Fox and Hound wire tracer recommendations

[Seapig]

I am looking for recommendations for a tone generator wire tracer. Optimally something that will work with a needle contact.


I am also starting a petition to make it a hanging offense to a abandon wires when installing new equipment. Who's with me?

[Shrew]

Originally Posted by Seapig

I am also starting a petition to make it a hanging offense to a abandon wires when installing new equipment. Who's with me?

I guess you've never come across a wire that can't be back pulled. Sometimes the wire is part of a larger run that is zip tied every few feet along the run and routes behind bulkheads and various difficult to reach areas. You could spend hours tidying up wiring runs in never seen spaces.

[Seapig]

Originally Posted by Shrew

I guess you've never come across a wire that can't be back pulled. Sometimes the wire is part of a larger run that is zip tied every few feet along the run and routes behind bulkheads and various difficult to reach areas. You could spend hours tidying up wiring runs in never seen spaces.

I have and I have spent hours pulling them back and re zip tying them. If you can't get the entire wire out than you should at least cut it back cap it and label it. At the very least cut it back clean at the bundle. Leaving connectors hanging in the back of an instrument space is just lazy. If you pay someone to install new equipment and they don't do that minimum level of clean up then they would go on my list to be hung.

[jeepbluetj]

I use a cheapie: https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instru..._t1_B0863F3HYD

It works. Has a bit of limited range, but I've traced the wires embedded in the overhead with it. No contact needed for the receiver. Transmitter really only needs one wire hooked up.

[walbee]

I have the Sperry device mentioned, works pretty well in my 42’ trawler.

I’ve removed about 15 banker boxes of wire and equipment so far in my 20yo vessel. Chases are so jammed with unused wiring I had a hard time routing a small gauge coax for an external cellular antenna.

[Madehn]

What and lose that valuable resource of spare wire? Spent a miserable day hand steering in the rain on a friends boat in rough seas We couldn’t get the autopilot to work shortly after a wire cleanup. Turned out the PO had wired part of it with speaker wire which my friend had ripped out since he knew he had pulled all of the old stereo system out. It should be a hanging offense along with not labeling wires. I make labels then laminate them twice over with a hot laminator then zip tie them to.the wires after melting a hole in the lamination with a hot punch. Takes time but has been so worthwhile later.

[svfinlandia]

Originally Posted by Shrew

I guess you've never come across a wire that can't be back pulled. Sometimes the wire is part of a larger run that is zip tied every few feet along the run and routes behind bulkheads and various difficult to reach areas. You could spend hours tidying up wiring runs in never seen spaces.

I will be happy to sign that petition!

My old 1983 motorsailer had lots dead end wires when I bought it, some of them lamp cord, and yes I have spent hours clipping wire ties, pulling back unused wires, and wire tying bundles back together again.

Al, S/V Finlandia

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by jeepbluetj

I use a cheapie: https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instru..._t1_B0863F3HYD

It works. Has a bit of limited range, but I've traced the wires embedded in the overhead with it. No contact needed for the receiver. Transmitter really only needs one wire hooked up.

Thanks for the recommendation. Been wanting one. I just placed an order.

[sailingchiro]

I pulled TWO five gallon buckets of wire off my boat after purchase.
I have the Harbor Freight FM frequency generator to chase wires.

You wouldn't believe the amount of cut wires behind our airplane panel. I tried to hunt down the source for our panel lights. There must have been 50 cut white wires with random lenghts. Impossible. Still use a headlamp at night.

[rwidman]

I used one of those wire tracers in my job for twenty years or so. Originally, I used one I constructed myself. Eventually, I got a commercial one.

Using these devices is a bit of an art because the signal can transfer to other wires and in some cases the wire you are trying to trace is grounded (or partially grounded, through a light bulb, perhaps) and the signal is shorted to ground.

I still have one but have never considered using it on my boat. No need to, I suppose.

If you get one, keep in mind what I posted above. Don't rip out a wire based solely on a signal tracer. Double check first.

[Time2Go]

Originally Posted by rwidman

I used one of those wire tracers in my job for twenty years or so. Originally, I used one I constructed myself. Eventually, I got a commercial one.

Using these devices is a bit of an art because the signal can transfer to other wires and in some cases the wire you are trying to trace is grounded (or partially grounded, through a light bulb, perhaps) and the signal is shorted to ground.

I still have one but have never considered using it on my boat. No need to, I suppose.

If you get one, keep in mind what I posted above. Don't rip out a wire based solely on a signal tracer. Double check first.

I built a rig with 50’ of 16gauge hook up wire
a cheap little buzzer and a 9 volt battery.
Basically a really big continuity checker.
There were a few instances where the fox and hound gave erroneous
results because of tight bundling. I used the above rig to check
the Fox and Hound before cutting any wires.
Saved some grief for sure

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by Time2Go

I built a rig with 50’ of 16gauge hook up wire
a cheap little buzzer and a 9 volt battery.
Basically a really big continuity checker.
There were a few instances where the fox and hound gave erroneous
results because of tight bundling. I used the above rig to check
the Fox and Hound before cutting any wires.
Saved some grief for sure

I have an inexpensive "fox & hound" tracer. It's of some use on a boat, but you often have to disconnect the wire(s) at both ends to get enough signal to trace with. As described above, sometimes it's just as effective to do other tests like continuity, or looking for 12v as you trace away from the DC panel.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Time2Go

I built a rig with 50’ of 16gauge hook up wire
a cheap little buzzer and a 9 volt battery.
Basically a really big continuity checker.
There were a few instances where the fox and hound gave erroneous
results because of tight bundling. I used the above rig to check
the Fox and Hound before cutting any wires.
Saved some grief for sure

That will work. I have used the technique of temporarily grounding a conductor as a tracing aide. That ground can take the place of the 50' of hookup wire (in some cases).

[jharding]

I love my tone generator for chasing wires, wish I had it 11 years ago when I ripped out two lawn and leaf bags of wire, had to follow them the old hard way. the tone generator I have is a fluke pro 3000, probable recommended by some one here. It can be a little tricky and you have to be carefull in a big bundle of wires, but it works. I do still have some of that damn old speaker wire in some bundles on my boat, that **** was every where.

[chris mac]

My boat has had 3 previous owners, they all added new wiring. So have I, but I'm probably the first to remove any!
I bought a cheap fox and hound from harbour freight. It's saved so much time. Plus I've been recruited a few times to help buddy boats. It's well worth having aboard