NOYAFA D3IN0580-B Underground Cable Wire Locator ...

We had a break in the underground dog wire fence and could not locate the exact location - calling the dog fence company is $100 per visit so I took a chance on ordering this product and it worked great! Once I figured out how to use it, we located the wire and then determined that our neighbor's retaining wall was built on top of the line, so I just cut the line and strung a new wire to connect where the break occurred. I made a few mistakes first using the product, so here are some ideas on what worked for us.

I located the outdoor panel which is energized from the box inside our garage. There are two wires coming out of that panel and going underground - one goes one direction around our yard and the other goes the opposite direction to form a complete circuit. I unplugged the power going to the box in the garage so we were working with un-energized wires. I turned on the unit that turns the wire into a receiver and attached both alligator clips to both wires and tracked the noise using the receiver. That worked, but I was able to track the line in one direction but not the other (of course the break was in the other direction). I then separated the wires and attached one clip to one wire and the other to a screwdriver which we grounded in the dirt (just pushed it in a few inches). I tried both wires and got the same result several times - we could find the wire going in one direction but not the one that we wanted. So, I disconnected the wires from the outside panel. In our panel there are two wire nuts which easily un-screw using pliers. We tried each wire separately after that and were easily able to track both wires, each going opposite directions. We followed the one that we wanted to the wall and then dug down and found the wire in just a few seconds. I clipped the wire, attached new wire to that side and then to the broken wire on the other side and it worked the first time. We filled the wire caps with caulk and re-buried the wire. Voila! Saved $50 for this time and more if the line breaks again. Total time invested - less than one hour, including learning time.

The way the unit works is very intuitive. Attach the transmitter (see above), turn the receiver on high and then swing the wand close to the ground - the instructions say 6 inches, but I was using it closer than that. Start with where you know the wire is You will hear a static/radio noise when you are near the wire and then nothing (or a "null") when you are directly over it. As you swing the wand, you can follow the wire and then pinpoint it near where you need to dig. In our case, the retaining wall effectively put us out of business as we were not going to dig that up, but if you are not dealing with that, you should be able to find the break when the unit goes totally silent - that means you are not above the wire which is transmitting a signal to the receiver.

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I was a bit nervous spending this much money on a tracker since I'm just an individual property owner; I don't need this thing all the time. I have been very happy with this and I think it was worth the money. I was working on a property where I needed to run water and electric lines which I knew would intersect existing electric lines (five times!). I had previously used an Armada 300, and I found this to be easier to use, especially for electric lines, because of the inductive connection it can make (clamp included in this kit). Also, the rigid handle/pickup foot on this unit is easier to use than the corded receiver of the Armada. It's easier to be precise about where the line is (no waiting for the receiver to quit swinging on the cable) and easier to use in tall grass or brush.

It took me a little time to get used to how the unit works and then to find my wires, but after a little practice I had no problems. It's been mentioned in another review (or the manual, I forget where I read this) to not turn the transmitter's power to maximum. I chose 6-7 on the knob. Then I turned the receiver on and placed the pickup foot near the wire I was going to locate with the receiver knob set as very low, just enough to tone that I was near the wire. I did this, adjusting the receiver power up as necessary, to track the wire about 10 feet from the transmitter. Then I placed the receiver's pickup foot above the wire (where I had the strongest signal) until it reached a level of 10 on the meter on the receiver. At that point it was very easy to sweep the receiver's foot left and right to trace the wire, adjusting the receiver level so that, when over the wire, the meter read 10, as I moved away from the transmitter.

This unit can also be used to find the depth of the buried wire. I found it to be fairly accurate and easy to do.

Anyway, I hope the instructions there help first-time users. I'm happy with the device. I now put tracer wire in all the trenches I run (water, electric, gas) on my properties (I have for the last year). Now that I own a tracker, I won't be at the mercy of borrowing one in the future.

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