Have you been considering adding a ground penetrating radar (GPR) antenna to your tool box? For general contracting companies that do a lot of excavating on properties, or those that do renovations that require disturbing concrete slabs or cutting into CMU walls, buying a GPR antenna can seem like a good investment. A GPR antenna, which can see beyond the surface to tell you where potential hazards are located, is a tool you will need from time to time. In the past, you likely had to bring in a company that provides GPR scanning services and pay them for their time to scan the area in question. Every time you pay their service fees, you probably think to yourself, “This seems pretty straightforward. We should just buy the equipment and do it ourselves and save a bunch of money!”
Before we get into what you should look for in a GPR antenna, we want to provide you with a word of caution: interpreting the data put out by GPR equipment is not always straightforward. It takes a good amount of training and real-world experience in different environments to be able to accurately interpret the data. If you think you’re going to just purchase some equipment, turn it on, pass it over a surface, and get a clear picture of what is beyond the surface, you should probably do a bit more research into how GPR antennas work. Otherwise, you could spend a lot of money on equipment that is basically useless to you.
However, if you have some training and experience using ground penetrating radar, purchasing some equipment may be a good investment for your company. You could save a good amount of money by not having to hire GPR scanning services every time you need to find buried or embedded hazards.
Here are some practical things to look for in a GPR antenna:
Weight: The weight of the different GPR antennas on the market can vary quite a bit. If you have a truck with a ramp to get it from location to location, this might not be a big deal, but if you will have to lift it in and out of the bed of a pick-up truck every time you use it, you might want to consider a lighter weight model.
Wheel Size: If you will be using your GPR antenna primarily to scan concrete slabs, wheel size won’t matter much, but if you plan to scan uneven terrain, look for a unit with large, sturdy wheels
Handle Design: This may seem insignificant, but you want to test out the handle design of any GPR antenna you are considering. Some have a much more ergonomic design than others, and if you are scanning a large area, you definitely want a handle that fits in your hand comfortably!
Customer Support: Some manufacturers offer amazing customer support for both troubleshooting and for technical support. Other companies rely on their distributors to provide support. Do some research as to which companies provide the best support—especially if you are new to working with ground penetrating radar!
