Falcon or Aurora — which do I need?

Falcon is the workhorse for utility work with 3-25 ft cover and handles interference well. Aurora is the longer-range, higher-resolution system for deep-pipeline and river work. Most fleets carry a Falcon primary and step to Aurora for the deeper jobs.

Can I run a newer receiver with an older transmitter?

Usually yes within the same platform generation, but firmware revisions matter — confirm receiver firmware supports the specific transmitter serial range. Drillworx can look up the pairing or call DCI directly if there is any ambiguity.

What interference sources cause locate failures?

Rail systems, buried high-voltage, large transformers, and some CP systems on pipelines. Do a walk-and-scan of the bore path before the first push; if active interference is above baseline, step to a higher frequency and re-scan. Interference plans the job; do not let it surprise you mid-push.

Locating Systems · 10 SKUs

DigiTrak / DCI Systems

Complete Falcon systems and transmitters

DigiTrak by Digital Control Inc. is the most-deployed HDD locating platform on the continent. The Falcon, Aurora, and F5 lines cover the range from residential utility work through deep pipeline crossings. A locator system is not a single device — it is a matched set: receiver, transmitter (sonde), remote display, and batteries, all paired to the same frequency band and software revision.

Drillworx stocks the current DCI hardware, accessories, and batteries, and we maintain a parts inventory for the previous generations still in daily service. When you upgrade a receiver, the transmitter, remote, and batteries often need to move forward with it — we can bundle the upgrade in one quote rather than three.

Pairing and interference are the two failure modes that cost the most daylight on a HDD jobsite. If a system is acting strange — signal drops, pitch-roll jitter, depth-reading swings — call the salesperson for your region before ordering replacement parts. Many field issues are cable, battery, or firmware-level rather than hardware.

Field guidance

When to use digitrak / dci systems

Residential and commercial utility

Falcon F5-class receivers and short-range transmitters cover the majority of crossings with 3-15 feet of cover.

Highway and deep-pipeline work

Aurora and Falcon+ systems with long-range transmitters handle 25-50+ ft of cover on highway undercrossings and pipeline jobs.

Interference-heavy urban sites

Active interference from rail, transformers, and adjacent power requires the higher-frequency Falcon modes and good site surveys before the first push.

Training and spare inventory

Carry one spare remote display and a charged backup battery set per active rig. Locating hardware is the single most downtime-sensitive piece of HDD inventory.

Compatibility

Fitment & sizing

Current platforms: Falcon F1, F5, Falcon+, Aurora
Supported housings: All standard Vermeer and Ditch Witch side-load housings
Batteries: DCI-spec alkaline, lithium, and rechargeable
Compatibility matrix: Receiver firmware and transmitter frequencies must match

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