The Buried Cable Exciter Unit will operate continuously for over 40 hours with a replaceable 9-volt alkaline battery.

The conductor is excited by connecting a clip lead to the conductor to be traced - or found. And, like any transmitter there must be a ground (or counterpoise) connection. To achieve this, the other clip lead must be connected to a metal ground stake, metallic water pipe, a long wire or a large metal object. Any length wire can be used to complete this connection.

The knob turns the unit "on" as indicated by the blinking LED.. at the top. Initially the knob should be turned all the way up to obtain full output. Then, hold the operating AM radio in proximity to the Exciter Unit, tune for the most sensitive spot on the dial, away from any radio stations.

Rotate and twist the whole radio and notice that the signal strength varies considerably with its orientation to the exciter unit - or an excited wire. This is because modern AM radios use internal Litz wire wound ferrite rod as an antenna. Although it provides great signal pickup for its size, it does have pronounced directional properties. While tracing a conductor, this feature can be exploited (by varying the whole radio’s orientation) to vary the signal strength. This will allow either avoiding overload or obtaining a maximum detection.                                        

Larger portable radios generally have larger internal ferrite rod antennas and are therefore more sensitive, providing for greater detection ranges. With a good radio, a cable buried 5 or more feet under ground can be readily followed for several hundred feet or more. However, in most cases a relatively small AM radio will do the job needed.

An excited conductor can be traced whether buried underground, or cast in a slab of concrete or in a wooden wall. If the cable is shielded in a conduit, it will be necessary to insure that the conduit is not grounded. If it is, open a joint on one or both ends may solve then problem and make its path traceable.