01 / Occupational profile
Your 2831 occupational profile
Generator and terminal shelter noise
Common occupational factor
Terminal sites are typically powered by a dedicated generator running continuously, and maintainers work in close proximity to it during setup, operation, and teardown.
Antenna rigging and cable handling
Common occupational factor
Standing up troposcatter dishes and satellite antennas, along with cable runs and shelter setup, involves heavy lifting and repetitive carrying, often on uneven terrain.
Generator exhaust exposure
Common occupational factor
Co-location with a running generator for extended field operations involves routine exhaust exposure.
02 / Your service
What did you actually do?
Your MOS is the starting point. Your actual assignment, era, equipment, location, and duties determine which parts of the occupational history are relevant. Use the Evidence Builder below to select your actual duties and see records that may corroborate them.
2831s install, test, and repair multi-channel line-of-sight and troposcatter communications equipment, tuning and aligning antenna systems, adjusting audio and data levels, and using test equipment to check circuit quality down to the component level. Fault diagnosis and repair work is detailed electronics bench and field work, while standing up a terminal involves rigging large dish or troposcatter antennas, running cable, and working around the generator that powers the shelter. Sites can be remote and austere, with the terminal and crew co-located with a tactical generator for extended periods.
2831 was historically known as the AN/TRC-170 Technician; the designator and systems maintained have been updated as troposcatter and satellite terminal equipment evolved. Earlier service may be documented under the legacy title.
Duties that may vary by assignment
- Installing, tuning, and aligning troposcatter and satellite communications terminals
- Testing circuit quality and diagnosing equipment faults to the component level
- Replacing faulty electronic components and submitting maintenance requests
- Rigging and positioning large antenna systems and associated hardware
- Running and connecting signal, power, and grounding cable
- Operating and working near the tactical generator powering the terminal shelter
- Field siting and teardown of terminal equipment, often at remote or forward locations
Related historical codes: Legacy AN/TRC-170 Technician
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Military Occupational Evidence Builder
Based on what you actually did in the military, what records might document it? Select only what applied to you. No name, file number, contact details, free text, or upload. Nothing is saved or sent.
Military service
Marine Corps · 2831 Digital Wideband Systems Maintainer
For another specialty, open its guide from the MOS library. A job code alone does not establish individual duties or exposure.
Era(s) of service
Deployments
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Your Evidence Builder identifies records that may document your service history. If VA has already decided your claim, the next question is different: what did VA accept, what did VA reject, and why?
Request a free decision review03 / Corroboration
Building your occupational history
Records matter because they can connect a job title to an individual's actual work and circumstances.
Generator and terminal shelter noise
Records that may corroborate it
- · Hearing-conservation audiograms (DD 2215/2216) and DOEHRS-HC records
- · Assignment records identifying terminal or radio-relay duty
- · Evaluations describing field siting and generator duties
Limit: Generator proximity does not by itself establish a current hearing-loss or tinnitus diagnosis; audiometric evidence and a medical opinion are still required.
Antenna rigging and cable handling
Records that may corroborate it
- · Sick call and physical therapy entries from the relevant assignment
- · Line-of-duty or incident reports for a documented injury
- · Training or evaluation records describing field siting duties
Limit: Typical rigging demands do not by themselves establish that a specific joint injury occurred in service.
Generator exhaust exposure
Records that may corroborate it
- · Deployment orders and unit location records
- · ILER entry reflecting deployment location, where applicable
- · Evaluations describing terminal-site duties
Limit: Generator proximity does not establish contact with any specific substance or resulting diagnosis; clinical findings and a medical opinion are required.
04 / Evidence standard
What your MOS can — and cannot — establish
May help document
Work performed, circumstances of service, consistency of an alleged exposure, and the nature or duration of duties where supported by individual records.
Does not automatically establish
A diagnosis, medical causation, severity, percentage, presumption, or entitlement to service connection.
05 / Medical evidence
Conditions that may be relevant to the occupational history
This is not a list of conditions to claim. A veteran's actual diagnosis and individual service record determine relevance; occupational evidence is not medical causation.
Auditory +
Hearing loss and tinnitus
Why the occupation may matter: Sustained generator noise near the terminal shelter is a routine part of the job.
Records and clinical evidence: Audiometric records showing a threshold shift, a current diagnosis, and evidence tying the noise exposure to your specific assignment.
Occupational history alone does not establish this diagnosis or its medical relationship to service.
Musculoskeletal +
Back and shoulder conditions
Why the occupation may matter: Antenna rigging and cable handling involve repeated heavy lifting, often in austere field conditions.
Records and clinical evidence: Sick call or physical therapy entries from the relevant period, imaging, and a current orthopedic diagnosis.
Occupational history alone does not establish this diagnosis or its medical relationship to service.
06 / Exposure record
ILER and toxic exposure
For applicable exposure-related claims, VA may review the Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record (ILER) and a toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) memorandum along with deployment and occupational records. An ILER entry does not automatically establish exposure or service connection.
07 / After a decision
Why a 2831 claim may still be denied
An exposure finding is not the same as a grant. These are examples from the researched guide, not predictions about a particular case.
VA may accept
A duty or event consistent with the service record
But may deny
A diagnosis, medical relationship, or rating element
Record to examine
Decision findings, service and private treatment records, examination rationale, and medical opinions.
"Electronics technician" read as low-noise, desk-style work
Without records showing field siting and generator co-location, a denial may understate the noise and physical demands of terminal operations.
Legacy AN/TRC-170 title not matched to current MOS
Older records using the AN/TRC-170 Technician title should be read as continuous with 2831 service; mismatched titles can slow down record requests.
Oakridge Claims / Appeals Focused
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The important question is what VA accepted, what it rejected, and why. A decision review considers the decision, examinations, and the complete record — including private and VA records that may need development. Oakridge is appeals-focused — core work is post-decision, but initial and new claims are accepted on a case-by-case basis (no fee for pre-decision work).
Fees for eligible post-decision representation are governed by a written agreement. See fee details. No outcome is guaranteed.
2831 questions
Is AN/TRC-170 Technician the same job as Digital Wideband Systems Maintainer?
Yes — this is the same occupational lineage under an updated MOS title as the equipment and designator were modernized.
Does this MOS by itself show hazardous noise exposure?
It documents a job that typically involves generator-adjacent work, but VA still looks for audiograms, assignment records, and a current diagnosis with a medical opinion.
Sources and legal references
General education only; not legal or medical advice. Oakridge Claims is a private business, not affiliated with or endorsed by VA. Nothing here establishes a representative-client relationship or guarantees a result. Free accredited VSO help is available.