California Company Uses New GPR Technology
for Underground Utility Locating State of the art equipment helps reduce risk of injury and costly damages
Company focuses on safely locating underground utilities Miquel Aguilar, CEO and senior radar technician of Modesto, CA- based ExceeD GPR & Locating, has worked on hundreds of under- ground utility locating and concrete scanning projects. The company focuses on locating underground mains, including telecommunication, electricity distribution, natural gas, cable television, fiber optics, traffic lights, streetlights, storm drains, water mains, and wastewater pipes. ExceeD has developed a thriving business helping clients find under- ground assets on a property. “Calling 811 is just a part of the process,” says Aguilar. “We find everything in the area, including on private property where an 811 call is limited, and the responsibility falls on a property owner.” Aguilar acknowledges that he entered the utility locating industry by a somewhat circuitous route. “I was in search of a truck to customize into a mobile clothing gallery for our clothing brand and I found the perfect one collecting dust in the yard of a concrete cutting company owned by a longtime friend. During the process of customizing the truck I was asked if I could help the company with their GPR division.” He adds, “I never really planned on it, but once I came into it, I found it very interesting. I enjoyed the training and was determined to master the GPR technology to become one of the best in the industry.” After parting ways with his original company, Aguilar started to receive calls from prior clients about providing GPR services. This is when he decided to start his own service company. “It was exciting to see something that we started from scratch grow and grow. My plan now is to build up the brand slowly, by bringing on others with the same kind of work ethic and who are truly dedicated to being masters of the trade.” Aguilar prides himself on going the extra mile with customers and spends hours going over each site to learn as much as he can to ensure the job is executed as thoroughly and as accurately as possible. The toolbox approach: Radio detection combined with GPR equipment Aguilar uses radio detection equipment along with the GSSI Utili- tyScan Pro GPR system for quickly identifying and marking utility location and depth. The system features the GSSI SIR 4000 control unit and 350 MHz digital HyperStacking antenna. The patented Hy- perStacking technology increases depth penetration of up to 40 feet in ideal soil conditions, while also providing high near-surface data reso-
lution. Typical depth penetration can range from 8-12 feet in California terrain, where Aguilar works. GSSI offers a range of utility locating systems, including both two dimensional and three dimensional imag- ing systems. They are offered with a variety of accessories, including GPS and LineTrac, an optional add-on that helps locate AC power and induced RF energy present in conduits and utilities. Aguilar specializes in doing two-dimensional real-time utility loca- tions. He appreciates some of the features included in the advanced equipment, especially the data collection speed, real time scanning and results, and the ability to quickly make adjustments and changes to accommodate different environmental conditions, like pavement, wet soil, average soil, or rocky conditions. “With UtilityScan Pro, I can make decisions very quickly to improve the clarity and brightness of what I am seeing, especially for jobs I do at night.” He cites the example of a recent emergency survey required for a long-term client where he was operating in a rural area in the dark with limited lighting sources. He notes that this field of work doesn’t always fall between typical office hours and mentions a cell phone tower client where he has access to the area any time of the day, as compared to sites where he must meet up with a foreman or superin- tendent at a particular time. ExceeD has developed a thriving business helping clients find underground utilities on a property.
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march 2021
csengineermag.com
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