Gnb probe DIY repair

We repair probes for locating systems DigiTrak (Digital Control, Inc.) and Ditch Witch Subsite (CMW).
Send us your broken probe and we will return it to you in working order!

• Send us your broken probe and we will return it to you in working order!
• Most probes can be repaired even with severe damage!
• Trust the professionals and we will help you save money!
• You only pay for a positive result!

• 100 days warranty
  for reconditioned probes
• No more than 10 days for repairs from the moment we receive the probe

• 1 Leave a request, and we will take the probe from you for repair free of charge
• 2 Pay for repairs as needed to receive the probe
• 3 Send all broken probes at once and pay for repairs as needed

• If your broken probe is
  not needed - we will buy it from you!
• If you have a need, you can also purchase a reconditioned probe from us with a guarantee provided by us!

Find out the cost of repairing or buying a probe from our specialists

Our organization provides repair and maintenance services for location systems such as Mark III, Mark IV, Mark V, LT, Eclipse, SE, F2, F5, as well as Ditch Witch SubSite 750752 Tracker.

• Setting up and preventing locators
• Replacing glasses, buttons and joysticks
• Replacing displays
• Repair of electronic components of locators and repeaters
• Restoration of mechanical damage to cases
• Restoring telemetry (communication) between the locator and the repeater

• 180 days warranty for all works
• Repair is carried out only after diagnosing the malfunction and agreeing on the terms and price of repairs with the customer.
• We take care of the equipment delivery

Video (click to play).

We value your time and are ready to offer a service to replace a faulty Mark 3 or Mark 5 locator with a working one within three working days.

Batteries for probes, rechargeable batteries and chargers for locating systems
and Remote Displays DigiTrak (Digital Control, Inc.) and Ditch Witch Subsite (CMW)

• Original American batteries - SuperCell batteries
• Brand analogs of SuperCell batteries
• Nickel-cadmium batteries for locating systems and remote displays (repeaters)
• Chargers for locating systems and remote displays (repeaters)

Don't waste precious time changing batteries!
Call us! Always in stock!

Buying our batteries, accumulators and chargers, you get original quality for half the price!

DigiTrak (Digital Control, Inc.) and Ditch Witch Subsite (CMW)
locators, probes, repeaters, chargers, cases.

• Large selection of new and used location equipment
• We give a guarantee for all used equipment
• Contact us to inquire about availability or order the equipment you are interested in

• Call us or send a photo and description of your equipment
• If you agree with the preliminary estimate, send us the equipment for verification by our specialists.
• If you are not satisfied with the final price, we will return the equipment at our expense.

To sell your broken probe, check the price and send the probe to us

ERA Research and Production Center is a close-knit team of highly qualified specialists with extensive experience in the design, manufacture and repair of high-tech equipment.

Our main task is to ensure the stable operation of electronic systems for horizontal directional drilling. The quality of our work is confirmed by a guarantee for all types of our work and services.

We put the needs of customers and the efficiency of order fulfillment in the first place in our work.

We do our best to make the client satisfied.

st. Manufacturing, 14, "Fair Trade Rows"

st. Brick Excavations, 2 of. 509 box 1, BC "South Park"

st. Polytechnic, 24
building 1L, NPO CKTI

Report presented at the international conference "NO-DIG - 2010". Author - A.L. Nagovitsyn (Russia, Chelyabinsk).

Electronic probes for horizontal directional drilling (HDD) rigs installed in drill heads can work reliably for many years, but they can fail even at the first puncture. This work is devoted to the analysis of the reasons for such a wide scatter of the time frames for the failure-free operation of HDD probes, based on the experience of remanufacturing of probes of the MARK, ECLIPSE, LT series from Digital Control Inc. and the SubSite series from Charles Machine Works Inc. In addition, it can be useful for drillers and operators of HDD rigs to describe the behavior of the probes in abnormal situations. The author understands that such explanations cannot replace practical experience, but will help to use it better and avoid unnecessary expenses for purchasing new probes.

Causes of electronic probe failures, solutions to problems

The structure and design of HDD probes from different manufacturers and different series are very similar. Mounted in the drill head, the probe consists of a longitudinal axis tilt sensor with respect to the horizon, a roll sensor (“clock”), an impulse stabilizer, a microcontroller processing unit and an antenna driver with a spherite “antenna”. All elements are filled with a moisture-resistant compound and placed in a plastic case, which ensures free propagation of the lines of force of the alternating magnetic polarity of the ferrite “antenna”. The design for the example of the MARK series probe is shown in Figure 1.

There are three main reasons for the failure of electronic probes for HDD: overheating, compression, penetration of drilling fluid to the elements of the electronic unit. The fourth reason - relatively rare - is the failure of electronic components due to manufacturing defects or human factors.

Overheating of the probe

Compression of the probe

The most fundamental is filling the slots of the drill head with an insulating abrasion-resistant material, such as fiberglass, which works well for compression and the use of a socket with an increased diameter for the probe. In this case, it is convenient to center the probe in the socket either by standard means (rubber rings), or by two windings from an insulating tape, located at a distance of 40 ... 50 mm from the ends of the probe. If traces of longitudinal slots are visible on the body, then you should be prepared for an early failure of the probe.

One of the options for strengthening the slots in the drill head is shown in Figure 3. The thickness of the plate is along the width of the slot (fiberglass works well for compression, ie the slots will not “play”). Absolute tightness can not be achieved - thin cracks in the filling will still appear, but only the smallest fraction of the drilling mud suspension will get inside, i.e. the likelihood of the probe getting stuck in the socket is reduced. The gap between the probe body and the socket in the drill head is 1.5 ... 2 mm or more (useful from all sides: reduced consumption and no jamming). For centering the probe - two windings of insulating tape or reinforced single-sided tape.

Loss of tightness of the probe body - penetration of drilling fluid to the elements of the electronic unit

There are two possible reasons for the loss of tightness: mechanical damage and overheating. Visually, the loss of tightness can be predicted by changing, for example, the size of the gap between the battery compartment and the plastic housing (in the SubSite series probes, a threaded connection is used and this method is not applicable). Overheating almost always causes warpage of the plastic elements of the case with a loss of tightness. The danger of loss of tightness lies in the constant, methodical electrocorrosion of the elements of the electronic unit. The fastest failure of the probe occurs when the drilling fluid penetrates to the elements IIIa, IIIb of the probe.

The reasons for the failure of electronic probes for HDD, their manifestation and some ways to prevent malfunctioning, given in this work, appeared as a result of many years of experience in restoring the repair of probes.I hope that the number of probe failures based on the recommendations will decrease, but I hope that I will not be left without work either: the main reasons for failures are always overgrown with a mass of nuances that do not allow completely eliminating probe failures during operation.

IE Nagovitsyn A.L.
Restoration of probes, repair and prevention of location systems for HDD. Complex types of repair and modernization. More details here

21 meters Intersections ..- High voltage cable:, High pressure gas pipeline.

A brief overview of the operation of the RD7000 + trackfinder in induction mode. The complete set of the device, principles of operation and some functional features are considered. More about the device: All locators:

Horizontal directional drilling is a controlled trenchless method of laying underground utilities, based on the use of special drilling rigs. The length of the track can be from several meters to several kilometers, and the diameter is more than 1200 mm. The video shows the drilling processes: 1 - Drilling a pilot well. 2 - Consecutive well expansion (movement in the opposite direction). 3 - Pulling the pipeline. Let's see how horizontal directional drilling technology looks like in animation.

Horizontal directional drilling. Homemade drill D-140mm; L-9 m.

Those who served in the army do not laugh in the circus.

The film tells about the main stages of trenchless laying of communications using the HDD method. Welding of polyethylene pipes. Construction company LLC "Drilling and Communications" specializes in construction and repair work in the field of underground communications using the HDD method. We use high quality drilling rigs "ROBBINS HDD", which have proven themselves in the field. The main activity of the company is trenchless laying of utilities using the method of horizontal directional drilling. HDD technology allows the laying of communications under existing transport arteries, railways, rivers and other obstacles where an open way of laying networks is impossible.

Reference # 21518 - 2015 DigiTrak F2 DigiTrak F2 Locating Equipment Package including: -DigiTrak F2 Locator -DigiTrak FSD Display -DigiTrak FX12 Sonde For more information on the equipment displayed here, visit: To view all of our equipment, visit our website at: HDD Broker, your online source for new and used directional drilling equipment.

Burmashservice performs horizontal or horizontal directional drilling in Moscow and adjacent regions (Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Ryazan, Tula, Kaluga, Smolensk, Tverskaya). Details:

horizontal drilling puncture case under the road Installation of the pipeline without trenching HDD 360

tel 89119247172 horizontal drilling puncture case under the road Installation of the pipeline without trenching HDD

Are you here »Forum - I want to start drilling» Flea market »Repair of HDD location, probes, locators

• Tel. 8-919-331-78-78
  FE NAGOVITSYN

  • Horizontal directional drilling (abbreviated HDD) is an advanced technology that allows laying communication pipelines underground without excavating the soil. HDD is carried out under the control of high-precision location systems, which allows you to bypass underground obstacles and lay the pipeline along a given trajectory. Unfortunately, sometimes this equipment breaks down, and since it costs a lot of money (especially in a crisis situation), a reasonable choice would be to fix the location system rather than purchase a new one. There are many companies for the repair and maintenance of HDD location systems, but you need to entrust the repair of expensive equipment to trusted companies employing highly qualified specialists with extensive experience in the design, manufacture and repair of high-tech equipment. Such companies bear warranty obligations and at any time will be able to advise you on your location equipment.

    More detailed information can be found on the official website of LLC "NPTs" ERA "or by calling 8 800 500 23 64

    Trust your equipment to professionals.

    How much does it cost and how quickly do you repair a dual-frequency transmitter to the Eclipse location?

    Tell me, how much will it cost to repair the repeater of the digitrac SE locating system and replace the battery in the receiver?

    We need to repair the yellow probe of the digitrak mark 5 locating system. How much will the repair cost?

    The lavender probe from the eclipse location has broken, will you take up the repair? How much will it cost?

    Help me figure it out, we have a sns 200 pro location, the repeater and receiver periodically lose contact with each other. Can you diagnose and repair this locating system?

    Interested in repairing the digitrack f2 location, the receiver is broken, can you repair it? How much will the repair cost?

    Good day. If you are engaged in HDD, then I think our offer will interest you, since a good and reliable location is a guarantee of high-quality and timely work performed.

    We offer:

    • Restoration of probes for navigation systems (location systems) HDD with any kind of damage
    • Repair of location systems MARK, ECLIPSE, SubSite Complex types of repair: transmitters for subsurface locators "MARK-III", "MARK-IV", "MARK-V" (positioning system "Digi Trak" by "DIGITAL CONTROL Inc"), probes for location ECLIPSE systems, probes for the SubSite 750/752 Tracker locating system, as well as for SpotDTec, LT, SE, F2 and F5 locating systems.
    • Modernization - reduction of current consumption from batteries by 20-50% while maintaining the power of the probe In addition, when repairing probes DT (“yellow”) can be upgraded to DX probes (“red”) in terms of power while maintaining a low level of current consumption of DT probes.
    • We also offer: Nickel-cadmium batteries for locating systems of the MARK, Eclipse and LT series- Lithium batteries for locating systems of the SE, F2 and F5 series- Chargers for batteries for locating systems of the MARK, Eclipse and LT series Powerful and economical probes with continuous operation from a set of batteries up to five days.

    Sincerely ,
    Chelyabinsk, +7 926 532-09-40 (24 hours)
    SP Nagovitsyn.

    Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) is a method of laying pipes and cables without digging trenches, usually performed under roads and railways. To implement this method, a special technique is used, which includes directional drilling rigs. With the help of such installations, work is done 90% underground.

    The horizontal drilling method is a modern way of laying pipelines for various purposes.

    The method of horizontal directional drilling is considered very popular today. First of all, this is due to the fact that the use of this method makes it possible to reduce the financial costs of laying the pipeline by 2.5–3 times.

    Consider the main tasks that are performed using this method:

    • laying pipes that will act as a protective case (casing) for various power cables;
    • HDD technology allows trenchless installation of pipelines that transport drinking water or wastewater.

    Important! A puncture under a railroad or roadway is the only option for installing a communication without digging a traditional trench.

    HDD puncture under a road or other engineering structure allows preserving the natural landscape, which is also an important advantage. Consider other benefits of HDD:

    • in addition to financial costs, labor costs are also reduced, since the main work is performed by special equipment;
    • with the help of HDD puncture, you can lay a pipeline or cable channel not only under transport routes, but also under water bodies.
    • such work does not require a large number of people. As a rule, a small team of 3-5 people is enough.

    To carry out such work does not require a lot of space, and the surrounding landscape will not be spoiled.

    Drilling horizontal wells can rightfully be considered a unique method, the technology of which eliminates harm to the environment and reduces labor costs, as well as monetary costs.

    All equipment that is used for drilling by the HDD method is divided into several main types:

    • horizontal directional drilling machine for HDD;
    • locating system for drilling;
    • minor components (staples, clips, etc.).

    A locating system for drilling horizontal wells is necessary to organize control over the drill. This is very important, since the drill is in the soil during operation, that is, outside the visible zone. This system protects the drill from colliding with various obstacles that can damage the drilling equipment.

    The geolocation system for monitoring the workflow is equipped with a mini-probe, which is necessary to track geolocation indicators while drilling. The mini-probe is installed on the drill head and on the apparatus. The data transmitted by the probe goes to the operator, who corrects the workflow.

    It should be noted that HDD equipment is quite expensive and belongs to professional equipment. The horizontal drilling rig (UGB) can have a different configuration, however, all such machines consist of the following structural elements:

    HDD equipment is professional and high cost

    The functional part of the UGNB consists of three main components:

    • drilling element;
    • a hose that supplies water to the drilling element (this is necessary to cool the drill);
    • control Panel.

    All UGNB are classified according to one main indicator - the boundary pulling force. Other characteristics of these machines include:

    • indicators of the channel cross-section that such a machine can perform;
    • maximum channel length;
    • bentonite consumption rate (l / min);
    • the use of the horizontal drilling method also takes into account the maximum possible bending radius of the drill rods. This indicator is considered very important, as it affects the mobility of the drilling rig and its ability to bypass various obstacles.

    Secondary equipment includes the following devices:

    • fixing elements;
    • adapters;
    • expanders;
    • pump equipment;
    • generators powered by electricity;
    • lighting devices.

    The horizontal drilling rig must be selected correctly, in accordance with all the factors listed above.

    Horizontal drilling involves a puncture carried out by professional equipment. However, preparatory work must be done before drilling under the road.

    Horizontal drilling requires preparatory work

    First of all, you need to prepare a flat area for the drilling rig. To do this, it is necessary to level the site, which should have an approximate size of 10x15 m. In addition, in some specific situations it is necessary to prepare a bypass route for the drilling complex.

    Important! The prepared site must be fenced off with a warning tape. This is necessary in order to exclude the entry of strangers into the territory. This tape is installed approximately 80 cm above the ground.

    The site for drilling equipment is being prepared in the place where the well will be laid. After preparing the site, it is necessary to install the drilling equipment and position it in the desired position for the puncture.

    It is also worth anchoring the equipment base plate. This activity is carried out by means of augers. Next, you need to adjust the angle of entry of the drill into the ground.

    Punching by the method of horizontal directional drilling of HDD is carried out taking into account safety precautions, as well as all the necessary building codes. In the process of drilling, a special bentonite solution is used. The device preparing this solution should be located on the side of the horizontal directional drilling rig. The distance between the UGNB and the bentonite preparation plant should be at least 10 m. Bentonite mortar performs the following functions:

    • strengthening the walls of the channel borehole;
    • and also this solution helps to remove soil from the channel.

    At the entrance and exit points of the channel, it is recommended to arrange special pits, into which excess solution will be disposed of. In addition, it is necessary to establish constant radio communication between the head of the drilling process and the operators of the equipment.

    Let's consider what else needs to be done in preparation for horizontal drilling of HDD:

    • determine the places where underground utilities pass so as not to touch them while drilling;
    • study the composition of the soil and its features. This is necessary to select the optimal drilling route.

    There should be a small depression at the puncture site filled with bentonite mortar

    After all the preparatory work has been done, you can proceed directly to laying pipes using the horizontal directional drilling method. For this, the drilling rig is located in the required place. Next, you need to check (pilot well). The cross-sectional parameters of such a well should be approximately 100 mm.

    When organizing a pilot well under a railway track or road, the movement of the drilling element must be controlled by a geolocation system. Without such a system or in the event of its malfunction, it is forbidden to carry out trenchless work.

    The initial position of the drill head is usually 10–20 ° with respect to the horizon. This angle should constantly decrease depending on the depth of immersion. After the required depth is reached for laying the pipeline using the HDD method, drilling is performed in the horizontal plane. While drilling, it is allowed to make adjustments to the movement of the drill bit. Correction of the drill movement is carried out if it deviates from the specified trajectory. Determination of the deviation from the desired path is carried out using the positioning system.

    The puncture method involves checking the position of the drill through a geolocation system every 3 m. After passing a certain point, the drill head begins to move upward, which allows it to reach the exit point. The exit from the ground (as well as the entrance) must be calculated in advance and performed at a strictly defined angle.

    The pilot well must be expanded, this is done using a special device - a rimmer

    The next step in laying pipes under the road is to expand the pilot canal. For this, the drill head is dismantled, and a special device is installed in its place - a rimmer. Rimmer is a structural element used in HDD pipe laying, which performs the function of expanding the pilot channel. It should be noted that the rimmer is a reverse acting expander (it extends from the channel outlet to its inlet).

    Taking into account the HDD drilling technology, in order to achieve the required diameter indicators, the expansion is performed from one to several times. The number of extensions depends on what diameter the future well should have.

    Horizontal drilling can also be carried out in difficult conditions (poor soil, an abundance of obstacles in the path of the drill, etc.). In this case, well expansion works are performed before the necessary communications are laid into the channel. In addition, it should be noted that all work must be carried out using coolant. This is due to the fact that geolocation equipment is very sensitive to high temperatures. A puncture of the road is a serious event that must be thought out from start to finish.

    There is another important factor to anticipate - soil shedding. A puncture under the road using the HDD method should also take into account the fact that before starting to pull plastic or metal pipes into the well, they must be connected. The structure must be securely connected, otherwise problems may arise.Further, with the drilling equipment turned off, the annular reamer is docked with the rods. Then, through a rotating swivel, the necessary communication is connected. Docking will require a special adapter or other possible device.

    Helpful information! The HDD method takes into account the selection of an expansion part according to this calculation: the channel should be 25% larger than the pulled pipeline. If the communication is laid with thermal insulation, then the channel should be 50% larger.

    The finished channel should be about a quarter wider than the pipe.

    If the pressure indicators inside the channel are large, then the bentonite solution evenly fills the space between the outer wall of the pipe and the inner wall of the well. After the bentonite solution hardens, soil subsidence is excluded.

    A puncture under a railroad or roadway is performed first. Further, the well is expanded to the desired diameter. At the third stage, pipes are laid using the HDD method.

    This is done quite simply: the pipeline is tightened along with the last expansion rimmer. The communication is fastened to the expander by means of special connecting brackets or a swivel.

    The conductor is pre-pulled through the finished channel. This is necessary when organizing cabling in communications. In this case, the pipeline structure will serve as a protective casing that protects the wiring in the ground from damage.

    This technology makes it possible to quickly, reliably and economically pull the pipeline through the soil without the organization of trenches, which, as a rule, are carried out by hand. After laying the pipeline, HDD can be considered complete. Finally, the drilling and other equipment must be evacuated from the work site.