Congratulations first time poster, engineer, and scientific kind of guy, you just got taken in. Someone played you for a fool, and you bought it hook line and sinker.I'm a chartered civil engineer (UK) and am a scientific kind of guy.
We marked out various locations where the rods crossed, which formed a line across the site, and this was later confirmed to be the exact line of the pipe by trial hole.
How does it work? It doesn't. If you had read this thread you would see that there has been documented some controlled tests with thousands of test subjects, with tens of thousands of data points, that show that dowsers can do no better then random.How does it work you may ask??
Well I don't know, which was why I was searching the net.
But I thought I would share my experience and would urge anyone to have a go, don't just dismiss it. You can make your own rods (I would suggest the same way as above as I know that worked.
I was going to suggest this....
Also, if you really think you can dowse then there is a million USD prize waiting for you.
Yes, they have tested alleged dowsers. The $1M remains unclaimed.The money is real. It is held in an account at BNY Mellon. The JREF is a “tax exempt” organization, so we are required by law to provide annual public disclosure of our finances. That means that the public can review copies of JREF's tax return (Form 990). You can go to http://web.randi.org/our-financials to view JREF's 990, which was prepared by an independent CPA firm. Part X, Line 11 shows the amount of Investments in Publicly Traded Securities which is greater than a million dollars.
The contract between the claimant and JREF is binding enough that the JREF must pay the prize if someone wins it. This is a published, legal obligation, not just a casual offer. Also, if JREF were not able to hold up its end of the bargain, the IRS could investigate and revoke the JREF's tax exempt status. It could mean severe penalties for the JREF. Rest assured: The money is there.
Now get a Ouija board, except for a language you don't know. (Something that uses alphanumeric symbols, maybe something like Russian if you don't know that language.)I used a willow branch when I was little for divining. I felt I accurately located the well and sewer lateral lines of our home. Granted, I knew exactly where they were to begin with.
Now get a Ouija board, except for a language you don't know. (Something that uses alphanumeric symbols, maybe something like Russian if you don't know that language.)
Then see if you even manage to spell out a proper word.
hmm: What if you end up trying to communicate with an illiterate ghost?)
So go get the million dollar prize.My buddy needed a well and had a guy come over with a willow branch to find a spot.
He found a spot. I tried it and couldn't hold the branch fom turing down. It was weird. My buddy tried it and it didnt work for him. I'v also located pipes in the ground with coat hangers.
Why won't this thread die?
I want to apologize first for the spelling error that you will undoubtfully see... Lol.. I am writing this on a cel phone....
I have read the posts here and thought that I could help clear up so issues for the original poster and the other folks on this thread...
I have been doing utility locating and subsurface utility engineering for almost 20 years. I have used "witch wands" or "divining rods" hundreds of times. They absolutely work if you know how to use them properly. I use multiple types of utility locating equipment everyday. I have searched for conductive and noncondusive utilities. My company does vac test holes (or soft digs) on my findings every day and I am very sucessful. If I have no luck finding a connection point to hook my transmitter up to so that I can push a radio signal through the facility then I attempt to use my equiptment to induce from above the facility. If the facility is nonconducive then I will use a divining wand to determine a general location of the facility and look for other means to locate it such as gpr (ground penetrating radar) which I am a certified, trained, and experienced in using.
But if for some reason the facility that I am searching for is completely impossible to locate by using any of those methods then I will locate it entirely by using divining rods... After I locate a line my vac truck operator will come and test pit (dig a hole) over the facility. This is done to determine depth and size. We also survey (shoot) the utility to mark the exact location for engineering purposes. After years of doing this I am usually within a 6-12 inches of my mark.
I have used divining rods for years and have come to realize that like the ground penetrating radar or radio detection devices, the divining rod is picking up multiple things such as, soil inconsistencies, electrical current, pressurized water flow, radio current, etc... There are forces in everything. It is not magic. Even a trench in the soil creates some sort of consistent flow. That is how pvc or poly pipes are located without inserting a tracer tape through them.
The use of the diving rod has skeptics. But think of it this way. How can we feel a tv that is left on in a dark house in the middle of the night. The current and radio waves, right? It is the same pricipal.
But with most utility locators it is common sence and process of elimination. If you can find one access point for a facility then you can track a general direction. Then using the rod you can ensure the path has not deviated. I will have to admit that this method is not perfered or in any way a first option, but I most certainly works. It is not magic... It is science.
What is the definition of paranormal in regards to the Challenge?
Paranormal is a generic term used to refer to occurrences beyond the scope of conventional experience or scientific explanation. It implies that certain phenomena are to be understood independent of sciences present measure. Paranormal experiences are different from certain hypotheses, i.e. dark matter or String Theory, because the paranormal events are not consistent with our current scientific conception of the way the world works through empirical observation and the scientific method.
This is the definition in regards to the $1,000,000 "PARANORMAL" Challenge....
Read what I wrote. Then read this again. Everything I stated is scientific and in no way. paranormal. I am a firm believer that any occurance on this planet can be explained by science. That is why I wrote what I did, to show people that it was I no was magic.
What is the definition of paranormal in regards to the Challenge?
Paranormal is a generic term used to refer to occurrences beyond the scope of conventional experience or scientific explanation. It implies that certain phenomena are to be understood independent of sciences present measure. Paranormal experiences are different from certain hypotheses, i.e. dark matter or String Theory, because the paranormal events are not consistent with our current scientific conception of the way the world works through empirical observation and the scientific method.
This is the definition in regards to the $1,000,000 "PARANORMAL" Challenge....
Read what I wrote. Then read this again. Everything I stated is scientific and in no way. paranormal. I am a firm believer that any occurance on this planet can be explained by science. That is why I wrote what I did, to show people that it was I no was magic.
Ehhhhh....yeah.....But think of it this way. How can we feel a tv that is left on in a dark house in the middle of the night. The current and radio waves, right? It is the same pricipal.....It is not magic....It is science.
If you can demonstrate that your method of dowsing is accurate with respect to finding buried objects of which you have no prior knowledge, that should be sufficient to win you the prize.
windyrobo said:One of the supervisors got some copper cable
A guy at work told a story of when he went to work for a machine shop.Funny seeing this back at the top. Had a talk with a union plumber. He said it is a running joke within the unions to use dowsing on people for fun.
...
So it'll conveniently pick up anything you want it to find? Polymer detection, soil density variations, electricity, radio waves, water pressure changes....that right there would require a sensor suite well into the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on range and resolution.I want to apologize first for the spelling error that you will undoubtfully see... Lol.. I am writing this on a cel phone....
I have read the posts here and thought that I could help clear up so issues for the original poster and the other folks on this thread...
I have been doing utility locating and subsurface utility engineering for almost 20 years. I have used "witch wands" or "divining rods" hundreds of times. They absolutely work if you know how to use them properly. I use multiple types of utility locating equipment everyday. I have searched for conductive and nonconductive utilities. My company does vac test holes (or soft digs) on my findings every day and I am very successful. If I have no luck finding a connection point to hook my transmitter up to so that I can push a radio signal through the facility then I attempt to use my equipment to induce from above the facility. If the facility is nonconductive then I will use a divining wand to determine a general location of the facility and look for other means to locate it such as gpr (ground penetrating radar) which I am a certified, trained, and experienced in using.
But if for some reason the facility that I am searching for is completely impossible to locate by using any of those methods then I will locate it entirely by using divining rods... After I locate a line my vac truck operator will come and test pit (dig a hole) over the facility. This is done to determine depth and size. We also survey (shoot) the utility to mark the exact location for engineering purposes. After years of doing this I am usually within a 6-12 inches of my mark.
I have used divining rods for years and have come to realize that like the ground penetrating radar or radio detection devices, the divining rod is picking up multiple things such as, soil inconsistencies, electrical current, pressurized water flow, radio current, etc... There are forces in everything. It is not magic. Even a trench in the soil creates some sort of consistent flow. That is how pvc or poly pipes are located without inserting a tracer tape through them.
No.The use of the diving rod has skeptics. But think of it this way. How can we feel a tv that is left on in a dark house in the middle of the night. The current and radio waves, right? It is the same principal.
The scientific method requires that something be repeatable in a controlled environment. If you can repeat it reliably, there are industries out there, like anyone in mining or fossil fuels, that would pay you a lot more than you're earning right now, and I know that the scientific community would be very interested in knowing the mechanism through which it works.But with most utility locators it is common sense and process of elimination. If you can find one access point for a facility then you can track a general direction. Then using the rod you can ensure the path has not deviated. I will have to admit that this method is not preferred or in any way a first option, but it most certainly works. It is not magic... It is science.