Any GPR Specialist here?

**Globalview** · March 12th, 2009, 03:33 PM

It seems the underground world is different with more tools and problems!

**AULupstate** · March 12th, 2009, 07:02 PM

I've used GPR quite a bit. I hate it personally. I've been directly over a KNOWN utility and oops, blip, nothing. Go over that same utility with something that cost only about $900 and it screams.

Over rated, over priced and no more reliable than a witchin stick.

A GPR only makes the client pay more to see it on site. Then they get bumbed out when you show them it doesn't pick up shit.

**Globalview** · March 12th, 2009, 07:34 PM

AUL,

SOIL, soil and soil my fellow locator!

**ifinditunderground** · March 12th, 2009, 07:46 PM

I can't agree with you on that one AUL, we are in one of the worst areas for GPR and yes, it has huge limitations based on the soil conditions where you are running it, but we have a tremendous amount of success with it and have it on the road almost daily to assist our regular Locating crews or Vacuum excavation crews. We have used it for everything from utility locating, buried valve and manhole locating, septic fields, void detection and tunnel mapping. You have to expect alot of failures with it, but when it is on...it's on.

**Globalview** · March 12th, 2009, 07:48 PM

AUL,

That sounded like a salesman...my bad... just worked in the field long enough
with GPR, EM and other methods to say this...could we we start-over?

**ifinditunderground** · March 12th, 2009, 08:09 PM

Oh snap! I got suckered....Hey John

**Mke** · March 12th, 2009, 10:07 PM

I agree with AUL..... to a point.

I think of locating as a series of filters. Each piece of equipment is designed to filter out certain utilities. The more pieces of equipment you use, the more utilities you will pick up. Thats one of the reasons we carry a variety of machines. GPR I believe is a useful tool in the locators arsenal, however, I've seen in more than one case that contractors put a little more emphasis on GPR and they didn't produce anything I couldn't produce with an 810. I don't beleive this is the equipments fault, as much as the operator. In my brief experience, i have noticed that not every GPR jock gets the soil conditions to where they should be, not to mention the depth of the utilities, type of material, size, and antenea being used plays a huge role in GPR's accuracy. It is great for its main roll for structural inspection of concrete and soil conditions for environmental work.

I think

mke