Foundations track
Foundations — entry-level locating lessons
Five lessons in published order — the entry sequence for everyone new to the curriculum. Start at Foundations 01 (what 811 covers and where the private locator takes over) and work through to Foundations 05 (the field-reporting closeout). The rest of the catalog assumes you have this framing.
Lessons
Five lessons, published in order
Each lesson runs as a standalone page with its own objectives, procedures, common errors, and knowledge check. Work through them in sequence — Foundations 01 sets the framing Foundations 02–05 build on.
Foundations 01
811 and its limits
What 811 legally covers (public right-of-way utilities up to the meter or service stub) and what it does not (anything site-side of that line) — the entry-level framing for the whole track.
Foundations 02
Reading the site
Flags, APWA paint, fixtures, pavement patches, depressions: the visual vocabulary a private locator reads on a pre-sweep walk before any GPR or EM equipment is powered on.
Foundations 03
Introduction to locating equipment
The three entry-level locating-equipment categories (passive EM, active EM induction, GPR basics) — what each tool detects, when to reach for it, and its dominant limitations.
Foundations 04
Signal theory and frequency
The EM signal model for active-induction locating, low-vs-high frequency rules, depth triangulation, and six early-career frequency mistakes to avoid on the way to a clean read.
Foundations 05
Documentation, field reporting & deliverables
Field-sketch conventions, ASCE 38 quality-level authorship, measurement ties, photo capture, dispatching to contractors vs. municipalities, and the findings map / field report / recommendations memo tier.
Back
All training tracks
The /training hub indexes the three tracks side by side — Foundations, NULCA certification prep, and Advanced modules.
Forward
NULCA practice assessment
Once the five Foundations lessons are in hand, the NULCA practice assessment is the next step — it instruments the same five domains the prep modules target.