Working on avionics as A&P

This job is lil bit more involved than wiring up a CB radio for your pickup.
 
midcap said:
that sounds like some serious electrical work there.
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Its nothing like two KX155s... Those days are long gone. Even the glass cockpits that the Vans RV crowd installs are time consuming to wire.
 
Well as a noob, I don't plan to install anything right away. I will get some experience in an avionics shop part time after my A&P to learn the ropes. Like when I became a computer engineer, I had several internships that taught more than what I learned in school. End goal is to have the skills to install a full Garmin stack including nav/comm, GPS, autopilot and transponder in an older run out plane. I do realize it will take some time and experience to gain the confidence on this front. However, we do have some top avionics shops in San Diego that can provide real world experience. Now, to redo a complete panel including removal of old instruments, rewiring and retrofit a new panel is more difficult than a slide in avionics setup. Thanks Jim for the heads up. I don't think that I need to spend 50k on Snap-on tools to become an A&P.
 
weirdjim said:
You never did need an FCC RadioTELEGRAPH license. It was the RadioTELEPHONE license, which no longer really exists for anything but commercial broadcast stations, and even then is more honored in the breach than the observance.
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Sorry, Jim. The Radiotelephone license hasn't been required for broadcast radio stations in DECADES. I got my second class ages ago when I worked in broadcast, but it was obsolete not long after I went to the effort to get it. Now it's just the GROL (General Radiotelephone Operator's License). About the only people who give a hoot about the Radiotelephone license these days is the FAA and some marine stuff.

I've also got the Radiotelegraph Operators License (formerly the second class radiotelegraph). That's pretty much useful unless I want to be the radioman on ocean going vessels and even that is on the way out in favor of GMDSS operators/maintainers.
 
Blueangel said:
Well as a noob, I don't plan to install anything right away. I will get some experience in an avionics shop part time after my A&P to learn the ropes. Like when I became a computer engineer, I had several internships that taught more than what I learned in school. End goal is to have the skills to install a full Garmin stack including nav/comm, GPS, autopilot and transponder in an older run out plane. I do realize it will take some time and experience to gain the confidence on this front. However, we do have some top avionics shops in San Diego that can provide real world experience. Now, to redo a complete panel including removal of old instruments, rewiring and retrofit a new panel is more difficult than a slide in avionics setup. Thanks Jim for the heads up. I don't think that I need to spend 50k on Snap-on tools to become an A&P.
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I've probably got less than a $1000 in all my wiring tools, including a raychem "approved" heat gun, generic soldering station, coax automatic stripper, AF8 & AFM8 DMC crimpers, DMC crimper for coax connectors, wire strippers, contact insertion and extraction tools and some other things I'm sure I forgot.

Maybe $5000 in all my tools.

My snap-on collection is a few easy-outs and three torque wrenches.
 
flyingron said:
Sorry, Jim. The Radiotelephone license hasn't been required for broadcast radio stations in DECADES. I got my second class ages ago when I worked in broadcast, but it was obsolete not long after I went to the effort to get it. Now it's just the GROL (General Radiotelephone Operator's License). About the only people who give a hoot about the Radiotelephone license these days is the FAA and some marine stuff.

I've also got the Radiotelegraph Operators License (formerly the second class radiotelegraph). That's pretty much useful unless I want to be the radioman on ocean going vessels and even that is on the way out in favor of GMDSS operators/maintainers.
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Sorry, Ron. I didn't go far enough with the explanation. I got my 1st 'Phone when I was 18 (which was the min, as I recall) and the last time I had to renew it (and, memory again, they were good for ten years) they sent me a GROL back that is good for life. Damned if I know what to do with it, but it is nice to put on your resume when you send a package for type acceptance back to Laurel Labs.

Jim
 
Back in the day, it was five years, if I recall, though I think they did go to 10 once they changed it to GROL. I just changed my address. My current licenses: Radiotelephone, Radiotelegraph, and Amateur are just PDF files.
 
weirdjim said:
Sorry, Ron. I didn't go far enough with the explanation. I got my 1st 'Phone when I was 18 (which was the min, as I recall) and the last time I had to renew it (and, memory again, they were good for ten years) they sent me a GROL back that is good for life. Damned if I know what to do with it, but it is nice to put on your resume when you send a package for type acceptance back to Laurel Labs.

Jim
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I turned a radio on once.
 
flyingron said:
Sorry, Jim. The Radiotelephone license hasn't been required for broadcast radio stations in DECADES. I got my second class ages ago when I worked in broadcast, but it was obsolete not long after I went to the effort to get it. Now it's just the GROL (General Radiotelephone Operator's License). About the only people who give a hoot about the Radiotelephone license these days is the FAA and some marine stuff.

I've also got the Radiotelegraph Operators License (formerly the second class radiotelegraph). That's pretty much useful unless I want to be the radioman on ocean going vessels and even that is on the way out in favor of GMDSS operators/maintainers.
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Your right the old radiotelephone second class license was puke green in color I was upgraded to the new pale yellow GROL and was required by Oakland FSDO to post it in the avionics shop that I worked in. Most of the people working avionics are under a Repairman cert. I had the A&P at the time. Times have changed since I worked on the old ARC and Mark 12 radios, now most of the stuff when it goes bad goes back to the manufacture. As to installing them plan on buying some quality tools like a good pin crimping tool and pin extraction and some other tools that avionics people use. A good book to get is Avionics Fundomentals of aircraft electronics.
Avionics-Fundamentals.jpg
 
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