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ground radar??? — Parallax Forums

ground radar???

vettezr1vettezr1 Posts: 77
edited 2010-10-17 16:01 in General Discussion
Hi guys I Was wondering out loud .. I have a mole problem in my yard I was wondering if there was anyway I could build a simple ground radar that would be good enough to show me where there tunnnels go .. I can actually see most of them becuase they are right near the top of the dirt but some go fairly deep and I loose them I was hoping I could use the ping or something similair does anyone have any ideas??
I thought of hacking a stud finder to but to be honest I would not know where to start with that.
thhanks

Comments

  • Peter KG6LSEPeter KG6LSE Posts: 1,383
    edited 2010-10-13 17:06
    you will need a TON of power( pulsed ) to penetrate the ground and get reflections off it .
  • UnknownUnknown
    edited 2010-10-13 17:15
    I've only heard of ground sonar. I've never seen it.
  • vettezr1vettezr1 Posts: 77
    edited 2010-10-13 17:32
    Thanks guys I had a feeling it would take quite a bit more than some hobby parts. It would be cool though . I have seen the systems working and to be honest for the tons of money they cost I could not really figure out anyhting on the screen it reminded me of the baby sonagrams when they first came out in 1810 they showed me a black and white photo of my daughter and it could have been a tumor for all I could tell
  • John R.John R. Posts: 1,376
    edited 2010-10-13 20:12
    Moles are a sign of a healthy lawn! It means you have a thriving eco-system under the surface, teeming with bugs and worms. The moles go yummmmm.

    We laugh at my uncle at his cottage. He fights "the good fight", trying everything under the sun, including (these are all real things, purchase at various stores, no "DIY" stuff here):

    • Poisoned rubber worms (for killing moles) [these work the best of all this stuff]
    • Poison Mole Pellets
    • Poison Mole Smoke Bombs
    • A device that hooks up to your tail pipe, and gets the exhaust into the mole tunnels
    • The green vibrating/beeping (various brands and types) of spikes you stick in the ground to drive the moles away. They seem to work for about a three foot radius.
    • The ever popular mole trident! (a miniature trident on the end of a pole/rake handle) These take a bit of luck, but are probably the most satisfying.
    • Running over the tunnels with my full size pickup truck (OK, this was a DIY job).

    Nothing really works. According to the nursery and landscape type people, there is a way to get rid of the little basta??s. That's to put on insecticides, etc. to kill all the bugs and worms that the moles eat. Problem is, this is also not real good on the lawn...

    This drives my uncle crazy. He's one of those guys with the super green and lush lawns (at home and the cottage), with no weeds. He has even had John Deere shoot commercials for their tractors on his lawn. We just keep getting him anything we can find that says "mole killer" or anything like that on the package, and he tries it.

    We also just keep laughing at him. On the plus side, any dog that digs up a mole is welcome to dig all he/she wants. :-)

    The point of all this: You have a healthy lawn. Go with the flow. Moles gotta eat, same as buzzards.


    John R.
  • John R.John R. Posts: 1,376
    edited 2010-10-13 20:19
    Back on topic of "Ground Penetrating Radar", try the following:

    Buyers Guide to Ground Penetrating Radar

    GSSI - I've met the IT guy that used to work there
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2010-10-14 04:03
    Try popping a pet ferret down the holes - cheaper than ground RADAR, more ecological that all those poisons.
  • loovaxloovax Posts: 13
    edited 2010-10-14 04:18
    Have you thought about sending in a trained dolphin? I hear their sonar is quite strong.
    :lol:
  • Invent-O-DocInvent-O-Doc Posts: 768
    edited 2010-10-14 09:36
    How about a cavity magnatron from an F-4 Phantom fighter?

    (Probably a bad idea)
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2010-10-14 09:46
    When I worked at BAe Brough, they used to maintain the Royal Navy Phantoms in a hangar next to our offices. They sometimes tested the radars and there was a wide exclusion zone marked off with red stripes on the concrete, with flashing lights and so on. Someone told me that I'd be cooked if I walked into the zone when a radar was working, but I'm not sure if it was true.
  • FranklinFranklin Posts: 4,747
    edited 2010-10-14 10:14
    http://www.rodenator.com/ Works! (and it's fun)
  • KMyersKMyers Posts: 433
    edited 2010-10-14 10:20
    One thing I have used is to put moth balls down the holes. Big thing here is to get rid of the grubs in the yard. No food they move to the neighbors yard!
  • sylvie369sylvie369 Posts: 1,622
    edited 2010-10-14 17:11
    Franklin wrote: »
    http://www.rodenator.com/ Works! (and it's fun)

    This seems like something that might, with only minor modification, be effective against telemarketers.
  • logan996logan996 Posts: 281
    edited 2010-10-14 21:19
    hahaha on mythbusters they used a powerful professional ground radar! they've even used it to detect dead bodies! but i doubt they would let you use it :D
  • Shawn LoweShawn Lowe Posts: 635
    edited 2010-10-15 09:42
    sylvie369 wrote: »
    This seems like something that might, with only minor modification, be effective against telemarketers.


    LOL!! One could only hope. I'd buy one if it was effective against telemarketers!
  • pharseidpharseid Posts: 192
    edited 2010-10-17 16:01
    If anyone actually gets ahold of a ground penetrating radar, I'd like to borrow it. Years ago, in preparation for a fishing trip, I was looking for worms on some property our business owns. I turned over an old tire and there was an enormous mole under it. I've seen and handled a few moles in my time (they used to get into our basement when I was a kid) but this thing was at least twice the size of any mole I've ever seen. I didn't know it at the time, but subsequent research doesn't indicate any species that size. So I've wondered if it was just a freak or an unidentified species. Anyway, we still own the property...
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