What is the ONE thing you can do to improve the ease and accuracy of your locate? Improving the grounding of your transmitter is usually at the top of the list. As we have learned in our article on circuits, a complete circuit occurs when electric current flows from the transmitter, down the target conductor, and then back through the sorrounding dirt to the transmitter. Electrical current cannot flow if it cannot return to its source. Making this last connection effective, dramatically helps to lower the resistance of the entire circuit, and allows more current to flow.

The "ground" as it is called is that last step. It is the connection from the dirt to the transmitter. Without a good ground it is difficult to have a strong circuit, and therfore difficult to create a strong field on the line or pipe. In this article we will take a closer look at this very important connection.