State of Maryland

A Radio Technician III is the full performance level of technical radio work involving the installation, repair and maintenance of transmitters, receivers, and related radio equipment in accordance with Federal Communications Commission regulations.  Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions but do provide training and technical guidance to Radio Mechanics and lower-level Radio Technicians and may function as a lead worker for a specific project.

Employees in this classification receive general supervision from a higher- level Radio Technician or a Radio Technician Supervisor.  Employees in this classification may be subject to 24 hour on-call duty.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the class specification.

The Radio Technician I, Radio Technician II and Radio Technician III are differentiated on the basis of the degree of supervisory control exercised by the supervisor over these employees.  The Radio Technician I performs duties under close supervision.  The Radio Technician II performs duties under close supervision at times and under moderate supervision at other times, depending on the complexity of the specific duty being performed.  The Radio Technician III performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision. The Radio Technician III is differentiated from the Radio Technician IV in that the Radio Technician IV assigns, reviews and approves the work of and trains lower-level Radio Technicians. 

Repairs, maintains, tests, assembles, and installs both stationary and mobile radios and related equipment such as power supply unit and antennas;

Operates and maintains electronic test equipment for locating problems in radio sets; tracing circuits, and checking cables;

Checks for frequency deviations and calibrates transmitters;

Replaces defective parts such as integrated circuits, transistors, resistors, capacitors, relays and tubes; Inventories, orders and maintains a supply of replacement parts and electronic components;

Maintains daily records of repairs;

May prepare diagrams for technical improvements, additions, or adoptions in order to fabricate special purpose equipment;

May train lower-level Radio Technicians and Radio Mechanics in the installation and repair of equipment;

May inspect the work performed by lower-level Radio Technicians and Radio Mechanics for technical sufficiency;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of the installation, testing, and repair of radio equipment;Knowledge of radio theory;

Knowledge of maintenance and repair practices concerning amplitude modulated and frequency modulated transmitting and receiving equipment;

Knowledge of radio transmitting and receiving practices;

Knowledge of digital communication and microprocessor controlled radio transmitting and receiving equipment;

Knowledge of microwave, multiplexing and general radio-telephone practices;

Knowledge of Federal Communications Commission rules and regulations governing commercial radio communications;

Knowledge of the National Electric Code and local codes and regulations for electrical wiring and installation of electrical equipment; Knowledge of the care and storage of equipment and replacement and component parts;

Ability to safely operate and maintain manual and power tools;

Ability to make adjustments and repairs to transmitters, receivers and related equipment;

Ability to adjust frequency modulated or amplitude modulated radio transmitters and receivers to proper modulation deviations or modulation levels and operating frequency in accordance with Federal Communication Commission regulations;

Ability to understand and follow schematics;

Ability to use and maintain test equipment such as oscilloscopes and volt-ohm meters;

Ability to detect and locate malfunctions in radio equipment;

Ability to prepare and maintain records in accordance with Federal Communications Commission regulations.

Education:   Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate.

Experience: Five years of experience in the repair of electronic communications equipment, four years must have included the repair of two-way FM radios.

Notes: 

1. Candidates may substitute the successful completion of a one year program of study in radio electronics at a recognized training school, trade school, or college for up to one year of the required general experience.

2. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a non-commissioned officer in Electronics Technician (Communications) classifications or Signal Corps, Aerospace Maintenance, or Data/ Communications Maintenance specialty codes in the aviation communications field of work on a year-for-year basis for the required experience.

1. Applicants for this classification may be required to possess either a Federal Communications Commission General Radiotelephone Operator license, a FCC Ship Radar Endorsement, a National Association of Business and Educational Radio certificate, or an Associated Public Safety Communications Officer Incorporated certificate. If license or certificate is required, applicants must list their license or certificate number and expiration date on the application.

2. Employees in this classification may be assigned duties which require the operation of a motor vehicle. Employees assigned such duties will be required to possess a motor vehicle operator’s license valid in the State of Maryland.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions.  Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is assigned to Bargaining Unit A-Labor and Trades classes.  As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.

Employees in this classification are eligible to receive overtime compensation.  An employee who works more than the normal workweek is entitled to be compensated for that overtime as provided by the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 8-305.   This classification is one level in a Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) series. NCP promotions are promotions by which employees may advance in grade and class level from trainee to full performance level in a classification series.  In order to be non-competitively promoted to the next level in a NCP series, an employee must: 1) perform the main purpose of the class, as defined by the Nature of Work section of the class specification; 2) receive the type of supervision defined in the class specification and 3) meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.