So does anyone own the SR-20 yet???

[Josh]

Just curious if any of you have the SR-20 yet and what you think of it. I know we have some navitrack and scout users on here but havent heard anything from utility locating professionals.

Later,

Josh

[lc1]

I was givin a sr20 when they were in the developement stage, so i was told and think it is a great tool. It is good for the beginner and because of the more indepth menus it is also very good for a full time locator. I have been locating almost every day all day for 2 1/2 years. I think it has its design pros and cons but for what it can do it is hard to beat
Later,
Kelly Walburger See 1CallLocators.com
Josh[/QUOTE]

[Jay6]

If you have any specific questions give us a call - 888-242-4424.

http://www.ohiopowertool.com/item-detail.cfm?&ID=RD21893

[apf]

I own the sr-20 and it has proven to be reliable .

[PLUMBER RICK]

i bought one a few months ago and just can't seem to retire my scout just yet:D

rick.

[gear junkie]

Does the SR-20 hold any advantages over the Scout?

[santander]

Does the SR-20 hold any advantages over the Scout?

The SR-20 is much more sensitive to sondes than the Scout. Atleast that was the case with the Scout I tested a year ago. I would not trust the Scout with sondes that are much deeper than 2 meters.

Med vennlig hilsen,
Severin Eskeland

Eskeland Electronics - Haugenvn. 2 - 1400 Ski
Web: http://www.detektor.no

[Drain Medic]

I had one...I liked all the bells and whistles it had on it....but i dont know...i had used Radiodetection for years...I got rid of my SR-20...just to complicated for me to figure it out....I was always getting bad readings on my depths of pipes..call me old fashioned...but i like the Radiodetection for the locators...just alot easier for me...Just my opinion

Greg

[santander]

I find that it saves me several seconds on each locate, especially for if the sonde (or cable) takes another direction than anticipated or when the sonde is tilted. And I am more confident locating and marking today than I have ever been in the past.

I turn off the bells and whistles though and use it in a minimalistic setup. The SR-20 has a lot of options and it can be confusing. The options are not meant to be used all at once, but rather to be available so there is something familiar for everyone no matter what locator they are coming from.

Experiment and see what works for you. It is good to keep learning if one wants to evolve in this business.

Med vennlig hilsen,
Severin Eskeland

Eskeland Electronics - Haugenvn. 2 - 1400 Ski
Web: http://www.detektor.no

[Drain Medic]

I did experiment with it...I was off on 3 of 4 marks...In 13yrs of using Radiodetection, i wasnt off on 1 single mark..I would rather take the extra few seconds making sure im dead on the mark, then saving a few seconds hoping im on the mark....Not knocking the SR-20, im sure it is a great reciever, just not the one for me..Ill be sticking with Radiodetection

I am and will evolve in this business using my service, technical, and business knowledge ;)

[mff]

santander,
You are exactly right on the intention of having all of these extras in the SR-20. Some people need and want certain bells and whistles others do not. They are not there to all be used at once. Once you set up the unit the way you want to use it, you are done.

So in a sense, it is a lot easier. No switching back and forth between peak and null modes, they are always there being displayed in real time. If you want to know current strength, just look in the upper right corner. If you want depth, just look in the lower right. All the information you need when you need it. If the arrows and the trace line cross the center of display at the same time, you have no distortion and a good locate. If they do not, you have distortion and need to do a little more investigating using the numbers in the upper left and lower right.

As for the post on 3 out of 4 marks being off, that may be a two minute training issue in that the SR-20 does display information slightly different. On line tracing, the SR-20 gives the same information that radiodetection gives on multiple screens but all on one. Where the trace line crosses the cross hair is exactly where RD would place a Null in their Null mode. The arrows will closely approximate their Peak in their Peak Mode. If you are only marking using the trace line, than it would be similar to using the RD in just Null mode and would be the least accurate way to mark a line.

The arrows and line are used together to give an early indication of distortion. If they do not agree, than there is an indication of distortion and the numbers in the upper left corner and the lower right can be used to better understand the degree of signal distortion and allow the opperator to more accurately place their mark. If the arrows and the numbers agree, than the level of distortion is superficial and the mark can be placed with a high degree of confidence where the arrows and numbers converge. If they do not agee, this is an indication that something has to be changed at the transmitter level (change location, frequency, grounding, etc.).

If you are comparing to Sonde (a.k.a. remote transmitter or active beacon), than their is no comparison. Simply maximize the signal and you are over the target. None of the false or ghost peaks of all other locators, even in high electromagnetically active environments. One area where someone could be mislead though is in our icons we use on the screen. In our attempt to give more information about the EM field, we do have an active display that shows where a sonde's signal eminates from the earth at 90 degrees (we call that a pole). Poles are useful because there is always one in front of and behind the target and will give indication as to which direction the pipe or duct is running. But if you are marking the pole and not the maximum signal, you will always be off unless the sond is in the vertical position (traveling down a duct). So in locating a sonde, the on screen markers give more information about what is going on underground, but maximizing the signal should place you over your mark.

[Drain Medic]

santander,
You are exactly right on the intention of having all of these extras in the SR-20. Some people need and want certain bells and whistles others do not. They are not there to all be used at once. Once you set up the unit the way you want to use it, you are done.

So in a sense, it is a lot easier. No switching back and forth between peak and null modes, they are always there being displayed in real time. If you want to know current strength, just look in the upper right corner. If you want depth, just look in the lower right. All the information you need when you need it. If the arrows and the trace line cross the center of display at the same time, you have no distortion and a good locate. If they do not, you have distortion and need to do a little more investigating using the numbers in the upper left and lower right.

As for the post on 3 out of 4 marks being off, that may be a two minute training issue in that the SR-20 does display information slightly different. On line tracing, the SR-20 gives the same information that radiodetection gives on multiple screens but all on one. Where the trace line crosses the cross hair is exactly where RD would place a Null in their Null mode. The arrows will closely approximate their Peak in their Peak Mode. If you are only marking using the trace line, than it would be similar to using the RD in just Null mode and would be the least accurate way to mark a line.

The arrows and line are used together to give an early indication of distortion. If they do not agree, than there is an indication of distortion and the numbers in the upper left corner and the lower right can be used to better understand the degree of signal distortion and allow the opperator to more accurately place their mark. If the arrows and the numbers agree, than the level of distortion is superficial and the mark can be placed with a high degree of confidence where the arrows and numbers converge. If they do not agee, this is an indication that something has to be changed at the transmitter level (change location, frequency, grounding, etc.).

If you are comparing to Sonde (a.k.a. remote transmitter or active beacon), than their is no comparison. Simply maximize the signal and you are over the target. None of the false or ghost peaks of all other locators, even in high electromagnetically active environments. One area where someone could be mislead though is in our icons we use on the screen. In our attempt to give more information about the EM field, we do have an active display that shows where a sonde's signal eminates from the earth at 90 degrees (we call that a pole). Poles are useful because there is always one in front of and behind the target and will give indication as to which direction the pipe or duct is running. But if you are marking the pole and not the maximum signal, you will always be off unless the sond is in the vertical position (traveling down a duct). So in locating a sonde, the on screen markers give more information about what is going on underground, but maximizing the signal should place you over your mark.


Ya i watched the video, 4 times...read the manual...i had it working fine...the best feature on there was the showing of the pipe, and its direction...I loved it...However the lines that it was off were only 3-4ft deep...Depth readings on every job i did always told me it was 1ft deep...I asked earlier in the year if there was a calibration for it, and nobody seemed to know..so when the pipes were dug up...the depths were obviously way off, but the pipe would always be either 4ft to the right or left....So me, being the impatient one, just decided to stick with the Radiodetection...The SR-20 is a great locator...dont get me wrong...just not for me...I like to stick with what works for me...

[santander]

Ya i watched the video, 4 times...read the manual...i had it working fine...the best feature on there was the showing of the pipe, and its direction...I loved it...However the lines that it was off were only 3-4ft deep...Depth readings on every job i did always told me it was 1ft deep...I asked earlier in the year if there was a calibration for it, and nobody seemed to know..so when the pipes were dug up...the depths were obviously way off, but the pipe would always be either 4ft to the right or left....So me, being the impatient one, just decided to stick with the Radiodetection...The SR-20 is a great locator...dont get me wrong...just not for me...I like to stick with what works for me...


Are you saying the locate was off by 4 feet to the side of the target line, and the locator showed a depth of 1 feet?

I have been locating with the SR-20 since it was launched and I have never seen any offset like this compared to other locators. But as you know sometimes the signal does not go on the line we want it to.

Maybe you have picked up another line that was there. Or maybe your unit was defective.