About This Job

Seeking a highly skilled SMT soldering specialist.

We are looking for a well-rounded individual, preferably female aged 21 to 45, to handle public relations with clients, clerical duties, eBay sales, advertising and listing, detailing, organizing, and packing/shipping. On rare occasions, a massage may be requested, but this is not a mandatory requirement.

Positions Available:

• An electronics expert.
• A microwave RF technician (not appliance repair).
• An optical communications specialist.

Ideal candidates will demonstrate a balanced approach: confident in handling expensive, delicate equipment without being overly timid or careless. Excellent organizational skills are essential.

This role can be part-time or full-time, depending on your experience. We need someone flexible, preferably available to work Sundays, Mondays, and/or Fridays, plus one day between Tuesday and Thursday each week. A tentative schedule across different days and times is possible, with the days mentioned above as a minimum. Candidates must reside within 20 miles of my location.

Detailed Role Descriptions:

1. Master SMT Soldering Technician: You will work on miniature circuit boards with expensive, hard-to-replace components such as mixers, attenuators, FPGA-size microchips, capacitors, and samplers. The spacing is microscopic, requiring the use of a Mantis system for visualization. Wire bonding experience is a significant advantage. Extensive professional PCB troubleshooting experience is required. Computer and programming proficiency is highly desirable.

2. Microwave Engineering Technician: This role involves troubleshooting, repairing, and occasionally designing necessary items using 3D printing or fabrication. Real, hands-on experience with the test equipment we use and repair is required. Experience with 3D printing, milling, routing, pressing, CNC fabrication of metals like aluminum or stainless steel is a major plus as we are gradually moving in that direction.

3. Optical Communications Specialist: Currently, I urgently need someone with repair knowledge or experience in the optical equipment industry. Familiarity with monochromators, bearings, motors, fiber optic cables, various connectors, power meters, light sources, tunable lasers, wavelength meters, and optical spectrum analyzers is key. Essentially, someone with a background in fiber optic telecommunications who understands relevant terms, specifications, and design. The starting rate for this position is $25 per hour, potentially increasing to $28 plus bonuses and sales percentages on optical equipment like spectrum analyzers, wavemeters, and laser sources. We currently have 14 optical spectrum analyzers requiring repair.

If you are seeking a guaranteed full-time position, it could evolve into 40 or more hours per week as the business grows, which it is close to doing. If you prefer a tentative part-time role of approximately 20-30 hours weekly, this could be an ideal fit. If you prove to be as skilled as my lead technician, Michael, a full-time offer will certainly be extended. There is a substantial and ongoing workload.

Seven people work out of my converted home, sometimes simultaneously. It is a fun group with great personalities, and everyone gets along splendidly.

The role requires someone in good health with the ability to lift items up to 70+ pounds on rare occasions, moving them onto benches and up or down stairs for packing. Regularly, the job involves moving 45-pound machines. Female applicants are welcome but must be highly technical and deeply knowledgeable. See further details below.

I prefer candidates aged 50 and under to ensure good rapport, as we will be working side-by-side throughout training and daily operations. Mastering this material takes months to years. Furthermore, individuals over 55 may experience physical limitations, and I have had previous issues with employees suffering from back problems. A significant plus if you regularly engage in heavy weight training or have a sturdy build. For reference, I am 43. We have a live-in helper in his 60s who handles boxing and cleaning; while his back is compromised, he is an excellent musician.

Musicians and audio engineers receive special consideration in hiring.

You will work alongside me all day as a trainee assistant. The workplace is my home, which has been converted 95% into a workspace, including my extensive professional music recording studio. This is why a musician or recording engineer is a major advantage.

The core work involves repairing, calibrating, refurbishing, and reselling expensive, delicate 1-50 GHz microwave frequency test equipment. This primarily includes spectrum analyzers reaching 50 GHz, signal generators, sweepers, network analyzers, counters, and oscilloscopes.

You must be the type of person who excelled academically in high school and/or college and has completed at least some college-level courses in electronics or electrical engineering with an RF focus. This work demands a sharp, analytical mind. I am largely self-taught, but it took me many years to reach my current skill level. I often wish I had pursued formal college education in this field when I was younger.

If you are not adept at troubleshooting complex systems, this role is not for you. You will need to read schematics and block diagrams of RF modules and electronic PCB boards, as well as navigate 500-page service and user manuals.

You will also need to learn how the electronics correlate with the RF displayed on screen or outputted from the test equipment housing those PCB boards.

All our systems share similar crossover designs: a Front End incorporating high-frequency RF paths (using advanced microwave modules that appear almost alien, reliant on micro gold bonder machines), which down-converts to several IFs. These are used to mix RF inputs with local oscillators (which can be VCO, YTO, or fixed-frequency) or to bring the signal down to a frequency in the 10-350 MHz range with significant attenuation. This allows the PCB boards—equipped with mixers, oscillators, multipliers, amplifiers, detectors, phase detectors, down-converters, fractional-N circuits, inductors, regulators, coils, and EM interference shielding—to process the signal effectively, as these boards cannot handle high-frequency RF (only the specialized circuits in the RF modules can). A picture will be provided for reference.

Candidates must work well under stress and maintain an easy-going demeanor. This work is not for everyone, but if you have ever been fascinated by electronics, high-frequency systems like cell sites and phones, radar, satellite communications, self-driving vehicles, aviation and NASA instrumentation, wireless internet, anti-theft keys, car battery testing, amplifier repair, any electronics, calibration (metrology), or RF in general, then this might be the perfect career for you.

It is more than just a job; you may become deeply engrossed in it, as I have.

If you are an audio engineer tired of struggling to make a good living and you already understand basic RF test equipment, electronics design, and/or troubleshooting, this will be right up your alley. Previous employees found the transition easy due to the shared theoretical principles with acoustics and propagation, such as reflections, amplitude, resonant frequencies, and standing waves.

Warning: You must apply yourself intensely. This is a highly focused role where a single wrong move or slip can easily cost $1000. Furthermore, acquiring the necessary knowledge to perform the job effectively is substantial, hence my compensation offer:

The starting rate is $15 to $25 per hour, depending on your qualifications. If you are already a proficient troubleshooter with strong knowledge of RF test equipment, the starting rate is $25 per hour. After full training, the rate moves to $28 per hour, with the potential to reach $40 per hour including bonuses, which I frequently award for exceptional work that saves or earns significant money.

I also offer partnership deals where you can invest money and/or time for a 25% to 50% profit split. This is where the real financial opportunity and excitement lie in this business. Items can sell for as much as $16,000, and profits can be doubled or tripled depending on our luck in purchasing repairable items and the cost of parts or in-house repairs. Profits are divided according to the percentage agreement. A sample contract used with other investors is available upon request.

Additional job duties may include packing, shipping large boxes, creating labels, generating calibration certificates, organizing tools and workspaces, client communication, advertising, and sourcing great deals. If you are an excellent networker, this work can be offered at a starting rate of $20 per hour, moving up to $25 per hour once you become highly efficient.

Your hours and days are extremely flexible and of your choosing. You can come in to help at the last minute or take a day off suddenly without issue. I work six days a week (excluding Saturdays), so you can choose which days and for how long you work. Occasional work-from-home is possible once you establish your own home test station, which you will over time. Having a small space in a garage or spare room is helpful for this.

There is no formal employment paperwork, as you would be paid as a subcontractor. You would claim taxes as an entrepreneur. You may need to obtain your own workers\' compensation insurance, as the job can be hazardous at times.

The business primarily operates on eBay. You would largely take over the duties I currently handle for my eBay store. Search for the username: testcalinstruments.

Casual attire is acceptable. You are welcome to have a few beers on the job throughout the day. However, when serious focus is required, you must be able to provide it. Much of the work is comparable to a surgeon\'s precision or that beloved childhood game that beeped.

A steady hand is crucial. You will occasionally solder tiny chips (both surface-mount and through-hole) on PCB boards, so soldering experience is a major advantage, especially with hot air tools, solder paste, flux, and vacuum desoldering equipment. I can help teach all these skills if you commit to staying for a minimum of a few years. Please do not apply if you plan to move in the near future. This is a career and a lifelong investment, I hope.

Your title will be RF Engineering Technician, a branch of electrical engineering specializing in microwave frequency systems. High-rate pay duties involve extensive calibration and troubleshooting to ensure equipment—such as spectrum analyzers, signal generators, and vector network analyzers—meets specifications and is calibratable. This is critical for all purchases, sales, client repairs, and parts sales. You must be thoroughly proficient in all relevant RF specifications. I can provide training, but some prior experience is necessary, as starting from scratch would take years, and I need someone who can contribute immediately.

There are significant investment opportunities to earn substantial income in this business. Potentially, you could make nearly $40 or $50 per hour at times, and sometimes even $200 or more per hour.

I have been studying RF for 19 years. However, I am at a beginner to intermediate level with electronics, though I am learning rapidly. For the higher-wage electronics role, I need a true teacher who has substantial industry experience, not just a lifelong tinkerer. Some of these circuits demand excellent knowledge of both RF/microwave technology and electronics.

Please note that I am semi-disabled. I can usually walk and stand for brief periods, but I frequently experience back attacks and require significant assistance in all job aspects.

Consequently, I am modifying this advertisement to accept female applicants who may not be able to lift 100-pound items up stairs, as I currently have sufficient help in that area.

Therefore, if you are a female interested in the job but not exceptionally strong, I can include a substitute regular duty: providing 10-30 minute back massages to help manage my energy and back pain, keeping me functional. No prior massage experience is needed, as I was a certified massage therapist for many years and have trained two of my wives in the past. However, you must still know how to solder proficiently and read and troubleshoot block diagrams and schematics. In short, you must know your field and have relevant work experience.