The importance of underground cable and pipeline locating may be the last thing anyone thinks of when they consider the rate of construction activity in Australia, but it’s arguably the wisest first step that any builder, tradie, or general contractor can make before they ever lift a shovel. Even if you’re just looking at adding a spare room to your home, or extending your workshop a few metres, you don’t want to take for granted what kind, or how much infrastructure might be buried underfoot.
You also can’t afford to rely on second, or even third-hand accounts of what might be buried at your intended site. The risk of a costly, or potentially catastrophic strike on any type of utility or pipeline network that’s buried at your location is too great to ignore. That’s why it’s important to have detection equipment that’s engineered specifically to safely locate and identify underground infrastructure.
Radiodetection C.A.T4 and C.A.T4+ Represent the Pinnacle of Underground Asset Detection
Let’s be honest: it doesn’t matter if you’re talking about central Sydney, suburban Melbourne, or the outskirts of Alice Springs, the possible dangers, and even the recent history of underground infrastructure strikes are all too well known. That’s why high-precision underground service locators, commonly known as Cable Avoidance Tools (CATs), are the safety-crucial instruments that underground asset owners, contractors, and private property owners need to have at their disposal before starting any type of digging or excavating activities.
Unlike more commonly used Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) systems that excel at mapping the location of underground objects, electromagnetic service and utility locators like Radiodetection’s top tier C.A.T4® and C.A.T4+® Series are designed specifically to tune into the electrical frequencies emitted by buried cable, wire, and pipeline infrastructure. Their ability to provide quick, precise positioning and operational status information is unparalleled in the underground locator market; and when used together with their dual-frequency signal generator, the Genny4® is the perfect instrument for locating even small diameter cables like telecom twisted pairs and street lamps.
Ideally, with the signal generator, both the C.A.T4 and C.A.T4+ feature four Avoidance Modes of cable detection that instrument operators can choose from, consisting of:
- Power Mode. In Power Mode, the detector only shows operator cables with an active, electromagnetic-producing power load.
- Radio Mode. Radio Mode allows operators to detect only long-range radio signals that are transiting through cables and pipes.
- Genny Mode. This mode is used in conjunction with the Genny4’s Small Diameter Locate functionality and restricts the detector to reading only signals transmitted by the Genny4, together with the estimation of the buried asset’s depth.
- Avoidance Mode. Avoidance Mode utilizes the full power of any Radiodetection underground service locator by performing a rapid, simultaneous search for all Power, Radio, and Genny Mode signals.
Radiodetection locators are especially effective at filtering out the noise and background interference caused by overhead cables, substations, or other nearby high-voltage activities that could affect a detection reading. And with their full range of key capabilities, as well a range of proprietary features like StrikeAlert™ shallow cable warnings, and SWING™ operator oversight prevention functionality, underground asset owners, construction crews, and ultimately instrument operators can be confident that they’re working with the most reliable family of underground service locators for sale anywhere in Australia.
C.A.T4 and C.A.T4+ Detectors Check All the Box For Key Locating Capabilities
Although a lot of underground service detectors are capable of performing a combination of basic underground locating, mapping, and even fault-finding tasks, it’s the rugged construction and wide array of standard key features that solidly distinguish Radiodetection locators from their contemporaries. The lightweight, ergonomic form, and up to IP-65 rated reliability of the C.A.T4 and C.A.T4+ Series means that instrument operators are able to comfortably collect maximum amounts of site survey data, as quickly as possible. Large displays with bar graph readouts, audio signalling, and simple mode selection and sensitivity controls also help position Radiodetection devices among the easiest-to-read underground service locators Australia has to offer.
For underground asset and business owners, as well as contractors and tradies, the standard range of features offered by Radiodetection instruments speak for themselves, and they include:
- Up to 22 active locating frequencies, and 5 passive modes;
- Depth detection in all active- and passive-power modes, with TruDepth™ for the most accurate depth measurements;
- High impedance current direction detection for individual cable identification;
- Built-in dynamic overload protection and power filters for locating in difficult environments;
- Digital signal processing for maximum accuracy and reliability during detection;
- Onboard usage, and GPS logging for in-depth survey reporting; and,
- On-screen signal current measurements, and SurveyCert™ detection visibility from any compatible PC, or PDA in real-time via Bluetooth®.
With the addition of Radiodetection’s proprietary 10W iLOC (Intelligent Locating) transmitter, key features like power and depth on compatible devices like the Genny4 can be remotely controlled directly via Bluetooth to a distance of up to 450m, or from cloud-based services via optional dual Bluetooth. It eliminates the loss of time and productivity by walking back and forth to the device to make fine detection setting changes.
Radiodetection Gives You Documentable Accountability Before You Start Digging
Make no mistake: while the prevention of potentially catastrophic buried asset damages is the primary reason for accountable Australian initiatives like Before You Dig Registration, it’s not the only one. The fact is, that holdups and delays in civil and municipal works instead of a reliable and auditable underground utility survey can result in contractors, builders, and stakeholders incurring financial burdens that can compound daily. That’s where the reportable features of C.A.T4 and C.A.T4+ Series’ service locators become crucial.
Not only do Radiodetection service locators offer on-board usage logging and GPS for in-depth survey reporting, but they’re also able to compile and export survey data on a range of measurement parameters, including:
- Date and time of any underground survey;
- Survey location, including GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) coordinates;
- Survey bar graph “tilemap” readings;
- Frequencies, mode, and angle of survey conducted;
- Depth measurements that survey was conducted at;
- Speed over ground that survey was conducted at; and,
- Sensitivity setting the survey was conducted.
Radiodetection service locator results can also be exported directly to their C.A.T online management, or Windows® PC-based C.A.T4 platforms. They’re the sure way to review and provide documentable survey data that can be analyzed and submitted as proof that a survey was conducted and deemed safe.
The Final Word
At the end of the day, while locating buried infrastructure isn’t the most glamorous part of the excavating and building process, it’s the critical preliminary step that can’t be overlooked. There are simply too many unmarked and unidentified cables, pipelines, and wires buried throughout the country to put off conducting a proper site survey, which is why it’s not an effort you want to undertake unless you have the most reliable instrumentation at your disposal to do it with.
Radiodetection’s high-precision C.A.T4 and C.A.T4+ underground service locators are the most accurate, and most feature-packed CATs on the market. They have everything you need to do the safest site survey possible.
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