If you’re working with underground utilities, you need experienced operatives and the right tools for the job. However, there’s a huge range of cable avoidance tools on the market today making it hard to choose, with technology has evolved considerably over the years and different brands offering varying features and levels of quality.

With enough experience in cable avoidance and utility mapping, you may already have a good idea about the kind of equipment you need, but if you’re still unsure about what to look for, we’ve outlined a few tips for choosing the right CAT and Genny tools.

Will You Need a Signal Generator?

The answer to this question is always yes, 70% of utilities can only be detected using a transmitter and even if there are no utilities to connect to a blind induction sweep which is taught in our training courses should always be performed
Combined with a Genny, you can detect more buried services and ensure greater safety during excavation than when using a cable avoidance tool alone.

You will also need to make sure the Genny and CAT tools you use can work together synergistically, with the right frequency and distance tracing capabilities. Not all models work well together.

How Deep Do You Need to Detect?

The distance you can trace signals over will vary from model to model. Most newer models will offer decent coverage due to industry-standard detection frequencies, but it’s always important to check whether an individual model will match your needs.

For more complex jobs over greater distances, it might be necessary to invest in more advanced models, which can emit additional frequencies which will allow the user to detect signals over much longer distances.

You may want to plan for both your current jobs as well as potential jobs in the future, such as highway surveys. This can save you from buying or renting new equipment when you need to trace over longer lengths and can also save you time due to more advanced tracing capacities offered by certain models.

Again, it’s important that you use the correct signal generator and cable avoidance tool combination to achieve the results you need. It’s wise to view these tools as a combined unit that must work collaboratively with each other, rather than separate tools that can be used alone.

Some Genny tools may not be able to offer tracing over longer distances and additional frequencies even though your CAT tool is equipped for this.

What’s Your Budget?

Whilst the more advanced devices may have a slightly higher purchase price, they might still be the best option for your intended usage. However, searching the market for deals and lower prices is still good practice. You may find that slightly older models still have the same functionality and are more affordable than devices that are brand new to the market.

Just check that your client, local authority or contractor approves the CAT brand and model you want to purchase before you go ahead.

What Are Your Operatives Trained to Handle?

Ideally, your operatives should have the level of training needed to handle any type of CAT and Genny equipment, but the truth is that their experience and past training may have been focused on using specific brands and devices. For instance, different providers of CAT & Genny training in the UK might only use certain brands.

Similar to how some office workers are more effective on Macs rather than Windows PCs, it’s worth considering the experience and preferences your teams have. This could reduce the learning curve needed for your staff to work on specific projects as well as increase success rates due to appropriate usage.

Do You Need to Store Data?

If you’re looking to record service locations data whilst scanning, you will probably need a more advanced model capable of handling such tasks.

However, if you’re simply in the market for a tool that can help you mark the ground with visual markets prior to excavation, you can probably get away with a more basic tool. Again, you must consider your needs and applications before choosing the model that is best suited for you and your team.

Still Not Sure?

If you’re still unsure about the right tools needed for effective cable detection and avoidance, we might be able to help. We offer CAT & Genny training in the UK and have a good idea about the equipment that operatives need to do a good job.