User's Manual

DIGITAL CONTROL INCORPORATED
44 DigiTrak Falcon
™
F5

Operator’s Manual
Conducting a thorough site investigation prior to drilling is the best method of identifying
passive interference sources.
To familiarize yourself with the interference potential along your intended bore path, check for
background noise as discussed in the following section.
Warning A receiver cannot detect sources of passive interference; this can only
be accomplished with a visual inspection of the jobsite. A background
noise check can only find active interference.
I thought the frequency optimizer did all this for me?
The frequency optimizer finds the lowest-noise frequencies to use in each band. You
choose which bands to use and pair the transmitter. As best practice, now test those
bands above ground to ensure the receiver can receive data for the entire length of the
bore. A good background noise check is vital to a job free of interference surprises.
Checking for Interference
Ensure the receiver is on, optimized, and paired. Remove the batteries from the transmitter to
turn it off and wait 10 seconds for it to fully power off. Now walk the intended bore path while
viewing the current frequency optimization in the frequency band you intend to drill with. Take
note of the bar graph height in the selected band. With no transmitter on, this “signal
strength” is in fact background noise (active interference). Extreme background noise
(interference) may cause signal attenuation.
In the following figure, the red flag area denotes an increase in background noise detected on
the optimized band while walking the intended bore path.
One-Person Background Signal Strength Check (Transmitter Off)
Return to the area of highest interference (between the red flags above) and from the Locate
screen, take a depth reading (hold the trigger) and note the signal strength. Now power on
the transmitter and place it the same distance to the side of the receiver as the intended bore
depth. Verify that the roll/pitch data is consistent and correct in the flagged area. The
transmitter’s signal strength should generally be a minimum of 150 points greater than the
background noise reading. For example, if this area of greatest interference produced a
LL
Intended bore path
Background noise signal
Red flag area