User's Manual

DIGITAL CONTROL INCORPORATED
DigiTrak Falcon
™
F5

Operator’s Manual 5
Getting Started
Introduction
Typical DigiTrak Falcon F5 Guidance System with Aurora Remote Display
Congratulations on your purchase of the DigiTrak Falcon F5

guidance system. The Falcon
wideband technology represents an important advancement in the detection of active
interference at the jobsite. Falcon extends the performance range of the F5 receiver with a
durable system that can be programmed to address the variability in jobsite interference.
Historically, walkover guidance systems have used a single frequency to transmit the
underground signal to the receiver above ground. DCI pioneered this method with its earliest
guidance systems to deliver roll and pitch readings to the operator. As trenchless techniques
have advanced, sources of active interference have increased at jobsites and interference
has emerged as one of the primary obstacles to completing HDD installations on time.
One of the unique attributes of interference is that it varies from jobsite to jobsite. A single
frequency that works well at one site may not be useable at another. Using a single
frequency to carry the guidance signal limits the operator’s efficiency in areas with high
interference and can delay the completion of the job.
The Falcon approach uses a simple procedure of walking the jobsite to measure noise and
then optimizing the band of frequencies that will be most effective. A Falcon F5 wideband
transmitter can be programmed with two optimized bands for maximum productivity around
high interference. The optimizing process is easy and takes only minutes to perform at the
beginning of each pilot bore. A Falcon system with a wideband transmitter substantially
outperforms other guidance systems in its class and enables more efficient installations.
Receiver
Aurora remote
display
Li-ion/NiMH
Battery charger
Transmitter