There are two ways to induce a current onto a target utility in inductive locating. Which options describe these methods?

• A. With a clamp or coupler, or a coil built into the transmitter.
• B. With a hand crank generator.
• C. By simply turning up the receiver gain.
• D. By placing the transmitter in direct contact with the ground.

Answer: (A)

Inductive locating works by energizing a buried conductor so it carries a recognizable signal, using magnetic coupling. There are two practical ways to do this: you can use a clamp or coupler that goes around the target conductor and injects current into it through the clamp’s magnetic coupling, or you can have a coil built into the transmitter that sends energy into the surrounding ground and induces current in the nearby buried conductor. A hand crank generator isn’t the standard method for creating the necessary signal in this setup, and turning up the receiver gain only increases how loud the signal is on the receiver without actually energizing the line. Placing the transmitter in direct contact with the ground isn’t how energy is effectively transferred to an insulated buried utility, since the process relies on magnetic coupling, not direct contact.