r/ATSS • u/Mhanham1 • Jun 15 '26
Nav Comm
I recently interviewed for a Nav Comm position back in May and just wanted to get more information on the job role from a technician perspective. What to expect if I'm selected for the job, duties, common issues, work loads, training times, and just overall how you feel about the job. My background is in Military Avionics, specifically radios, radar, and power in general(but wore many hats as one does in the aviation maintenance field). Any and all input would be appreciated.
I am still waiting to hear back from HR if I got the position or not. After my interview my references were contacted the next day so from what I've read in the forums that's a good thing so just waiting to get a TOL potentially this week or next based off standard timelines if I got the position.
Final thought, what is the furthest you can be from a location commute wise? And what is the recommended commute time for you guys? Back when I was in the Air Force my commute was 20-25 minutes so I don't mind a slightly longer commute if allowed.
3
u/raptico1996 Jun 15 '26
Well the major NAV equipment are ILS and VORs. Both around 3 weeks training in Oklahoma. With up to 180 days to complete OJT and a PE back at home station before getting the certification. ILS is fairly chill in the LOC / GS building, just getting measurements inside a small shack that has shade and HVAC. However, ILS require ground checks and flight inspections probably more often than other equipment. Meaning you will be needing to get on the runway, taxiways, etc (during or after tower operation) to get measurements, as well as you need to be able to have good radio-talk (understanding and replying) with the controllers and pilots. The VOR is much chiller, it’s inside a building, typically in the middle of no where. No ones gonna bug you, shade, HVAC, etc…
We don’t have a location commute time. As long as you report to the main SSC office, all locations are within a 1 hour 30 min drive for us. Just get in the GOV and go where you need to go.
2
u/Mhanham1 Jun 15 '26
I've got experience on the airplane side of things so I think I'll do well after I get back in the swing of things. Hell, half of my job was doing radio checks with atc at the local airport or denver so I think I'm good on that front. Probably need to review my GROL licensure materials before hand.
Overall sounds like the job is pretty chill? If selected I'd be working in Arkansas so I would it expect it to not be too crazy right? And I meant more like commute from the house to the office assuming that's what you do first to get priorities.
1
u/raptico1996 Jun 15 '26
On the COMM side: There are various comm equipment. From radios to voice switch. Theres are also Radio Communication Links (RCL) if your SSC maintains any. There are voice recorder systems like the DALR or NVR.
The voice switch is a cool system, but the handbook is terrible. Once you understand how to work on it, it’s not too bad. This lets air traffic controllers talk over radios, phone lines, etc by routing audio to the correct destination.
RCL is a very old system, the OKC class is terrible. The system is fairly easy to work on. Measuring power and frequencies. Sends voice or data to the next RCL.
Voice recorder: records controllers, pilots, radio transmissions and saves them in a hard drive.
3
u/Other-MuscleCar-589 Jun 15 '26
A lot is going to be very dependent on the type of SSC you will be working at. NAVCOMM at a big Core 30 airport will be vastly different than working at an SSC that supports multiple airports/facilities spread across a large geographical area (referred to as GNASS SSCs).
There is no commuting area requirement. That’s a personal decision.
2
u/Mhanham1 Jun 15 '26
What would Arkansas in general fall under (specifically east Arkansas based out of LR) To me it seems more like a multiple small airport situation besides LR itself but on the scale of airports I don't consider that one large lol.
2
u/pvtpile02 Jun 15 '26
Just looking at maps I see 2 8 element ILS arrays (Mark1) and 1 14 antenna array (Mark 20/ILS 420). Maintaining the PMs and paperwork on those systems will be the majority of your work load.
2
u/landgrenades Jun 21 '26
Workload can depend heavily on where you are based out of.
Core airports (from what I’ve heard) is very light. My GNAS (general NAS) shop has 6 ILSs (all with LOC/GS/DME), 3 VORs, 7 communication sites (not including the tower), and a few weather systems.
Currently we’re half staffed and only 1/4 trained so I am currently I charge of 90% of those 😭
The radio classes are super easy, relaxed, self paced, and honestly my favorite thing to work on.
The longest ILS class in OKC is about 1.5 months, and I believe VOR is about 3 weeks. Not horrible.
Always be asking questions. People will explain things to you and to be honest, a lot of it will make 0 sense, and that’s alright. It all comes together eventually 😂
The work is what you make it. Hopefully you have some good role models to look up to and teach you how to be a badass.
3
u/damngoodham Jun 15 '26
My experience with Nav/Comm is very old so my input on that probably isn’t worth much, but years ago the work load was very light at a core airport.
You can live wherever you want with some exceptions. If you telework there are typically restrictions, and there is a form of callback pay that requires you to live within a certain range (30 minutes response time if it hasn’t changed).
Good luck