Ground-penetrating radar¶
The ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is a push-mower-sized radar unit that the task force rents from the equipment dealer Drebin and uses to scan the ground under the Sherman Ranch and the grave of Shelly Wilmarth. (Walkers 04, Walkers 05)
| Type | Item (equipment) |
| Aliases | GPR; the radar; ground radar |
| Holder | Rented by the task force; operated mostly by Kurt Larson |
| Cost | $800 rental ("a friend rate") |
| First appearance | Walkers 04 |
Description¶
The GPR looks like a push lawnmower with a screen on the handles. Drebin's instructions are that the voltmeter must read above 60 or the batteries need replacing, and that the display is switched on by tilting it forward and back. In Walkers 06 Andre adds that two big car batteries power it, and that it is a little heavier than a push lawnmower. Its display is "extremely cryptic," and Andre rules that reading it takes a Sharp roll every time. (Walkers 05, Walkers 06)
Properties¶
Drebin explains that the signal shows irregularities in depth as fluctuations in the lines, so that "empty coffin, you're gonna see a void. Full coffin, you're not gonna see a void." It shows only the shallow signal well. (Walkers 05)
History¶
Sourcing. In Walkers 04, as a backup plan in case the exhumation order falls through, Dante's Kurt goes to the big house to phone around for ground radar or sonar. Zack suggests a contact, and Ezra's Biz uses Fixer (Charm, a 12) to recall a friend of his ex-wife's brother in Salt Lake City who sells equipment for finding wrecked cars in lakes. After about an hour on the phone the Biz reaches him, and he agrees to rent a ground-penetrating radar for about $800 the next day. (Walkers 04)
Delivery. In Walkers 05 Drebin delivers the unit and demonstrates it on the ranch's septic tank, which shows a void about ten feet down. He then points out a very large signal about 70 feet down ("it's like a cave") and loses interest. He clutches his pet iguana, says he will be back in 24 hours to collect the unit, and leaves. While they wait, Kurt (Sharp 13, counted as 12) and Andrew experiment with it, concluding that the cavern extends under the whole area at depth and that nowhere on the property is closer to the surface; this is the first sign of the cavern. Andrew buries a Cats costume as a calibration, and it barely shows at the very top of the display. The radar is also part of the cover story Dante's Kurt and Andrew give to the mayor, Wilford Hiram: a non-invasive check that Shelly Wilmarth's casket is in fact full. (Walkers 05)
Cemetery. In Walkers 06 the party loads the radar into Betsy and goes to the churchyard cemetery. The machine will not start. Flipped over, it shows several bundles of wires on its underside that look chewed, although the underside cannot be reached while the unit stands upright, as it had been left. The table jokes about the goose, ape men and squirrels. Zack's Huell passes the Sharp roll that Andre sets at minus three and repairs it. Pushed over the grave and compared with neighbouring plots, the radar convinces the party that something solid is in the coffin, with about 85 percent confidence. The exhumation order is not yet approved, so this serves as a backup, and they plan to dig the next day. (Walkers 06) See the exhumation of Shelly Wilmarth.
The cause of the chewed wires is never established.