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Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers

Install and repair telecommunications cable, including fiber optics.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Inspect or test lines or cables, recording and analyzing test results, to assess transmission characteristics and locate faults or malfunctions.
    • Lay underground cable directly in trenches, or string it through conduits running through trenches.
    • Set up service for customers, installing, connecting, testing, or adjusting equipment.
    • Pull up cable by hand from large reels mounted on trucks.
    • Set up service for customers, installing, connecting, testing, or adjusting equipment.
    • Clean or maintain tools or test equipment.
    • Dig trenches for underground wires or cables.
    • Use a variety of construction equipment to complete installations, such as digger derricks, trenchers, or cable plows.
    • Measure signal strength at utility poles, using electronic test equipment.
    • Explain cable service to subscribers after installation, and collect any installation fees due.
    • Fill and tamp holes, using cement, earth, and tamping devices.
    • Place insulation over conductors, or seal splices with moisture-proof covering.
    • Access specific areas to string lines, or install terminal boxes, auxiliary equipment, or appliances, using bucket trucks, climbing poles or ladders, or entering tunnels, trenches, or crawl spaces.
    • String cables between structures and lines from poles, towers, or trenches, and pull lines to proper tension.
    • Explain cable service to subscribers after installation, and collect any installation fees due.
    • Dig holes for power poles, using power augers or shovels, set poles in place with cranes, and hoist poles upright, using winches.
    • Travel to customers' premises to install, maintain, or repair audio and visual electronic reception equipment or accessories.
    • Clean or maintain tools or test equipment.
    • Inspect or test lines or cables, recording and analyzing test results, to assess transmission characteristics and locate faults or malfunctions.
    • Dig holes for power poles, using power augers or shovels, set poles in place with cranes, and hoist poles upright, using winches.
    • Set up service for customers, installing, connecting, testing, or adjusting equipment.
    • Splice cables, using hand tools, epoxy, or mechanical equipment.
    • Compute impedance of wires from poles to houses to determine additional resistance needed for reducing signals to desired levels.
    • Pull cable through ducts by hand or with winches.
    • Install equipment such as amplifiers or repeaters to maintain the strength of communications transmissions.

    Skills

    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.

    Abilities

    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.

    Knowledge

    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    Education

    Education
    High school diploma or equivalent
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    More than 1 year on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    79990/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    38.46/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    1,390
    Yearly Projected Openings
    120

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Dependability
    • Attention to Detail
    • Cooperation
    • Self Control
    • Integrity
    • Stress Tolerance

    Tools

    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Articulating boom lift
    • Banders
    • Boring machines
    • Cable reels
    • Card key lock
    • Claw hammer
    • Derricks
    • Diagonal cut pliers
    • Dollies
    • Electrical power sensors
    • Electronic measuring probes
    • Extension pole
    • Fish tape
    • Hacksaw
    • Hex keys
    • Ladders
    • Leak testing equipment
    • Level meter
    • Levels
    • Light bulb changer
    • Locking pliers
    • Longnose pliers
    • Metal cutters
    • Multimeters
    • Needlenose pliers
    • Network routers
    • Network switches
    • Non contact sensors
    • Notebook computers
    • Ohmmeters
    • Power buffers
    • Power drills
    • Power meters
    • Punches or nail sets or drifts
    • Reflectometers
    • Resin guns
    • Saws
    • Screwdrivers
    • Security cameras
    • Shears
    • Sheaves or pulleys
    • Signal generators
    • Soldering iron
    • Specialty wrenches
    • Staple guns
    • Stripping tools
    • Tampers
    • Tape measures
    • Tow trucks
    • Trenching machines
    • Two way radios
    • Videoscopes
    • WLAN wireless access network equipment and components
    • Winches
    • Wire cutters
    • Wire lug crimping tool
    • Wire or cable cutter
    • Wire wrapping tool

    Technology

    • Cloud-based data access and sharing software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Customer relationship management CRM software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Facilities management software
    • Internet browser software
    • Internet protocol IP multimedia subsystem software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Transaction security and virus protection software
    • Word processing software