[TowerTalk] Locating Buried Cables - Followup

[Michael Tope]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "W0UN -- John Brosnahan" <shr at swtexas.net>

>  >I ended up locating the cables the old-fashioned way - digging very
> >carefully by hand.  Lesson learned - counting on others to do your
> >work (when you're not paying them) is foolish.
> 
> 
> 
> Hi, Pat--
> 
> Now that QST has published an article on an ultrasounic power line arc
> detector it sounds like it is about time they publish an article on an
> underground cable locator.
> 
> Wish I knew more about the utility companies' detectors -- I have a
> feeling that a ham with a decent junk box could build one for less than
> 10% what the utilities pay for theirs.
> 
> That is certainly true for the ultrasounic arc detector.
> 
> 73  John  W0UN
> 

If I understand correctly what Pat is trying to do (locate cables
with known ends, but unknown routing), you might be able to 
energize them with some low-frequency energy the way those 
home wire locating tools work (I think they use a few hundred 
kilohertz). 

Mike W4EF...........................