Electronic instruments are used in all areas of the Army, including health care, weather forecasting, flight control and combat. The Special Electronic Devices Repairer is an important member of the Army electronic maintenance team. Electronic instrument repairers fix and maintain electronics, such as measuring equipment, navigational controls, photographic equipment and biomedical instruments.

The Special Electronic Devices Repairer performs or supervises field or sustainment level maintenance and repair on microcomputers and electromechanical telecommunications equipment, Field Artillery (FA) digital devices, Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, switchboards, telephones, associated wire instruments/equipment, night vision devices/equipment, laser and fiber optic systems, mine detection and dispensing systems, electronic distance and azimuth-orienting devices, battlefield illumination devices, and nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) warning and measuring devices. Some of your duties as a Special Electronic Devices Repairer may include:

• Use Test, Measurement, and Diagnostic Equipment (TMDE), Test Program Sets (TPS), and Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETM) to test, troubleshoot and repair special electronic equipment
• Read technical diagrams and manuals in order to locate and repair instrument parts
• Replace equipment parts such as resistors, switches and circuit boards
• Perform quality control measures
• Inspect equipment for faults and completeness
• Test equipment to determine operational condition
• Troubleshoot to determine equipment faults
• Test repaired items to ensure compliance
• Prepare maintenance forms and records
• Perform preventive maintenance checks on equipment

Job training for a Special Electronic Devices Repairer requires nine weeks of Basic Training, where you'll learn basic Soldiering skills, and 25 weeks of Advanced Individual Training and on-the-job instruction, including practice in repairing and replacing equipment parts. Part of this time is spent in the classroom and part in the field. Some of the skills you'll learn are:

• Electronic principles
• Use and maintenance of electrical and electronic test equipment
• Equipment repair

Helpful attributes include:

• Interest in mathematics and electronic equipment repair
• Ability to do work requiring accuracy and attention to detail
• Interest in solving problems

Advanced level Special Electronic Devices Repairers provide guidance, supervise and train other Soldiers within the same discipline. As an advanced level Special Electronic Devices Repairer, you may be involved in:

• Supervise final or quality control tests and inspections on repaired equipment
• Request and maintain bench stock, repair parts, supplies and technical publications
• Supervise calibration and safety programs

The skills you learn as a Special Electronic Devices Repairer will help you pursue a civilian career with manufacturing companies, medical research facilities, satellite communications firms or commercial airline companies. The same skills may also prepare you for a future with the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or the National Weather Service.

Through your extensive Army training and experience and some additional study, you may be able to qualify for Electronics Technician Association (ETA) certification as an Associate Certified Electronics Technician.

• Avionic Communications Equipment Repairer (94L)
• Avionic and Survivability Equipment Repairer (94R)
• Radio and Communications Security (COMSEC) Repairer (94E)

Learn more about the relationship between military training and civilian certification requirements.