Your First Week: Learn Names Before You Touch Plant
Why this module exists
You do not need every torque value on day one — but you do need to recognize a coring tool, a pin connector, hi-vis PPE, and the field meter when a senior tech asks for them.
Scroll the list below. Photo on the left, name and purpose on the right. Come back here during Cable Prep or Signal Testing when you forget a name.
Hard hat, glasses, hi-vis, gloves, and boots go on before you leave the cab. Names first — torque values and craft come in later modules.
Field kit — tools, PPE & hardline hardware
Learn what each item looks like and what it is called. This is the kit you will see on your first ride-along — safety and cable prep first, then hardware on strand.
Safety & PPE
Hard hat
Required before you leave the cab — overhead and falling-object protection.
Safety glasses
Side-shield eye protection for cutting, coring, and overhead work.
Hi-vis vest (Class 3)
Traffic and work-zone visibility on roadways and easements.
Work gloves
Hand protection for cable, strand, and general handling.
Work boots
Traction and foot protection on trucks, poles, and uneven ground.
Headlamp / work light
Hands-free light in pedestals, housings, and night work.
Traffic cones
Mark the work zone and buffer live traffic.
Harness & lanyard
Fall protection in bucket or when company rules require tie-off.
Hand tools
Crescent wrench
General nuts and fittings when a fixed size is not on hand.
Combination wrenches
Housing bolts, grounding hardware, and power-supply mounts.
Nut drivers
Seizure screws and common housing fasteners.
Lineman's pliers
Grip, twist, and light cut of wire and hardware.
Channel-lock pliers
Larger fittings and stubborn hardware.
Diagonal cutters
Trim lashing wire and tie wraps — not for hardline trunk cuts.
Lineman / utility knife
Controlled jacket scoring and packaging cuts.
Torque wrench
Seizure screws to craft-card inch-pound values — stop at positive stop.
Cable prep & test
Hardline coring tool
Size-matched mandrel removes dielectric to cut-chart depth.
Coax cable cleaners
Clean center conductor and seizure zone before connector install.
Coring tool kit
Separate mandrels per cable size (.500–.875) — wrong tool damages plant.
Signal level meter (OneExpert)
Forward/return levels, MER, and sweep — core field test gear.
Multimeter
AC/DC voltage checks and zero-energy verification.
Non-contact voltage tester
Quick AC presence sense — follow with DMM proof when required.
Hardline hardware
Hardline coax
Trunk and feeder — read jacket print for size before coring.
Pin connectors
Terminate hardline into LE, tap, and splice seizures.
Pin connector kit
Staged on the truck — match body to cable size and cut chart.
Housing-to-housing connector
Common evolution scope at pedestals and aerial housings.
Inline splice connectors
Cut-outs and repairs — torque and seal per craft card.
Hardline tap
Tap value on the print (dB in circle) must match the body label.
GigaXtend tap
Active plant example — compare tag ID and tap value to the print.