Peacock Radiolocates

Peacock Radio Location

By Michael Poucher

The 21^st Century visited Peacock Springs on December 2002 when the CDS brought out the Section's cave radio to locate the passages above ground for the Peacock Springs Citizens Support Organization's educational trail initiative. On loan from the US Deep Caving Team (USDCT), this piece of equipment, originally used to locate the passages in Wakulla Springs, allows pinpoint measurement of the passage location above ground using a radio signal.

Jim Womble carries the beacon into Orange Grove Sink. Photo by Kelly Jessop.

Consisting of a round coil of copper wire, the radio beacon emits an electromagnetic field strong enough to penetrate up to 300 feet of limestone and soil and be detected on the surface. In fact, the field is so strong that divers must use caution not to get dive computers too close or it could damage them.

The beacon is located by using a receiver consisting of another round coil of wire, connected to electronics that produce an audible tone in the headphones worn by the operator.

Leveling the beacon prior to turning the unit on. Photo by Kelly Jessop.

A close up view of the radio receiver

. Photo courtesy of Brian Pease

By locating the passages and prominent features, the CSO hopes to build an interpretive trail through the park. Small displays will be set up in kiosks at key points illustrating the geology and biology of the cave system. For instance, above the Breakdown Room would be a discussion on geology and how caves form and the part "breakdown" plays in the formation.

The trail will become an educational resource for the area illustrating the beauty and importance of the underwater cave systems and their relationship to the aquifer - the primary source of drinking water in Suwannee County.

Four teams of divers coordinated efforts to transport the radio coil from Orange Grove Sink down to Peacock I Spring. Team 1 consisted of Kelly Jessop and Jim Womble. They began their dive at 10:03 am and at 10:20 am, the surface team

heard the radio beacon turn on. Sandra and Mike Poucher quickly located the beacon on the surface, marking the location of the canyon just before the Distance Tunnel. Jim and Kelly next moved the beacon to the Distance Tunnel and then the Siphon Tunnel.

Team 2 of Scott Elliot, Jerry Murphy, and Bill Stape entered the water next at 11:25 am and picked up the beacon carrying it below Challenge Sink to the Catacombs area and then to the Peanut restriction where John Jones and Jim Fishback picked it up at 1:00 pm. They located a dome in the Peanut Tunnel and the Keyhole below Olsen.

Next Andrea Moses and Alex Cole took the beacon to the Nicholson Tunnel and to the Breakdown Room. The beacon was turned off for the last time at 3:40 pm after locating nine separate points in the Peacock System.

Mike Poucher using the locator to home in on the signal.

Photo by Sandra Poucher.

Many thanks to the dive teams for spending their day volunteering for the park and also to Laurie Jessop for taking notes and moral support and to Janet Stape and her dog Brie. Also thanks to the USDCT for loaning us the radio locators, John Zumrick for making it happen, American Underwater Lighting for repairs to the canisters, and to Brian Pease for making the trip down to train us on how to use the equipment. For more information on radiolocation visit Brian's website at https://radiolocation.tripod.com.

The beacon is set up and ready to go. Note the battery back is set away from the beacon to allow the diver to shut the bacon off from a safe distance. Photo by Kelly Jessop.