Push Button Depth
The only way to be sure of a utility’s depth is to expose the utility. At any time, the depth readout may
be inaccurate.
The Receiver can measure depth with the push of a button. Depth is displayed at the top of the LCD display
in meters and centimeters. Push button depth is useful to quickly determine the depth of the conductor during
path locating.
Begin this measurement by locating the path of a cable or pipe. Move to the location where you want to measure
the depth. Stay at least 15 feet (4.6 meters) away from the Transmitter. Pinpoint this location as accurately as
possible (see
Peak Mode Locating, Null Mode Locating
and
Absolute Signal Strength
). Place Receiver vertically
over conductor and rest foot of locator on ground. While holding Receiver vertical, press and release Depth but-
ton. The Receiver will briefly indicate a measurement is being performed and then display depth at the top of the
LCD display.
Exercise caution when using the push button depth feature, as tilted magnetic fields and adjacent conductors can
significantly influence this measurement. The operator should periodically check for adjacent conductors and tilted
magnetic fields when taking push button depth readings. For information on identifying tilted magnetic fields, refer
to Tilted Magnetic Field Identification and Depth Measurement 45º Method.
Current Measurement
The Receiver contains a feature very useful in identifying a desired cable in a field of various conductors and/or
utilities. It is not unusual for the target conductor (the conductor connected to the transmitter) to induce a signal
into nearby conductors in a crowded field. In these instances, the radiated signal on the conductors close to
the surface of the earth, may be stronger than the Transmitter signal on the target conductor buried deep in the
ground. The operator will find two or more paths and must determine which is the target conductor. By using
the current measurement feature of the Receiver, the operator can determine the amount of 512 Hz, 8 kHz,
33kHz or 82 kHz current flowing on the conductors, regardless of depth. The highest current flow indicates the
target conductor.
Place Receiver vertically over one of the conductor marks and rest foot of the locator on the ground. Holding
Receiver vertical, press and release Shift Button and Depth button simultaneously. When meter changes from
a “thermometer” type display to a “bar” type display, hold Receiver the still until measurement stabilizes. The
blinking bar indicates the signal level on the cable (adjusted for depth). Next, move to the second cable and
repeat the measurement. The blinking bar will show the signal level on the conductor. The previous reading
is shown as a solid bar. The higher of these two readings will show which conductor is carrying the greatest
locating signal.
Note:
Locator is designed to alert operator of potential current and depth measurement errors. If display reads
‘Err’
during a current and depth measurement, the Receiver has detected a condition that could produce inaccurate
readings.
Errors can exist when the conductor signal flow is too small. Check Transmitter hookup and far end access
point for poor connections. This cause of error can be identified by a high Gain setting (80 or greater on the
bar graph display).
Receiver also may be detecting adjacent cables or is not directly over target conductor. Verify target conductor
path precisely before measuring current again.
If at anytime the display reads
‘CAL’
, contact Jameson.
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