When you are considering the purchase of a CAT (Cable Avoidance Tool) there are a number of things to watch out for.
First, are you going to use the CAT on its’ own or in conjunction with a signal generator (Genny)? Best practice suggests that you should certainly use both in conjunction. When a CAT is used on its’ own in Power Mode it can only locate cables that have power running through them at the time. This is fine if you are working in, say, a shopping mall at night when the lights are on as you should be able to locate the cables quite easily.
However, it is a totally different matter if you are working in daylight hours as it is likely you won’t find them at all. Furthermore, only when used together will the CAT be able to locate plastic pipes, water pipes, telecoms, and so on. This is why in most instances it is critical to use the CAT and Genny together.
Do you need to know only the lateral position of the cable or would you like to know its’ depth as well? In the past, most CATs would only show the location of the cable, and not its’ depth. However, you can now buy a CAT that will show you the depth which is an extremely useful feature – some might say vital. This means that if you are only going to be digging down a couple of feet and you know that the cable is eight feet down you can proceed with much more confidence – although you should still err on the side of caution of course.
Another consideration is the distance you need to cover. Used in conjunction with a Genny, most CATs use two standard frequencies of 8khz and 33khz. However, some CATs have two extra frequencies available which permit signals to be detected over much longer distances. This can be extremely useful when you are operating over longer distances because it will save a lot of time as it avoids moving the Genny as you work the site.
