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MPMick said:
Friend of mine is a MP here, most of his fun stories are involving CFSCE students in the shacks. He's definitely not bored.
Army Communication & Information Systems Specialists (Sig Op, Lineman and LCIS Amalgamation)
- Thread starter JBP
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Friend of mine is a MP here, most of his fun stories are involving CFSCE students in the shacks. He's definitely not bored.
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Hi, I am starting my BMQ on Oct 1st for ACISS, and I have a few questions about the trade, and about the Sig Op sub occupation. However, I would first like to point out that I have done alot of research on this already, both on this site and on the Army website, and if you tell me to use the search function, Or anything similar, I will ignore you, because I already did that. I just want to make that clear.
So:
For ACISS, how often are you working in the field? I don't mean in combat or on the frontline, I see alot of people asking that, I just mean outside or on excercise doing hands on type stuff.
What is your day to day life like? I've seen this asked before but I wasn't really satisfied with the answer, sorry to sound picky
How does getting into the sub occupations work, and is it difficult to get your choice of one?
For Sig Op, what is the trade like? Is it the same or similar to the original trade before ACISS, or is it really changed. To my understanding, sig op is more of a field operator, and works with radios and such closer to the line then the other aspects of the ACISS trade. But I could be completely wrong.
I'm really curious to what the trade is going to be like, and I'm really looking into trying to get into the sig op aspect of it, thanks for any help you can offer guys!
So:
For ACISS, how often are you working in the field? I don't mean in combat or on the frontline, I see alot of people asking that, I just mean outside or on excercise doing hands on type stuff.
What is your day to day life like? I've seen this asked before but I wasn't really satisfied with the answer, sorry to sound picky
How does getting into the sub occupations work, and is it difficult to get your choice of one?
For Sig Op, what is the trade like? Is it the same or similar to the original trade before ACISS, or is it really changed. To my understanding, sig op is more of a field operator, and works with radios and such closer to the line then the other aspects of the ACISS trade. But I could be completely wrong.
I'm really curious to what the trade is going to be like, and I'm really looking into trying to get into the sig op aspect of it, thanks for any help you can offer guys!
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Use the search function!Sturm0vik said:
Ignore away; it's OK, I'll still sleep nights. :nod:
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Anything ACISS is really going to depend on your unit and what Bde you're posted to. You could be in the field for 2 months straight a couple times a year, or you could barely ever go to the field. Day to day life is similarly varied in that regard, because we're so broad in scope you can literally move into a building across the street in the same base and have totally different hours/schedule/work load.
Sub occ choices are something that isn't super worked out, but this whole ordeal sounded like a great way to force people to be Core (SigOp). My day to day job hasn't changed other than the work load, as ACISS gutted my section and set positions to the wind as they were reclassed as IST.
You'll get a broad overview of everything on your DP1, and will start learning some of the jobs then. Even after CFSCE, you may end up in a unit where you need lots of extra training as there's no possible way to teach every job an ACISS can encounter in the period of time allotted to produce DP1 soldiers. You'd spend 4 years at CFSCE, and no one wants that. ;D
Sub occ choices are something that isn't super worked out, but this whole ordeal sounded like a great way to force people to be Core (SigOp). My day to day job hasn't changed other than the work load, as ACISS gutted my section and set positions to the wind as they were reclassed as IST.
You'll get a broad overview of everything on your DP1, and will start learning some of the jobs then. Even after CFSCE, you may end up in a unit where you need lots of extra training as there's no possible way to teach every job an ACISS can encounter in the period of time allotted to produce DP1 soldiers. You'd spend 4 years at CFSCE, and no one wants that. ;D
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OK, so do you have any control of which direction your career goes, as far as field to not field goes? If that's the area you were interested in, would you be able to work towards it?
Also, It was my understanding that 'core' was ACISS, but just an advanced generalization of all the trades, but you mention SigOp is the core?
One more thing, I heard before that the parachutist course was available to Sigs, is that true, or completely wrong?
Thanks for the info man! Much appreciated
Also, It was my understanding that 'core' was ACISS, but just an advanced generalization of all the trades, but you mention SigOp is the core?
One more thing, I heard before that the parachutist course was available to Sigs, is that true, or completely wrong?
Thanks for the info man! Much appreciated
M
MikeL
Guest
All trades can go on the Para course, it just comes down to requirement(do you need the course for the job), unit, open slots, etc You aren't in yet, don't even worry about B Para.
Yes, essentially the Sig Op trade is now the ACISS Core. CST would be LCIS, LST would be Lineman and IST is a mix of what some Sig Ops and LCIS Techs did.
Yes, essentially the Sig Op trade is now the ACISS Core. CST would be LCIS, LST would be Lineman and IST is a mix of what some Sig Ops and LCIS Techs did.
Ludoc
Member
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It depends where you are posted. In the last twelve months my unit has been to Wainwright for exercise twice (totaling about a month and a half), spent a moth in the sub-arctic and to Dundurn for a couple weeks. The twelve months prior to that we spent almost two months in Wainwright (again on two separate exercises), over a month in Suffield and about a week in Winnipeg fighting the floods. That is all in addition to the time we spend on base practicing ups and downs/ maintaining kit. So there is the opportunity for a lot of hands on activity in the trade.Sturm0vik said:
However, you could just as easily be posted down the road to an ASG and work 8-4 never deploying to the field. Or you may be posted to JSR whose experience may be totally different.
Once again it depends where you end up. Generally the day will begin with PT and then move into whatever needs to be done around the unit. Usually getting equipment ready for ex, confirming it works and repairing it after returning from ex. Keeping vehicles serviceable takes up a lot of our time as does cleaning everything between exercises.What is your day to day life like? I've seen this asked before but I wasn't really satisfied with the answer, sorry to sound picky
Additionally there are are always tasking that need to be filled. Personnel need to be loaned out to support courses as drivers, signals experts or enemy force. Not to mention the the time people will spend on course or teaching courses.
The unit asks what you want to be, then they place you where they need you. Being switched on and hard working helps but in the end if your unit is full of x sub-oc and short of y sub-oc you are going to end up a y.
Sig Op No longer exists, it has been replaced by ACISS core. Core guys are the radio operators but that isn't to say they are the only ones that do so or the only ones that go to the field. In the last exercise we were on my CP consisted of 11 Sigs including 2 ISTs, 1 LST and 1 CST. And every one of them pulled radio shifts.
We are a networked army, higher leverl CPs are full of networked computers and going forward that connectivity will be pushed to lower and lower levels. Someone needs to set up all those computers and the servers to feed them. Someone needs to run all the line from the servers to the computers. Someone needs to fix all the radio equipment us ACISS core guys break. So there are still a lot of non-core personnel that deploy with us. Those that are not directly part of our detachments are usually a tactical hop or two behind us in their own shop. Either fixing equipment that can't be repaired on the front line, administering servers to push data forward/providing a field help desk or laying all kinds of line to connect everyone to everyone else.
TL;DR: Every unit is different so it is hard to give you any concrete answers. You could end up any sub trade. All the sub trades go to the field and may end up "close to the line."
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I can definitely imagine. My shacks were on the McNaughton side of the base, wedged between the JR's and the MP Det... fun times.
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Are the communications trades in the PRes merged into one like ACISS in the RegF ? (I've been accepted for a job with 700 comm sqn) i.e. would I be doing just comms/radio type work or would I also be doing the same stuff linemen do/ IT and computer work ? I was hoping to be assigned to a combat arms unit after training but I wasn't sure if this was always the case, does anyone know ? Thanks for any info 
(and I did search around a fair bit but couldn't find any clear answers)
(and I did search around a fair bit but couldn't find any clear answers)
M
MikeL
Guest
ACISS is for both Reg Force and Reserve Army Signallers.
In the past Sig Ops and Lineman were both open for Reservists, LCIS Tech at one point was also, but not for awhile now. So I would assume you could still be able to do line work in the Reserves. As for the IST, you would have to ask around your unit, I am unsure if there is much call for IST in the Reserves, and if there was I am not sure what they would do.
If you joined a Reserve Signals unit you would stay with that unit. I don't believe there are any Sig positions within the Reserve Combat Arms units. You could be able to work with a Combat Arms unit on excercise depending on what is going on and if they request it.
In the past Sig Ops and Lineman were both open for Reservists, LCIS Tech at one point was also, but not for awhile now. So I would assume you could still be able to do line work in the Reserves. As for the IST, you would have to ask around your unit, I am unsure if there is much call for IST in the Reserves, and if there was I am not sure what they would do.
TSpoon said:
If you joined a Reserve Signals unit you would stay with that unit. I don't believe there are any Sig positions within the Reserve Combat Arms units. You could be able to work with a Combat Arms unit on excercise depending on what is going on and if they request it.
M
MikeL
Guest
As far as I know, there would be positions for LST in the Reserve(not sure how long it would take someone to be trained as such though). When you get into the unit, ask around and they would be able to give you a solid answer. I'm sure someone who is a Reserve ACISS will be along here eventually and give you some more information.
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Ah 700 CS. Was a Sig there for 4 and a half years before going reg MP. Good times, some good people. Have fun, and tell Capt Caron I said Hi.
The Res world is also ACISS however I'm not certain how the trg goes as I got out before the merger. In either case you will still do BMQ/SQ and ACISS core before any venture into other strands. as for the combat arms, you'll be a mbr of a brigade and have the opportunity to provide Sigs support to the Grey abd Simcoe Forresters, the Queen's York Rangers and many of the other units located in the York Armoury. You will also participate in exes and ranges with the surrounding res sig units in Ontario. If you have any questions feel free to PM me and I will ask around. I'm still in regular contact with most of the Sr. NCO's and MCpls.
The Res world is also ACISS however I'm not certain how the trg goes as I got out before the merger. In either case you will still do BMQ/SQ and ACISS core before any venture into other strands. as for the combat arms, you'll be a mbr of a brigade and have the opportunity to provide Sigs support to the Grey abd Simcoe Forresters, the Queen's York Rangers and many of the other units located in the York Armoury. You will also participate in exes and ranges with the surrounding res sig units in Ontario. If you have any questions feel free to PM me and I will ask around. I'm still in regular contact with most of the Sr. NCO's and MCpls.
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