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GSSI, the world’s leading manufacturer of ground penetrating radar (GPR) equipment, announces it will be 
highlighting its new 350 HS Antenna with HyperStacking™ technology and SIR® 4000 GPR control unit at the American Geophysical Union’s Fall Meeting, which will be held December 12-16, 2016, in San Francisco, CA. GSSI will also showcase research findings made by the winners of the GSSI Student Grant. The yearly grant funded by GSSI includes a cash award of up to $2,000 to student members of AGU’s Near-Surface Geophysics Focus Group, and use of equipment for field geophysical research using GPR and electromagnetic methods.
The new 350 HS Antenna on display greatly improves the depth and data resolution performance of traditional real time sampling technologies. The 350 HS is designed for use with new digital HyperStacking™ technology, which allows users to see deeper targets and operate in conditions considered too “noisy” for conventional systems. Easily configurable, the 350 HS antenna is ideal for archaeology, geophysics, and utility locating applications.
Also to be showcased is the SIR 4000 GPR control unit, which is designed to bridge the legacy of traditional GSSI analog antennas with next-generation of digital offerings. The SIR 4000 GPR control unit supports beginner to advanced users in numerous applications. It offers unique collection modules, including Quick 3D, UtilityScan, StructureScan, and Expert Mode for efficient data collection and visualization. SIR 4000 also incorporates advanced display methods and filtering capabilities for ‘in-the-field’ processing and imaging. Fully integrated, the SIR 4000 provides a 10.4 inch high definition LED display, a simple user interface, and plug-and-play GPS integration.
GSSI will also honor the winners of the annual GSSI Student Grant. Student winners publish findings made with the equipment and present their findings at AGU’s Fall Meeting. “We are so pleased to be able to support student members of AGU’s Near Surface Geophysics Focus Group with opportunities to advance their research and field work,” said Paul Fowler, VP Sales and Marketing. “Offering recognition and financial support is a great way to advance the field and train the next generation of GPR practitioners.”
About GSSI
Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc. is the world leader in the development, manufacture, and sale of ground penetrating radar (GPR) equipment, primarily for the concrete inspection, utility mapping and locating, road and bridge deck evaluation, geophysics, and archaeology markets. Our equipment is used all over the world to explore the subsurface of the earth and to inspect infrastructure systems non-destructively. GSSI created the first commercial GPR system nearly 45 years ago and continues to provide the widest range and highest quality GPR equipment available today.
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By Tom Timperman, GSSI
Disaster scenes are chaotic and noisy, with rescue teams climbing over collapsed structures, feverishly working to find survivors. Technology can play an important role in the effort, whether the structural collapse is due to earthquake, human-caused disaster, flood or tsunami, mudslide, avalanche, or even urban terrorism. Several options are currently available, but the most effective option is the combination of highly trained search-and-rescue dogs together with ultra-wide band (UWB) radar. Pairing the dog’s dynamic nose with the UWB radar’s ability to see through building materials in determining the approximate distance to the survivor is a huge benefit for urban search-and-rescue (USAR) teams. Already used successfully all over the world, UWB radar would be a great addition to the tools available to rescuers in the United States and Canada, providing current FCC radio emissions regulations can be amended.
Methods used to locate survivors trapped under collapsed debris
Four technologies are typically used by USAR teams to locate survivors of structural collapses at disaster scenes: Rescue dogs, acoustic vibration monitoring devices, borehole cameras, and ultra-wide band (UWB) radar.
Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. Here’s a run-down of the most commonly applied methodologies.
Rescue dogs are indeed amazing. Quick and effective, trained dogs are incredibly dynamic, can cover large areas, and work remotely from their handler. However, dogs cannot determine the distance to a buried survivor, and can be affected by scent drift during windy conditions. Just like humans, they are also prone to fatigue and stress, and require downtime to recuperate. An eye-opening report on the limitations of search-and-rescue dogs came out of the recent large earthquake in Ecuador. The emotional story concerned a beloved and acclaimed dog that found a handful of survivors, only to succumb to heat exhaustion due to over-use.
Acoustic vibration monitoring devices can be placed on top of the rubble pile to listen for sounds from a survivor – tapping, yelling, kicking, or noise of any kind. They require a high level of user expertise, and require almost complete silence. Such silence is very difficult to achieve at these frantic scenes, where military, police, and fire department personnel are present, along with relatives and other rescue groups. The greatest disadvantage to acoustic devices is that they require active participation by a survivor. If the survivor is incapacitated or unconscious, they will unfortunately not be capable of such participation.
A borehole camera is a lightweight, three-in-one device that contains a small camera, flashlight, and microphone. These sophisticated “selfie sticks” provide visual confirmation of the presence of a survivor or victim. They enable two-way communication between rescuers and survivors, but have a limited depth of penetration (3-4 meters) compared to other options. Their primary drawback is that they require direct line-of-sight to the survivor through an opening of some kind in the rubble pile, which is not always available.
Ultra-wide band (UWB) radar offers the most effective and efficient compliment to search dogs by providing 
very fine and immediate motion detection. The radar sends out 800,000 pulses per second while measuring the two-way transit time between the unit and the survivor. UWB radar is also extremely safe; the radar energy emitted is equal to one-hundredth of the power emitted by a cell phone.
Application of such radar driven technology is not new, having been widely used for automotive collision-detection systems, wireless communications, indoor positioning, and sensor networks. It has recently been adapted to USAR scenarios because it provides a wider band of radar detection, yet is less susceptible to interference than narrow band radar, which provides poor down-range resolution and inability to accurately determine the distance to the victim [1].
As mentioned previously, UWB radar offers the most effective complement when combined with the efforts of the rescue dog. In concert with the dog, rescuers can work quickly and effectively across a predetermined grid on top of the rubble pile. The rescue dog may indicate the presence of a survivor, but cannot tell if the survivor is one, eight, or twelve meters away. By applying UWB radar technology, rescuers can now quickly “localize” the approximate distance to the survivor.
Radar is not diverted by scent, does not get fatigued, and does not require silence or line of sight. It is also a good method of determining where not to dig, which is important on a rubble pile.
Also, it detects user respiratory and cardiac motion, so it cannot be used to detect the deceased. UWB radar cannot see through metal, and is susceptible to noise interference from cell towers or radio communication systems.
The LifeLocator® TRx
Headquartered in Nashua, NH, GSSI began developing the first UWB radar technology for search-and rescue use in 2002, in response to post-911 Homeland Security market needs. USAR agencies had been seeking technologies that could be adapted to search-and-rescue applications, and they determined UWB radar technology to be an excellent option. The first generation of the equipment was dubbed LifeLocator® and released in 2005.
Over the next decade, design improvements were made based on operator feedback and advances in radar technology. In 2015, GSSI released the LifeLocator® TRx, which incorporates a variety of improvements specifically designed to meet the challenging field conditions found in structural collapse search operations. The LifeLocator® TRx detects survivor respirations (as few as 3 per minute; as many as 30 per minute) to a maximum distance of 10 meters (33 feet), and survivor motion to a maximum distance of 12 meters (40 feet).
The TRx can be operated by a single person, and is simple-to-use in detecting survivor motion in as little as 10 seconds. It features a ruggedized design with a Wi-Fi antenna mounted inside the carry handles, making it less susceptible to breakage. The addition of a second battery gives the unit a hot swappable battery configuration, which eliminates downtime while changing batteries on the fly.
More importantly, the TRx now includes greatly enhanced noise filtration and noise immunity capability. The laptop user interface features a noise floor indicator to show the operator the strength of nearby noise interference. This is absolutely critical, since the greater the interference, the greater the possibility of the radar producing a ‘false positive’ survivor location.
Previous generations of the LifeLocator® employed a single radar receiver, while the TRx incorporates twin receivers. Twin receivers improve detection in many situations. For example, if the operator places the system over an area that is partially metal and partially another building material, the TRx will still be able to detect the presence of a survivor under the area that is not under metal. Placing the equipment at different angles gives rescuers different ways to work a pile more intelligently and effectively.
LifeLocator® TRx saves lives
The LifeLocator® TRx has been successfully deployed by fire departments and rescue organizations across the globe 
in response to major catastrophes. A global French USAR team recorded a save following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, while Chinese rescue teams experienced the same success in Sichuan Province in 2008.
Unfortunately, the cutting edge technology cannot currently be used in the United States and Canada due to existing Federal Communications Commission equipment standards.
To ensure that local search-and-rescue teams have access to the most advanced and reliable technology on the market, GSSI encourages the FCC to consider waiving these standards for manufacturers of such life-saving devices. Such consideration will allow the dedicated USAR community to provide the most reliable support during the most catastrophic circumstances, enabling them to quickly and reliably locate survivors.
[1] Trapped-Victim Detection in Post-Disaster Scenarios using Ultra-Wideband Radar, by AN Nezirović, 2010, repository.tudelft.nl.
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Increased reliability and faster drilling.
THOMPSON, CONNECTICUT USA, November 30, 2016 – Numa, the world’s leader in DTH hammers and bit technology, has released a new generation of Patriot 60 and Patriot 65 hammers. Based upon advanced engineering and driller input, both hammers provide increased reliability, enhanced performance, and faster penetration rates than previous versions.
“The new generation of the Patriot 60 and Patriot 65 hammers was designed with direct feedback from drillers,” said Numa President, Ralph Leonard. “Numa took drillers’ input and created the new generation to deliver fast and reliable drilling in demanding applications around the globe.”
The Patriot 60 hammer is perfectly suited for water well, construction, oil & gas, utility, quarry, and mining drilling applications where contractors are not looking to run a heavy duty version. The hammer features a reversible case and operates at a higher pressure than the previous generation. Tests have proven the hammer has a higher BPM and drills consistently against back pressures, like water in the hole. The Patriot 60 has a 5.5” (139 mm) outside diameter and runs QL60 shank bits capable of drilling holes 6” to 8 ¾ ” (152 to 222 mm) in diameter. A version of the Patriot 60 is also available for 360 shank bits.
The Patriot 65 is a heavy duty hammer designed specifically for the quarry, mining, and construction industries where ground conditions warrant. The hammer boasts a thicker, reversible case but also produces the highest BPM of all Numa hammers. The Patriot 65 comes standard with back out carbides on the topside of the backhead to aid in recovery in the event of hole collapses. An additional option is carbide weld chucks for improved wear in highly abrasive formations. The Patriot 65 has a 5.75” (146 mm) outside diameter and runs QL60 shank bits capable of drilling hole 6 ¼” to 8 ¾” (159 to 222 mm) in diameter.
Numa is featuring the Patriot 60 and Patriot 65 hammers during Groundwater Week, December 7-8 in Las Vegas. Please stop by to discuss the new hammers with our expert staff that will be on hand in booth #1118.
ABOUT NUMA
Numa designs the world’s leading rock drilling technology with over 100 DTH Hammer and Bit products serving 11 different industries. Our products are capable of drilling vertical, horizontal, and reverse circulation holes from 3½ to 48 inches (89 – 1219 mm) in diameter and are used in 105+ countries. We have built our customer-centric reputation on providing the highest value in products, performance, and personal service available in the rock drilling industry.
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Allows users to see deeper targets and operate in noisy conditions
By Jeffrey Feigin, PhD, GSSI
Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is an electromagnetic imaging technique that allows users to see beneath the surface through soil, pavement, concrete, ice, and even water. GPR is widely used for utility mapping, concrete inspection, forensic investigations, geological surveys, and archaeology. Regulatory agencies place stringent power emission limits on GPR equipment to prevent disruption to other technologies that share the same spectra, for example, wireless communications and global positioning systems.
Now, new technology has been developed that meets even the most stringent GPR emissions regulations, including those of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), while operating at similar or faster speeds than conventional systems in difficult soil conditions. This new HyperStacking technique allows users to see deeper targets and operate in conditions considered too “noisy” for conventional systems.
Measuring signal variations caused by a buried object
GPR is an electromagnetic technology that uses the same kind of radio waves as microwave ovens, cellular phones, and broadcast radio and television. GPR systems operate under the same principle as other radar systems, medical ultrasound, and even fish finders. A GPR system includes an antenna, a power supply, and a control unit with electronics that trigger the pulse of radar energy the antenna sends into the subsurface. The antenna receives the electrical pulse produced by the control unit, amplifies it and transmits it into the ground or other medium at a particular frequency.
Subsurface variations will then cause these signals to bounce back. The strength and time required for the return of the reflected signals is then recorded on a computer integrated into the system. As the technician using the GPR equipment moves along the area being scanned, items detected are revealed and information is displayed on the computer screen in real time. The data collected is then analyzed and used to make specific recommendations.
For example, a GPR wave directed through the soil towards a piece of buried PVC pipe would reflect back some of the signal towards the surface. The magnitude and timing of this echo will be proportionate to the size and depth of the buried pipe. Since electromagnetic waves travel at the speed of light, if this pipe were buried at 3 feet (1 meter), a typical echo will occur just 20 nano-seconds (billionth of a second) after the signal is sent. This means that exceptionally fast receiver circuitry is required to correctly estimate the timing and scale of the signal.
Unfortunately, the standard signal observation methods are slow, particularly in certain soil conditions. The classic method for observing very fast events with relatively slow circuitry is to use a stroboscopic technique known as equivalent time sampling (ETS). This method requires multiple sampling acquisitions at different clock timing. The samples taken from each acquisition are put together and reconstructed. Multiple triggers are required to capture enough points to reconstruct the waveform. The technique is most useful when capturing repetitive signals. [1]
Like a camera flash, which can make a fast-moving object look frozen in time, electrical waveforms can also be captured at just one precise instant. By repeating the transmitted signal many times, but moving the exact instant of capture, one can simulate the echo response.
It can be likened to making a 100-frame motion picture of a bullet travelling through the air – but doing so by firing the gun 100 times and triggering the camera at a different time for each firing. Though stroboscopic techniques can be effective for capturing extremely fast-moving events, they are not the best or most efficient way.
Just as modern high-speed video cameras now exist for capturing a bullet in flight in real-time, we can now also capture an entire ultra-fast radar reflection the same way – by averaging (or stacking) the results of many individual GPR scans. Random environmental and electronic noise disappears through this averaging process, while weak targets emerge from the snow-like obscurity. Since high speed GPR systems recover identical radar scans hundreds of times faster than conventional ETS systems, this averaging operation goes on in the background and does not affect the rate of data collection.
HyperStacking technology
The technique is used in a new technology patented by GSSI [2], which greatly improves the receive performance of a GPR system while maintaining measurement speed and radiated emission limits. The new technology, known as “HyperStacking,” uses high speed interpolated sampling to reduce such commonly encountered issues as dynamic range limitations, regulatory compliance issues, sampler core offset error, and timing errors.
The benefits of the new HyperStacking technology are pronounced in lower frequency applications (GPR applications requiring an antenna below 1.6 GHz), such as in dirt, clay, sand, and more. In these conditions, the ground media is sufficiently lossy to make the benefits of HyperStacking clear. GSSI is developing its HyperStacking technology in a range of antenna frequencies to meet the specific needs of a variety of applications.
The 350 MHz antenna, for instance, is ideal for utility detection in soil conditions in the 0-15 ft range. Lower-frequency antennas, in to 100-200 MHz range, are well-suited for geotechnical applications, such as water table analysis, characterization of shallow stratigraphy, bedrock depth analysis, and analysis of deep geological structures. In these applications, traditional techniques such as ETS cannot achieve the same level of precision as HyperStacking.
With the commonly used ETS technique, hundreds or even thousands of pulses are transmitted to obtain a full measurement set over the desired time range. However, most of the received energy is discarded and the resultant measurement is inefficient, in terms of noise, relative to the amount of energy transmitted. By contrast, the new technology uses high speed interpolated sampling, which recovers all or most of the reflected radar information, greatly improving the measurement signal energy with respect to noise. In the past, these techniques have been expensive and far too energy-consuming, but recent advances in integrated circuit technology have enabled the development of low-cost devices that perform at reasonably high speeds while consuming relatively small amounts of power.
This more efficient signal detection directly translates to improved system performance in certain applications. Measurement results produced by the technique resolve targets at least 5 percent deeper and 5 percent smaller than conventional ETS GPR. The system can also produce individual measurement results at extremely high speeds – at least 1000x that of a conventional ETS system.
Figure 1 shows an example of a HyperStacked GPR measurement compared to a conventional ETS measurement. It shows that the HyperStacking system can see significantly more clearly and deeper than the conventional ETS system. Both are 400 MHz GPR systems and the measurements were taken at the same time and same location with identical processing. [Caption: Two GPR files taken at the same location at the same time with identical processing. left: HyperStacking, right: conventional (ETS)]
[1] Understanding Real Time and Equivalent Time Sampling, https://bkprecision.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/1535427-understanding-real-time-and-equivalent-time-sampling, retrieved 11/19/15.
[2] Realization of time-domain ultra wideband ground-penetrating radar using high speed accumulation and interpolated sampling, Patent EP 2698647 A1, http://www.google.com/patents/EP2698647A1?cl=en, retrieved 11/19/15
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OKAHUMPKA, Fla., November 3, 2016 – Vac-Tron Equipment is excited to introduce a whole new line to their 
vacuum excavation equipment. It’s the new CV (Competitive Vac) Series. This series offers the performance you have come to expect from Vac-Tron Equipment while keeping the cost of operation to a minimum.
Standard equipment:
CV GT models: Powered by 27 HP Kohler EFI gas engine, 580 cfm @ 15 Hg, Wet/dry filtration with cyclonic separation, 500 or 800-gallon debris tank, 7 Series Claw Door, Hydraulic rear door with auto engage safety latch, 200 – 300-gallon water capacities, 3500 psi @ 4 gpm, Water knife and clean-up wand, 30’ x 3” vacuum hose.
CV SGT High CFM models: Powered by a 37 HP Kohler gas engine, 1000 cfm @ 15 Hg, Wet/dry filtration with cyclonic separation, 500 or 800-gallon debris tank, 7 Series Claw Door, Hydraulic rear door with auto engage safety latch, 200 – 300-gallon water capacities, 3500 psi @ 4 gpm, Water knife and clean-up wand, 30’ x 4” vacuum hose.
Optional reverse pressure is also available.
For more information about our CV Series, contact Vac-Tron Equipment at 888-822-8766 or visit us at www.vactron.com.
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Swiftly-Assembled Machine to bore Emergency Water Supply Tunnel
After an Onsite First Time Assembly (OFTA) lasting just 2.5 months, Atlanta Georgia, USA’s newest TBM, dubbed “Driller Mike”, made its initial startup on October 13, 2016 and ramped up to full production two weeks later. Atlanta’s Mayor Kasim Reed and city officials gathered with local and national media to celebrate the occasion. The 3.8 m (12.5 ft) diameter Robbins Main Beam TBM is now boring the 8.0 km (5.0 mi) Bellwood Tunnel after being walked forward 100 ft into a starter tunnel. The Bellwood Tunnel path will travel from an inactive quarry and run below a water treatment plant and reservoir before ending next to the Chattahoochee River.
The project was green-lighted by the City of Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management due to the city’s 
current emergency water supply shortage. The PC/Russell JV, the project’s construction manager at risk, sub-contracted with the Atkinson/Technique JV to operate the TBM and will oversee construction of various intake and pumping shafts as well as final lining operations. The project is of utmost importance for the City of Atlanta, explained Bob Huie, Sr. Project Manager for the PC/Russell JV. “Right now, the downtown area’s emergency water supply is approximately three days. With the tunnel the supply will increase to between 30 and 90 days. To be a part of the city’s emergency water supply solution is huge. This tunnel will protect the city for a very long time.”
With the tunnel on the fast track, swift TBM assembly was key. The OFTA process involved coordination by multiple
crews at the large quarry site. “The OFTA went very well. The overall assembly process was well organized and supervised by the Atkinson/Technique JV and Robbins. We had a good team of folks to put it all together,” said Huie. He continued: “This is a unique job where there’s a lot of people with a variety of backgrounds, but everyone came together to make the OFTA happen.”
The Robbins TBM is now excavating in granite, with at least 300 m (1,000 ft) of zones in three separate areas that will require continuous probing. In a section directly below an existing reservoir, monitoring will be particularly crucial to ensure no water inflows occur. The Robbins machine will also be required to negotiate several curves: “We have one curve in the first 300 m (1,000 ft) and the main 370 m (1,200 ft) radius curve is 1,800 m (6,000 ft) in. We plan to do short TBM strokes in this section—about 20 cm (8 inches) to 30 cm (1 ft) shorter than normal to get through the curves,” said Larry Weslowski, Tunneling Superintendent for the PC/Russell JV.
Excavation is scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2018. After final lining, the tunnel will be filled with 
water and the quarry site will become Atlanta’s largest reservoir and park, totaling hundreds of acres. While the park site is a bonus for residents, the water storage capacity it will provide is critical. Nearly 1.2 million customers, including 200,000 passengers who pass through the world’s busiest airport every day, count on the water supply each time they turn on the tap. “If the city were to lose water supply for a day, the estimated economic impact would be at least USD $100 million per day. If you consider that this is a USD $300 million project, that seems a pretty good investment in comparison to what could happen,” said Huie.
Image 1: The Robbins Main Beam TBM, dubbed “Driller Mike”, was launched on Atlanta, Georgia, USA’s Bellwood Tunnel in October 2016.
Image 2: Robbins Field Service stand proudly in front of the completed Main Beam TBM after an Onsite First Time Assembly lasting just 2.5 months.
Image 3: The 3.8 m (12.5 ft) diameter Robbins Main Beam TBM will bore the 8.0 km (5.0 mi) Bellwood Tunnel through granite rock with potential zones of water inflows.
Image 4: Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed (left) and Atlanta City Councilman Andre Dickens (right) attend the TBM’s launch ceremony to kick off the Bellwood Tunnel excavation.
Desiree Willis
Technical Writer
Email: willisd@robbinstbm.com
Direct: 253.872.4490
highlighting its new 350 HS Antenna with HyperStacking™ technology and SIR® 4000 GPR control unit at the American Geophysical Union’s Fall Meeting, which will be held December 12-16, 2016, in San Francisco, CA. GSSI will also showcase research findings made by the winners of the GSSI Student Grant. The yearly grant funded by GSSI includes a cash award of up to $2,000 to student members of AGU’s Near-Surface Geophysics Focus Group, and use of equipment for field geophysical research using GPR and electromagnetic methods.
