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Tower hand vs outside plant technician

The differences between tower hands and outside plant technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an outside plant technician has an average salary of $42,451, which is higher than the $38,967 average annual salary of a tower hand.

The top three skills for a tower hand include CPR, RF and OSHA. The most important skills for an outside plant technician are ladders, outside plant, and CDL.

Tower hand vs outside plant technician overview

Tower HandOutside Plant Technician
Yearly salary$38,967$42,451
Hourly rate$18.73$20.41
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs7,55067,234
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 54%Associate Degree, 38%
Average age4545
Years of experience--

Tower hand vs outside plant technician salary

Tower hands and outside plant technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Tower HandOutside Plant Technician
Average salary$38,967$42,451
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $59,000Between $29,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between tower hand and outside plant technician education

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

Tower HandOutside Plant Technician
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 54%Associate Degree, 38%
Most common majorBusinessElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeNew York UniversityStanford University

Tower hand vs outside plant technician demographics

Here are the differences between tower hands' and outside plant technicians' demographics:

Tower HandOutside Plant Technician
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 96.1% Female, 3.9%Male, 96.8% Female, 3.2%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 14.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 6.2% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between tower hand and outside plant technician duties and responsibilities

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.
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Outside plant technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage and administer documentation of OSP fiber optic plant in support of customer projects, network planning, and municipality requirements.
  • Move and/or lift items such as ladders, tools, air tanks, cable reels, and test equipment
  • Install residential and business telephone lines, including premise CAT5 wiring and jack work.
  • Perform construction work such as digging holes, installing inner duct in various types of conduit systems and open excavations.
  • Organize projects that include open excavations, placing cables, air pipes and inner duct in various types of conduit systems.
  • Install and repair T1 and T3 systems.
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Tower hand vs outside plant technician skills

Common tower hand skills
  • CPR, 16%
  • RF, 14%
  • OSHA, 14%
  • Demolition, 13%
  • Hand Tools, 11%
  • Transmission Lines, 7%
Common outside plant technician skills
  • Ladders, 10%
  • Outside Plant, 10%
  • CDL, 8%
  • Test Equipment, 6%
  • Safety Procedures, 6%
  • OSHA, 5%

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