locate by phone

**1idejim** · March 23rd, 2010, 08:46 PM

yesterday i located an irrigation valve that has been out of order and MIA for over a year in the state of washington, from home in california. I AM NOT A WITCH put the wood and fire away.

a friend of mine lives on bainbridge island and has a irrigation maintainence company, i loaned him a locator because he wasn't trusting his and walked him through the locate by phone.......sucessfully btw.

in the course of the locate we isolated several common wires and i had him take resistance tests on those wires. here's the gig

all tests were earth ground / single wire tests. black lead/earth - red lead/common wire

4 wires connected in box, 1 in 3 out. 1 wire tested .005 and that wire led to the valve, the other wires both tested 0 with continuity tone and are buried in the ground elsewere on the site, we did not chase them.

my question is how can i be getting continuity by touching an earth ground (screwdriver and a single wire on 1 end? i locate faults but i have never see this happen before.

**yahoo** · March 23rd, 2010, 08:48 PM

there are some guys on this forum that will have a good answer to that good question but i am not one of them.....good luck on getting an answer!

**1idejim** · March 24th, 2010, 09:56 PM

come on, somebody answer this riddle.

we know what we're reading, just want to know why?

i 've posted this thread in the electricians, locators and the irrigation forum, no answers yet

**Goldenboy** · March 25th, 2010, 07:19 AM

Is the question why you get continuity on your locator when hooked up to a wire that is isolated and not bonded on the other end? If so that just depends on the frequency you are using. If you use a low frequency you will not get continuity if the opposite end you are hooked up to is not grounded. Now if you use a high frequency it just pushes the signal down the line even without the other end grounded. Kind of like a false continuity.