Cable Tracker

JW Fishers CT-1 cable tracking system was specifically designed to locate and track deeply buried power and communications cables. The cable tracker can locate cables on land or underwater and identify faults or break points exposed to water.

The CT-1 system consists of a shore-based Signal Injector box and the Cable Tracker Probe. The Signal Injector is connected to the shore end of the cable, and the Cable Tracker Probe tracks the electromagnetic signal along the length of the cable.

If the cable is a power cable transmitting at 60Hz (USA) or 50Hz (Europe), it can be tracked without using the Signal Injector. The CT-1 Probe will detect the power cable's 50Hz- or 60Hz signal. If the cable is a live multi-conductor communications cable, the signal injector will not be needed; the probe will pick up the 1024Hz signal. The Signal Injector box must be used if it is a dead cable or a fiber optics cable. The box is connected to the surface end of the cable. It creates a constant current electromagnetic field around the cable at 25, 50, 60, or 1,024Hz. The operator selects the frequency to be used.

Once a signal has been induced into the cable, the Cable Tracker Probe frequency switch is set to match the frequency: 25, 50, 60, or 1,024Hz. The Probe receives the transmitted signal and indicates the strength through visual and audio readouts. First, the cable is located and tracked on the surface, and then the diver enters the water. The Probe is submerged and swept back and forth until a signal is received. When the probe is pointing in the direction of the cable, a null point is heard in the earphone, and fewer LEDs will illuminate the display. As the diver descends to the bottom, the signal is easily followed, and the precise location of the cable can be pinpointed.

The CT-1 cable tracking system is so effective that in many cases the cable can be located and tracked from a small boat on the surface as the operator holds the nose of the probe in the water.

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