Although overall employment of electronic equipment repairers is projected to increase slowly, employment of computer and office machine repairers should increase rapidly while electronic home entertainment equipment repairer and telephone installer and repairer jobs should decline. Nature of the Work Electronic equipment repairers, also called service technicians or field service representatives, install, maintain, and repair electronic equipment used in offices, factories, homes, hospitals, aircraft, and other places. Equipment includes televisions, radar, industrial equipment controls, computers, telephone systems, and medical diagnosing equipment. Repairers have numerous job titles, which often refer to the kind of equipment with which they work. For information on workers who operate and maintain electronic equipment used to record and transmit radio and television programs, see the statement on broadcast technicians .
Electronic repairers install, test, repair, and calibrate equipment to ensure it functions properly.
They keep detailed records on each piece of equipment to provide a history of tests, performance problems, and repairs. When equipment breaks down, repairers first examine work orders, which indicate problems, or talk to equipment operators. Then they check for common causes of trouble, such as loose connections or obviously defective components. If routine checks do not locate the trouble, repairers may refer to schematics and manufacturers' specifications that show connections and provide instruction on how to locate problems. They use voltmeters, ohmmeters, signal generators, ammeters, and oscilloscopes, and run diagnostic programs to pinpoint malfunctions.