The Dynatel 2273 Cable and Marker Ball Locator System

Dynatel Locator display

Here is another locator that has seen plenty of action over the years, donated by a student in one of my Locator System.

According to the sales material the 3M™ Dynatel™ 2273 Cable/Fault Locator is a microprocessor-based system that incorporates advanced digital signal processing techniques to quickly and efficiently locate sheath (earth return) faults and trace the path of underground cables, both copper and fibre optic (with metallic trace wire). Lightweight, compact and well balanced, the 2273 cable/fault locator accurately:

  • Locates cable path
  • Measures cable or sonde depth with the push of a button
  • Measures signal current in the cable
  • Pinpoints sheath faults and cable breaks
  • Discriminates between light and heavy faults
  • Identifies cable and cable pairs
  • Tones shorts and grounds in aerial cable
  • Identifies cable pairs through wet sections
  • Locates energized power cable

The 2273 cable/fault locator provides accurate cable or sonde depth measurements, giving a digital readout in inches, feet and inches, or centimetres (user-selectable).

The 2273 cable/fault locator uses four active trace frequencies — 577 Hz, 8 kHz, 33 kHz and 200 kHz — which can be used individually or simultaneously to compensate for varying field conditions. It also incorporates one passive trace frequency — 50/60 Hz power (user selectable) — which does not require the use of the transmitter

Pictured here the 2273 is coupled with a detachable EMS Marker Locating accessory. The 2205/2206 EMS Marker Locating Accessory works in conjunction with the 3M™ Dynatel™ 2200 Series Cable/Fault Locators to provide a more versatile and practical method for locating underground cables and markers.

The 2200-Series cable/fault Locators are used to determine the path and depth of buried cables. The locating accessory provides the locator with the additional ability to pinpoint the exact location of buried EMS markers.

The Dynatel 2205/2206 locating accessories also allow the operator to simultaneously trace a cable path while finding buried markers along the way. In this unique marker alert mode, the locating accessories sound an internal buzzer when a marker is nearby. The user then switches to the normal marker locating mode to pinpoint the exact location of the marker.