Radio Repair Jobs

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Hello_Moto_NJ

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I was wondering if any of the admins or mods know of any openings for Radio Repair / Programming in the Monmouth /Ocean Co. area.. I’m currently working in the security / access control /cctv field and would much rather and prefer to do something I enjoy. PM me if you can help. Thanks Everyone
 

Ant9270

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Call local dealers and inquire within. "Radio Men" are a dying breed. The days of just being a programmer are long gone, most companies want you to be a complete field tech now with the ability to program. Bench Techs are starting to disappear, as well... Many dealers just send the radios directly out to the mfg through warranty now.
 

Hello_Moto_NJ

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I appreciate it guys. I've been checking the state site linked above and haven't seen any radio tech positions for a while. I have reached out to a few of the closest dealers to me and they either do not respond or aren't hiring.
 

8000XE

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I believe the state civil service title you’re looking for is Communications System Technician for what it’s worth
 

magic_lantern

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Doing something you enjoy and doing something as your livelihood quite often end up not the way you were expecting. I wonder how many ham/swl/scanner listeners transitioned into the "radio repair" field and haven't turned on a radio in years. as others said, now you box up the radio and ship it to El Paso so it can be repaired. about the only user serviceable parts are the knobs
 

Falcon9h

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I.. uh... don't want to be a downer but I spent a few years working for various shops. Worst thing I ever did. Turning a hobby into a job was a huge mistake. Wound up having to go on the road-which I hate, fervently-and wound up having to climb around on garbage trucks and concrete trucks. Some of those places were so depressing I needed happy pills to function. Really. Radio repair powered by Xanax. 🙄 Not the job if you want to stay sober or have an anxiety disorder.
Most of the shops were small. No vacation, benefits, insurance, nothing. Each job was worst than the last. One guy I worked for was found dead years later. He was 48 and certifiably insane. Fights with his girlfriend in front of everyone in the shop. Knowing this, probably blew his brains out, I don't know, or care. Karma got him.
Finally I flamed out like a shot up fighter jet in a movie and got out in 1999. Went to work in an area hospital and was 1000% happier. I was so burned I didn't want anything to do with radio for a long time. Last hamfest I went to was around that time, and I used to hit 'em all. I had all the Motorolas, Icoms, you name it.


Quite a story, huh? 🙄
 
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mmckenna

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I.. uh... don't want to be a downer but I spent a few years working for various shops. Worst thing I ever did. Turning a hobby into a job was a huge mistake.

Amen.
Was a ham for a long time, then got into the industry. I sort of went the other way, though. Last thing I want to do when I get home from work is play radio. Just spent all day doing that stuff, don't want to do it at home.

I do enjoy the hobby, and I do love my job, but there's got to be some separation.
 

Falcon9h

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Amen.
Was a ham for a long time, then got into the industry. I sort of went the other way, though. Last thing I want to do when I get home from work is play radio. Just spent all day doing that stuff, don't want to do it at home.

I do enjoy the hobby, and I do love my job, but there's got to be some separation.

Ah. That's the difference-I hated the job with an absolute passion. Didn't want anything to do with the hobby after hours either. For various other reasons, never got my ham ticket. One of the jobs I did have had me on the bench fixing portables all day-*that* I loved since portables and handhelds are my forte'. Would've done that till I retired and I told the company that... but noooo... you're going back on the road. Portables are the one thing I'm good at and enjoyed. I was the only one that would take on an MX300 frame change.
I didn't last long after that.
 

prcguy

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I had an interest in radio/electronics at an early age and by high school I was able to troubleshoot and repair lots of things. Right out of high school I went to work for the largest CB company in the world at the time, it was fun and I learned a lot for the year I was there. Then I moved to another state and went into radio/car stereo installation along with radio repair for about 6yrs. This was in my early 20s and it was still kinda fun. Then back to LA and went to work as a radio bench tech and I dreamed of being the head repair guy. About a year later I was the head repair guy and it was miserable. Too many broken radios coming in, everybody wanting theirs first, not enough time in the day to get everything done. Then I would go home to my radio hobby and it sucked.

At 28 I applied for a job in aerospace and got hired working on all kinds of things and got many years of priceless training on RF and microwave stuff and I was also regarded as the mechanical engineer for our group. That was a great adventure and I wasn't really looking for another job until I toured a satellite broadcast facility and saw what they get to work on and what they were getting paid. I applied, got hired, my salary went up 38% overnight and it was the time of my life. After 18yrs I was able to retire as a principal engineer then did some consulting in my retirement until COVID hit.

I sort of bumbled through early life thinking I knew what I wanted to do but in nearly every case when I got there it was not anything remarkable. The radio repair and install work didn't pay very well and it really wreaked my radio hobby as many hear have experienced.

Had I known early on about the broadcast industry and its good pay I would have looked into that much sooner and probably would have bypassed the two way radio industry. Now in retirement I use many skills that I mastered at various jobs to enhance my radio hobby and nothing interferes with that except for the wifee.

With that rambling story out of the way, I would suggest the OP look further into the future and at other higher paying industries near him that might be hiring. He may have some skills that will transfer to another type of job (like the broadcast industry) and they might be looking for someone to train.
 

mmckenna

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Ah. That's the difference-I hated the job with an absolute passion. Didn't want anything to do with the hobby after hours either. For various other reasons, never got my ham ticket. One of the jobs I did have had me on the bench fixing portables all day-*that* I loved since portables and handhelds are my forte'. Would've done that till I retired and I told the company that... but noooo... you're going back on the road. Portables are the one thing I'm good at and enjoyed. I was the only one that would take on an MX300 frame change.
I didn't last long after that.

It does make a huge difference, most of the time. I love my job, I've been there 25 years. I really love the people I get to work with.
My job and seniority gives me a whole lot of flexibility. The handful of people I manage are all professionals, so very little 'management' needed. That's actually the easiest part of my job.
Downside is we're under the larger IT organization. We either get totally ignored (which is awesome, no one bugging us), or we get totally ignored (which really sucks when I need help from senior management). Fortunately the senior management wouldn't know which end of the radio to talk into and would more than likely poke their own eyes out with the antenna if not closely supervised. Even had a few of them refer to them as "CB's" a few times. Whatever, just as long as the paychecks keep coming in, you can call them whatever you want.

IP is the big change. I came in under TDM systems, analog, etc. I've taken a lot of Cisco and other classes, but it's not where my passion is. I've got two guys that do that stuff for me, and help me out when I get in over my head. If someone was trying to get into the industry now, it's almost a given that you'd need Cisco/IP certifications to even be taken seriously.
 

mmckenna

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I sort of bumbled through early life thinking I knew what I wanted to do but in nearly every case when I got there it was not anything remarkable. The radio repair and install work didn't pay very well and it really wreaked my radio hobby as many hear have experienced.

Most jobs I landed were purely by accident, right place, right time, right skill set. I can't think of more than 2 jobs where I ever really had a serious interview, and one of the jobs I didn't really want, quit before I started.

30 years in this field, not sure what I'm going to do when I grow up. Might be a cowboy or fireman, I'll see who has the cooler looking hats.
 

ten13

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Turning a hobby into a job was a huge mistake.

Very true statement, no matter what field you're in.

Turning a hobby into a business....that's something else. Being your own boss working on your "hobby" makes it all that more worthwhile.
 

MUTNAV

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Very true statement, no matter what field you're in.

Turning a hobby into a business....that's something else. Being your own boss working on your "hobby" makes it all that more worthwhile.
Thanks.... I had never considered the hobby to Business Vs Job aspect. I was thinking Business and Job as the same. It's important when trying to tell the kids about important things like this.

Thanks
Joel
 
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