Check my answer ...

[e57]

how much something like that would ?cost.

Megger - like Hilti is translatable into - 'if you have to ask...' Or just have the someone else sign the check so you can digest your lunch...

As far as TDR's go - this is reasonably priced and feature rich... At about $1500...

 

[mivey]

Are they available to the public?.

If you have the money, you can buy one.

 

[mivey]

From what little I know about thumpers is that they are opposite in two ways - high voltage - high energy - often enough to jump gaps or even burn corrosion temperorily...

The thumpers also do TDR analysis. One option is to send a high voltage pulse down the line. You can hear and feel the ground vibrate at the fault point. Sometimes smoke will even come out of the ground. It is really neat to watch if you get a chance to see a demo.

Some utilities own one but a lot of smaller utilities just hire the locating service when needed. They are fairly expensive but I don't remember the exact cost quoted.

 

[K8MHZ]

If you have the money, you can buy one.

Or rent one?

The EC's I worked for rented hi-pots from somewhere. One nice thing about renting is not having to worry about calibration. The rental company took care of that.

 

[mivey]

Here is one:
http://www.hdwelectronics.com/fls-smart-thump.htm

 

[mivey]

Or rent one?.

For one time stuff it is easier to hire the person along with it. The ones that use them all the time can get the job done quickly.

Also,there are a lot of things you have to get familiar with so you don't kill yourself or someone else (at least in the MV/HV world). If you plan to use it on a regular basis, buy it and go through the training.