My trusty, bulletproof, GA-52 CX locator (Schonstedt) just suddenly stopped working yesterday. It was working fine in the morning, tried using it in the afternoon. No tone. I installed new batteries. Still, no worky worky. I can hear a very slight "blip" when powering it on, but other than that, it's complete radio silence. Are there any "usual suspects" that I should look into before sending it to the shop?
Thanks,
Firestix
Just guessing here. Volume all the way up? Tried all the sensitive settings? Check the wires to the speaker? When you tap the rod sideways does it make a rattle sound?
My guess is that your problem is with the on/off switch. Did you have it out in the rain? We get ours wet all the time and the fix is to bring it inside, open it up, and let it dry out over a weekend. Spraying some WD40 on the switch might help (the "WD" stands for "water displacer") and won't hurt.
I recently retired one that was c.40 yrs old and still works...sort of. It turns on and makes noises. The new one is actually helpful for finding monuments. It may just be time for you to make an upgrade.
So. The lesson here is: Just because you get batteries fresh from the store doesn't mean they are fresh. 1 good battery 1 bad one. A volt meter is a wonderful and handy thing.
Thanks guys,
These units really are bulletproof!
So. The lesson here is: Just because you get batteries fresh from the store doesn't mean they are fresh. 1 good battery 1 bad one. A volt meter is a wonderful and handy thing.
Thanks guys,
These units really are bulletproof!
LOL. I misplaced my HP35s had left it in one of the spare work trucks. Grabbed my backup hp35s it would not turn on. Replaced batteries still nothing I was sweating it last couple days. Grabbed two more batteries put them in bam it came on. I guess I need to add a voltage meter to my desk drawer.
Getting the locators repaired is becoming difficult and expensive. A good friend let me know he just buys the spare parts and does most of his himself now due to the cost.
The Harbor Freight multimeter for less than ten bucks (used to be 5) is useful and cheap enough to have one in every home, office, and vehicle. It does need a battery itself, of course. It will also test AC power receptacles and cable continuity. It's not a high grade instrument but fine for gross tests.
There are battery testers in that price range, too, if you don't care to figure out how to test other things.