Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers

About the job

Install and repair telecommunications cable, including fiber optics.

What you'll do

• Clean or maintain tools or test equipment.
• Compute impedance of wires from poles to houses to determine additional resistance needed for reducing signals to desired levels.
• Dig holes for power poles, using power augers or shovels, set poles in place with cranes, and hoist poles upright, using winches.
• Dig trenches for underground wires or cables.
• Explain cable service to subscribers after installation and collect any installation fees that are due.
• Fill and tamp holes, using cement, earth, and tamping devices.
• Lay underground cable directly in trenches or string it through conduits running through trenches.
• Participate in the construction or removal of telecommunication towers or associated support structures.
• Pull up cable by hand from large reels mounted on trucks; then pull lines through ducts by hand or with winches.
• Use a variety of construction equipment to complete installations, such as digger derricks, trenchers, or cable plows.

Things you need to know

• Telecommunications – Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• 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.
• English Language – Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Mathematics – Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Abilities you'll need to have

• Operation and Control – Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
• Troubleshooting – Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
• Critical Thinking – Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Operation Monitoring – Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• Active Listening – Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Reading Comprehension – Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking – Talking to others to convey information effectively.