Tips for Accurate Cable Locating

Accurate cable locating comes down to five habits: sweep slowly in every mode, apply the Genny to confirm rather than guess, keep the CAT vertical, take a depth reading before you dig, and prove the line with a trial hole. The kit narrows the risk; technique is what actually finds the cable.

Most location errors are not equipment faults. They are rushed sweeps and over-trust in passive modes. These are the tips that separate a confident locate from a hopeful one.

Sweep slowly and in a grid

Walk the area at a slow, steady pace, holding the CAT upright, and cover it in two directions at right angles. A shallow service can pass under the antenna before a fast sweep reacts. Treat it like a careful search, not a quick wave over the ground.

Use all three modes, then the Genny

Start passive: Power finds loaded mains, Radio picks up long metallic services. Then apply the Genny to trace specific lines and to catch the unloaded cables that Power mode misses. The Genny is not optional on a proper locate; it is how you confirm what the passive sweep hinted at. For the services even the Genny cannot reach, see what a CAT and Genny cannot pick up.

Connect or clamp before you induct

Signal quality runs in that order. A direct connection to an accessible service gives the cleanest trace. A signal clamp around an isolated cable is next best. Induction, where the Genny sits on the ground and broadcasts, is the least precise and most prone to coupling onto the wrong service. Use it last, not first.

Keep it vertical, watch the SWING

Tilting or swinging the CAT distorts the reading. Modern Radiodetection units warn you with a SWING alert for exactly this reason. Hold the unit upright and let it settle; see our SWING technique guide for the detail.

Confirm depth, then prove it

A depth-capable CAT4+ gives an estimate to plan your dig, but it is an estimate. Always confirm with a hand-dug trial hole before machine excavation. The locate informs the dig; it never replaces caution.

And keep the kit honest

None of this works if the unit is out of calibration. A daily function check plus an annual calibration keeps your readings trustworthy. Put these habits together and you are working to the standard HSG47 expects. For the full method, read the 2026 ultimate guide to cable avoidance.