Your Guide to the Sonde Transmitter

When you’re using a piece of heavy equipment to drill down into the ground, the last thing you want to do is hit a pipe, a cable, or something else. It could do damage to your drill head and delay whatever project you’re working on.

To prevent this from happening, you should evaluate the ground before digging into it and try to find out what might be lurking beneath the surface. You should also make sure that you have a Sonde transmitter installed in your drill head housing.

So, what is a Sonde transmitter? How do Sonde transmitters work? And what are the benefits of using a Sonde radio frequency transmitter?

Discover pretty much everything you need to know about Sonde transmitters below.

What Is a Sonde Transmitter?

A Sonde transmitter is a special electronic device that is specifically designed to help guide you when you’re doing any drilling. It fits snugly inside of a drill head housing and communicates constantly with something like a DigiTrak locator when it’s hooked up.

While a horizontal directional drilling project is going on, the company that is doing the drilling will really count on a Sonde transmitter. It’s going to use radio frequencies to reveal everything from the depth of a drill head to the temperature surrounding it.

Generally speaking, companies shouldn’t ever utilize drill heads without Sonde transmitters attached to them. They’ll be taking drilling projects on blind when they do, and it could prove to be catastrophic.

How Does a Sonde Transmitter Work?

Now that you know a little bit more about what a Sonde transmitter is, let’s get into talking about how one works. It’s slightly more complicated than we may have just led you to believe.

More often than not, Sonde transmitters are used when companies are drilling pilot holes in the ground. They’ll get their drill heads down into the ground, and then once they’re there, an operator will walk around with a DigiTrak locator in their hands gathering information at all times.

A Sonde transmitter will ensure that a drill head is following the correct path. It’ll also guarantee that a drill head is removed from the ground in the right place.

What Are the Benefits of Using a Sonde Transmitter?

There are tons of benefits that a company will enjoy when it puts a Sonde transmitter to good use. First and foremost, it’ll give a company complete control over where a drill head is located.

It’ll also provide a company with information about what might exist in the ground that is being drilled. If there are, say, pipes that might get in the way, a company can avoid them through the usage of a Sonde transmitter.

As long as a Sonde transmitter is used properly, a company shouldn’t have to be too concerned about a drilling project not going according to plan.

How Can You Avoid Damaging a Sonde Transmitter While Using It?

When you utilize a Sonde transmitter during a drilling project, it’s going to protect your heavy equipment and keep your project on the right track. But you will need to pay close attention to a Sonde transmitter to steer clear of doing any damage to it.

More specifically, you’ll want to keep one eye on the temperature that a Sonde transmitter is being subjected to. If the temperature climbs up over the 95-degree Fahrenheit mark, it could spell trouble for a Sonde transmitter.

In the event that a Sonde transmitter is reporting temperatures that are anywhere close to this, you should shut a drill down immediately. You’ll want to give everything a chance to cool off before you continue.

Where Can You Find a Sonde Transmitter?

If your company doesn’t already have a Sonde transmitter handy, you should look into getting your hands on one ASAP. You should be able to locate one in no time at all.

Sonde transmitters can be pricey, though, so you might want to look into the possibility of purchasing a used one. You should check out some of the used HDD locating equipment that is out there to see what you can find.

You shouldn’t have to worry about breaking the bank on a Sonde transmitter when you take this approach to buying one.

What Makes Using a Sonde Transmitter So Important?

Many years ago, companies didn’t have easy access to Sonde transmitters. As a result, it was very challenging for them to drill down into the ground without encountering any issues.

In some cases, companies would run right into things like pipes and do damage to them. In others, they would damage their equipment because they couldn’t see what they were doing with it.

Fortunately, Sonde transmitters have reduced the risk of doing any drilling into the ground for many companies. They’re able to utilize radio frequencies to keep tabs on their drill heads while they’re drilling.

Use a Sonde Transmitter the Next Time You Do Any Drilling

Drilling down into the ground for any reason can be dangerous if you aren’t careful. You can make it a whole heck of a lot safer by putting Sonde transmitters to the test.

A Sonde transmitter will provide you with all the necessary information as you’re doing digging. It’ll also provide you with peace of mind and make sure that you don’t accidentally drill into something that you shouldn’t.

Would you like to learn about other tools that you should invest in for your business? Discover more about them by reading through the rest of our business-related blogs.