[TowerTalk] DIY conduit locator?

[n0tt1 at juno.com]

Grant,

I made a "multi-freq" oscillator using a couple of 555 timers, one of
which was
allowed to run almost "wide open".  That was the signal
generator/oscillator.  The other
555 turned the oscillator on and off resulting in a beep-beep that was
easily
heard when the signal was very low.  So, now I had a low-power, portable,
RF regenerator with
lots of harmonics that could be heard with say, a broadcast band radio. 
So now what?

I connected the "hot" lead to the conductor I wanted to trace and then
the "ground"
lead was connected to say, a water pipe.  I was then able to trace the
route of
just about any underground wire for at least a couple hundred feet.  It's
important
to note that this method will not work if both connections are made to
the
same group of conductors.  The oscillator "ground" lead must go
elsewhere,
definitely not to the center and shield of the same coax for example. 
Experiment!!

That said, I see no reason why you couldn't trace your conduit for some
finite
distance using just about any low/medium freq oscillator and a portable
radio
with the usual "built in" loop antenna.  That's even if your conduit is
direct-buried
or not.

Happy hunting!

73,
Charlie, N0TT

On Wed, 28 Oct 2020 08:11:21 -0700 Grant Saviers <grants2 at pacbell.net>
writes:
> Trying to find a design for a empty conduit tracer.  We've dug at a 
> couple of places at the 501c3 where it was "supposed to go", NG.  
> Seems 
> to me this is a simple widget for energizing a test wire in the 
> conduit 
> or some sort of mouse - LF or magnetic placed on the end of a 
> snake.
> 
> Some googling hasn't found a design so hoping a towertalkian has a 
> design or link to one that works.  This 2" conduit was installed 
> some 
> time ago at 24" depth but where it routes is now lost.
> 
> The commercial tracers are $3000.  My budget is more like $20.  The 
> 
> usual AM radio and dongle SDR's are available.
> 
> Also interested for when I need it to exactly locate my coax 
> conduits 
> before digging.
> 
> Grant KZ1W
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