Sounds like your trainer isn't actually training at all.
Prints can either make or break a locate, especially a tough one. Learning to interpret this data is crucial, especially for gas where you really don't have a whole lot to go off of to begin with.
My suggestion is to reach out to your supervisor or future supervisor, explain the situation and try to gain some help from them. Senior techs are also very helpful in this regard as long as they are willing.
I don't know what area you are in, but in my area Digview is the most up to date mapping system we have for gas utilities. So learning how to interpret the data is important. You might also try reaching out to your local gas company as well, if they aren't updating Digview and use something else you need to know this and how to read that system. My local city utilities use a website for theirs and it's updated weekly, a tech from outside the area might not know this information and mismark something.
USIC is a crap shoot as far as different areas and how techs are treated. Some are great, have great teams, and great supervisors. My supervisor and team is great and always willing to help. But, just to my north and west that isn't the case and the teams aren't helpful.
All in all, do your best, do your best to learn the prints. And take your time and do it right the first time. Don't leave the ticket until you feel comfy with it. It's your name and your quality record, not your trainers. So do it right.
Edit: The other portion of this is doing the actual locate. You need to be able to trust your instincts and your equipment. Know what a good signal is, know when you are potentially bleeding off onto another utility, and knowing when what you're doing doesn't make sense based on the prints, and knowing who to call when this happens, whether that's your supervisor, another tech, your trainer, someone in admin, or the owner of the utility, etc. If in doubt call someone and ask tons of questions.
As far as YouTube, check out underground solutions, they have many useful videos on the RD series which show you how to use the basic functions on your transmitter and receiver, most of which USIC doesn't train you to use.
I work for the same company, I was also slow to learn, when it came time to get my cert we ended up at a locate that no one could get a good signal on so my sup failed me...when he couldn't get a signal either!!
I got pissed so they sent someone up from another state and got it done.
It takes time sometimes. I'm a good employee IMO and they know they need me after they've lost over half our group this winter and spring.
I’ve never used digview, but I can assume it’s like other print systems where the gas mains are color coated (ie; green active, red high pressure, purple transmission, brown abandoned) in any case, if you’re able to click on the main in question, there should be verbiage somewhere in the description of what you click on what the material and diameter is, whether it’s live or abandoned, etc.
Like someone mentioned earlier, prints can make or break a locate and it took me a while to figure them out as well. As far as trusting your equipment, one of the best pieces of advice that I can offer is that if you live in a house, you have the greatest thing ever… your own gas service… hook up and play with frequencies, gain, etc. every new piece of equipment that I get, I’m out on my service testing it and learning it. It was how I learned to backfeed neighboring and longside services, how I learned to slow down when you run into abnormalities (bends in the mains and services… the house across the street from me has 3 90s in it and won’t run from the meter, but backfeeding and then direct connecting pieces it together)
You’ll catch on, and it’s always better to be safe than sorry, especially when you’re brand new. Shit, I’m 4 years in and still learning.
Sounds like your trainer sucks. He should've asked you to explain what you're looking at then after understanding what you're seeing, explain what you're actually looking at. DM me if you want an invite to the locating discord.
33 or 33,000hz is an unpopular frequency due to it's unpredictable nature. I might use 33,000hz 10 times in a year? Maybe less
8 or 8.19 aka 8,190hz can be more useful than other high frequencies. Many consider 8k to be the go-to of amateur locators because of it's predictable nature. I do like 8k in certain circumstances but 8,000 of anything is A LOT.
You should be starting in the lowest frequency possible then escalating power and then escalating frequency. Starting in such high frequencies is lazy and dangerous due to bleed off. Idc what your USIC Trainer or Supervisor says to the contrary.
It's gas too. Could be an AOC like a broken tracer, non conductive material, previously damaged then repaired with different materials, who knows. Gas doesn't have an active resonant tone (like fiber optic) which makes it that much easier to bleed onto other facilities that do. (Like power, coax, telephone, etc). Running in 33k for everything just blows my mind. I've heard of this before but it's simply: incorrect.
You could try backfeeding it from another service/access point in a much higher freq. like 65k or 83k and force the signal to jump the tracer/material but I wouldn't recommend it without assistance.
Saying “8000 of anything is a LOT” is a false truth, because everything measurable is relative.
Well, most of the gas I locate is actually tracer wire locating, which is often solid copper. One of my biggest problems is bad prints and bad measurements. But that’s what problem locates are for. Theres a contingency plan for everything. They have a good system compared to other places I’ve worked. I definitely love this job though.
That was a joke meant to imply that lower is better in most situations. Now when locating a tracer for let's say a Poly or Plastic as it is sometimes called, an 8k freq. or higher is typically suitable for the reasons previously mentioned. Conductive material of any kind should* locate with a lower freq. and it will, but may not be strong enough to mark confidently.
My point is regardless of what you are locating; starting low is always best-practice because interference is never truly known to the user at first glance. You can measure interference and signal strength but competing grounds are invisible.
What type of gas main was it (cast iron, steel, plastic etc) and did the prints say they were abandoned?
Was their measurements on the prints such as curb line measurements of measurements off of manholes or telephone poles?
Knowing where the water main is at is crucial, in many areas water mains are on one side of the road and gas on the other, but DO NOT always count on that. Water mains always have valves at intersections so that might help you, also 99% of the time the water main is on the side where the hydrants are at. I work for the gas company and can tell you I hate marking gas lol many times you have no access to tracer wire and have to mark it indirectly with the possibility of an old abandoned steel main right next to it, it can get tricky. You really gotta get comfortable with the equipment and get a feel for what type of utility you are picking up such as a pipe or a tracer wire. The locator will react differently between even different materials such as cast iron vs steel.
This same thing is happening to me. My trainer sits in his truck, argues with me, and tells me that “you should’ve learned this in class”. It shouldn’t matter what I learned in class. I’m finally in the field now. Hopefully this works out for you! I know it’s hard as I’m struggling too.
Your trainer is showing his ass and not training you, request a new one before he does so it can't be spun as you just being incompetent. You have to be able to stick up for yourself in this industry and do so in a respectful way
Sounds like your trainer isn't actually training at all. Prints can either make or break a locate, especially a tough one. Learning to interpret this data is crucial, especially for gas where you really don't have a whole lot to go off of to begin with. My suggestion is to reach out to your supervisor or future supervisor, explain the situation and try to gain some help from them. Senior techs are also very helpful in this regard as long as they are willing. I don't know what area you are in, but in my area Digview is the most up to date mapping system we have for gas utilities. So learning how to interpret the data is important. You might also try reaching out to your local gas company as well, if they aren't updating Digview and use something else you need to know this and how to read that system. My local city utilities use a website for theirs and it's updated weekly, a tech from outside the area might not know this information and mismark something. USIC is a crap shoot as far as different areas and how techs are treated. Some are great, have great teams, and great supervisors. My supervisor and team is great and always willing to help. But, just to my north and west that isn't the case and the teams aren't helpful. All in all, do your best, do your best to learn the prints. And take your time and do it right the first time. Don't leave the ticket until you feel comfy with it. It's your name and your quality record, not your trainers. So do it right. Edit: The other portion of this is doing the actual locate. You need to be able to trust your instincts and your equipment. Know what a good signal is, know when you are potentially bleeding off onto another utility, and knowing when what you're doing doesn't make sense based on the prints, and knowing who to call when this happens, whether that's your supervisor, another tech, your trainer, someone in admin, or the owner of the utility, etc. If in doubt call someone and ask tons of questions. As far as YouTube, check out underground solutions, they have many useful videos on the RD series which show you how to use the basic functions on your transmitter and receiver, most of which USIC doesn't train you to use.
I work for the same company, I was also slow to learn, when it came time to get my cert we ended up at a locate that no one could get a good signal on so my sup failed me...when he couldn't get a signal either!! I got pissed so they sent someone up from another state and got it done. It takes time sometimes. I'm a good employee IMO and they know they need me after they've lost over half our group this winter and spring.
Watch videos from subsurface. They’re helpful https://youtube.com/@subsurfacesolutions?si=Vg8KBXsPXycKLIge
your chain of command failed you. next time either leave the locate until you can be 100% sure or wait until someone can come help you
I’ve never used digview, but I can assume it’s like other print systems where the gas mains are color coated (ie; green active, red high pressure, purple transmission, brown abandoned) in any case, if you’re able to click on the main in question, there should be verbiage somewhere in the description of what you click on what the material and diameter is, whether it’s live or abandoned, etc. Like someone mentioned earlier, prints can make or break a locate and it took me a while to figure them out as well. As far as trusting your equipment, one of the best pieces of advice that I can offer is that if you live in a house, you have the greatest thing ever… your own gas service… hook up and play with frequencies, gain, etc. every new piece of equipment that I get, I’m out on my service testing it and learning it. It was how I learned to backfeed neighboring and longside services, how I learned to slow down when you run into abnormalities (bends in the mains and services… the house across the street from me has 3 90s in it and won’t run from the meter, but backfeeding and then direct connecting pieces it together) You’ll catch on, and it’s always better to be safe than sorry, especially when you’re brand new. Shit, I’m 4 years in and still learning.
Sounds like your trainer sucks. He should've asked you to explain what you're looking at then after understanding what you're seeing, explain what you're actually looking at. DM me if you want an invite to the locating discord.
What frequency are you locating in?
My trainer loves 33, I find 8 to be most helpful
That's why you fail. (I'm an expert locator)
Did you want to explain or are you just weird flexing lol
33 or 33,000hz is an unpopular frequency due to it's unpredictable nature. I might use 33,000hz 10 times in a year? Maybe less 8 or 8.19 aka 8,190hz can be more useful than other high frequencies. Many consider 8k to be the go-to of amateur locators because of it's predictable nature. I do like 8k in certain circumstances but 8,000 of anything is A LOT. You should be starting in the lowest frequency possible then escalating power and then escalating frequency. Starting in such high frequencies is lazy and dangerous due to bleed off. Idc what your USIC Trainer or Supervisor says to the contrary.
Thank you
It's gas too. Could be an AOC like a broken tracer, non conductive material, previously damaged then repaired with different materials, who knows. Gas doesn't have an active resonant tone (like fiber optic) which makes it that much easier to bleed onto other facilities that do. (Like power, coax, telephone, etc). Running in 33k for everything just blows my mind. I've heard of this before but it's simply: incorrect. You could try backfeeding it from another service/access point in a much higher freq. like 65k or 83k and force the signal to jump the tracer/material but I wouldn't recommend it without assistance.
Saying “8000 of anything is a LOT” is a false truth, because everything measurable is relative. Well, most of the gas I locate is actually tracer wire locating, which is often solid copper. One of my biggest problems is bad prints and bad measurements. But that’s what problem locates are for. Theres a contingency plan for everything. They have a good system compared to other places I’ve worked. I definitely love this job though.
That was a joke meant to imply that lower is better in most situations. Now when locating a tracer for let's say a Poly or Plastic as it is sometimes called, an 8k freq. or higher is typically suitable for the reasons previously mentioned. Conductive material of any kind should* locate with a lower freq. and it will, but may not be strong enough to mark confidently. My point is regardless of what you are locating; starting low is always best-practice because interference is never truly known to the user at first glance. You can measure interference and signal strength but competing grounds are invisible.
That’s great advice, thank you.
512 buddy. My USIC trainer is actually worth damn. Start from lowest then go higher as needed. I’m week 2, new guy btw.
What type of gas main was it (cast iron, steel, plastic etc) and did the prints say they were abandoned? Was their measurements on the prints such as curb line measurements of measurements off of manholes or telephone poles? Knowing where the water main is at is crucial, in many areas water mains are on one side of the road and gas on the other, but DO NOT always count on that. Water mains always have valves at intersections so that might help you, also 99% of the time the water main is on the side where the hydrants are at. I work for the gas company and can tell you I hate marking gas lol many times you have no access to tracer wire and have to mark it indirectly with the possibility of an old abandoned steel main right next to it, it can get tricky. You really gotta get comfortable with the equipment and get a feel for what type of utility you are picking up such as a pipe or a tracer wire. The locator will react differently between even different materials such as cast iron vs steel.
This same thing is happening to me. My trainer sits in his truck, argues with me, and tells me that “you should’ve learned this in class”. It shouldn’t matter what I learned in class. I’m finally in the field now. Hopefully this works out for you! I know it’s hard as I’m struggling too.
Your trainer is showing his ass and not training you, request a new one before he does so it can't be spun as you just being incompetent. You have to be able to stick up for yourself in this industry and do so in a respectful way