A good onboarding plan turns a new operator into a safe, reliable contributor without rushing them into high-risk actions too early. The first 30 days should build confidence in three areas: site safety, systems understanding, and repeatable execution. This checklist is a practical guide you can adapt for ground station operations, NOC workflows, and mission support—covering access, tools, shift readiness, and escalation procedures.
Table of contents
- Goals for the First 30 Days
- Day 1: Setup and Access
- Week 1: Foundations and Shadowing
- Week 2: Guided Operations and Basic Troubleshooting
- Week 3: Independent Shifts With Guardrails
- Week 4: Handoff Readiness and Certification
- Common Early Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
- Documentation Habits That Make Operators Effective
- Operator Onboarding FAQ
- Glossary
Goals for the First 30 Days
Onboarding should end with a simple outcome: the operator can run routine work safely and knows exactly when and how to escalate. By day 30, a new operator should be able to:
Operate safely: follow site safety rules, lockout/tagout where relevant, and handle RF exposure awareness and basic facility hazards.
Execute routine procedures: perform scheduled contacts, start/stop services, and run standard health checks without supervision.
Monitor effectively: interpret dashboards, recognize abnormal patterns, and distinguish “noise” from real issues.
Escalate correctly: provide clean incident reports and involve the right people fast.
Day 1: Setup and Access
Accounts and authentication
Confirm identity verification, MFA enrollment, and password manager setup. Ensure access to all required systems: ticketing, monitoring, shift notes, runbooks, and
incident channels.
Workstation readiness
Set up VPN, required clients, SSH keys (if applicable), browser profiles, and any operator tools used for telemetry, modem control, and antenna monitoring.
Orientation
Review the operating model: shifts, handoffs, what “good” looks like, and what actions are restricted to senior operators or engineering.
Safety briefing
Site safety basics, RF hazard awareness, emergency procedures, and who to call when something feels unsafe.
Week 1: Foundations and Shadowing
Week 1 is about learning the environment and observing good habits.
Shadow at least 3 full shifts
Watch how operators handle routine checks, how they talk through anomalies, and what they write in shift notes.
Understand the system map
Learn the basic signal chain: antenna → RF front end → downconversion/baseband → modem/decoder → network/cloud delivery. Know where alarms come from and what each
system is responsible for.
Learn key dashboards and KPIs
Identify the “must-watch” metrics (lock state, C/N0 or Eb/N0, BER/PER, throughput, antenna pointing, power states, environmental alarms).
Read core runbooks
Start with: pass execution, routine health checks, alarm triage, comms protocol, and incident escalation.
Week 2: Guided Operations and Basic Troubleshooting
Week 2 transitions from observation to doing, with supervision.
Run routine tasks with a buddy
Execute scheduled contacts, start/stop services, and perform post-pass validation under supervision. Practice documenting each action in tickets or shift notes.
Learn “first-response” troubleshooting
Verify time sync, configuration baselines, and obvious causes: weather, pointing, connectivity, modem lock status, and recent changes. Practice collecting evidence:
screenshots, logs, and timestamps.
Do controlled drills
Run tabletop scenarios: loss of lock, unexpected interference, modem resets, antenna tracking anomalies, and network backhaul alarms—focusing on the escalation
decision point.
Week 3: Independent Shifts With Guardrails
Week 3 builds confidence through repetition, but keeps boundaries clear.
Operate with defined permissions
The operator runs the shift while a senior operator is available for quick review. Changes to power, frequency plans, or critical configurations remain gated.
Own shift handoffs
Write a complete shift summary: what happened, what changed, what is pending, and what the next shift must watch. Include clear timestamps and references to tickets.
Handle low-risk incidents end-to-end
For example: a transient alarm that resolves, a minor throughput dip with known weather correlation, or a planned maintenance event—documented correctly.
Week 4: Handoff Readiness and Certification
Week 4 aims for independent readiness.
Demonstrate checklist competency
Run a full shift independently: routine checks, pass execution, logging, and handoff notes. Show you can explain system state and justify actions taken.
Pass a scenario review
Walk through at least 3 incident scenarios with an assessor: one RF/interference, one hardware/system alarm, one operational coordination issue.
Know your escalation map
Be able to answer: “If X happens, who do you call, what evidence do you gather, and what immediate mitigations are allowed?”
Common Early Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Changing configuration too early: prioritize observation and evidence collection before touching settings.
Missing timestamps: always log in a consistent time standard (often UTC) and include start/end times.
Assuming it’s weather: verify with metrics and spectrum views; weather is common but not a free explanation.
Weak shift notes: “all good” is not useful—document what you checked, what you saw, and what you’re watching next.
Documentation Habits That Make Operators Effective
Strong operators write as if the next person has to troubleshoot without them:
State → evidence → action → outcome
“C/N0 dropped by X dB at 03:14 UTC; rain observed on site sensor; ACM stepped down; throughput reduced; link recovered at 03:32 UTC.”
Include: system identifiers, configuration versions (if relevant), ticket IDs, screenshots, and clear escalation notes when something is not resolved.
Operator Onboarding FAQ
When should a new operator be allowed to change RF settings?
Only after they demonstrate consistent safe execution and understand the risk of unintended interference or loss of service. Start with read-only monitoring and procedural tasks, then grant limited change permissions with review.
What should we optimize for: speed or safety?
Safety and repeatability first. Speed comes naturally once operators build correct habits. The cost of a rushed change in RF operations is usually far higher than the cost of an extra week of supervised shifts.
What is the most important onboarding artifact?
A clear escalation and permissions map: what actions are allowed, what requires approval, and who to contact—plus runbooks that match reality.
Glossary
Runbook: A documented procedure for performing an operational task or handling an incident.
Handoff: Shift transition notes that communicate system state, open issues, and required follow-ups.
Escalation: Process of involving more senior operators, engineering, vendors, or partners when thresholds are met.
Change control: Approval and documentation process for changes that could impact service, compliance, or safety.
Lock state: Whether a modem/receiver is successfully tracking and decoding the signal.
KPI: Key performance indicator—metrics used to assess link and system health.
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