salary

Radio operators and transmission operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Radio Operator	Transmission Operator
Average salary	$48,107	$68,189
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $82,000	Between $39,000 And $118,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between radio operator and transmission operator education

There are a few differences between a radio operator and a transmission operator in terms of educational background:

	Radio Operator	Transmission Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Radio operator vs transmission operator demographics

Here are the differences between radio operators' and transmission operators' demographics:

	Radio Operator	Transmission Operator
Average age	30	30
Gender ratio	Male, 83.8% Female, 16.2%	Male, 84.7% Female, 15.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 4.2% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 14.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 4.2% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	19%	19%

Differences between radio operator and transmission operator duties and responsibilities

Radio operator example responsibilities.

Manage 39 asset ADPE account worth $22k.
Lead basic reconnaissance operations and report enemy movements to commanding officers.
Install, programme, and maintain mobile RF communications systems for single channel and voice/data communications systems.
Provide vhf and uhf communication between air and grind units.Responding to emergency medical evacuation.
Monitor units' positions in Iraq using GPS.
Maintain and repair UHF Radio/Phone systems in the field.

Transmission operator example responsibilities.

Lead basic reconnaissance operations and report enemy movements to commanding officers.
Operate and perform PMCS on assign vehicles.
Communicate with multiple outside vendors to schedule, secure and troubleshoot transmissions.
Create scripts in setting up permissions for UNIX users and groups for accessing and executing programs.
Test and evaluate Unix software to improve performance and usability.
Practice strict COMSEC and OPSEC procedures when communicating over secure and non-secure communications equipment.

Radio operator vs transmission operator skills

Common radio operator skills

Radio Communication Equipment, 26%
Power Generators, 23%
RF, 9%
Combat, 4%
VHF, 3%
Communications Systems, 3%

Common transmission operator skills

Switches, 12%
Communications Systems, 11%
NERC, 9%
Transmission Systems, 9%
Control Room, 8%
Troubleshoot, 5%

Radio Operator vs. similar jobs

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Radio Operator
Radio Operator vs Transmission Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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