Operation with the equipment
Borehole preparation
The size of the source head requires a borehole with a diameter of 60-70 mm. Its depth should be more
than 350 mm to ensure a tight fit of the protective disk to the ground. The maximum depth of the borehole
without the use of an extension rods is 1 m.
PIKE-12 can be used without restrictions in any soil, as well as in waterfilled and contaminated boreholes.
Loading
Before loading, ensure that the firing pin has returned to its original position after the previous shot or
source head assembly and is not stuck in the receiver hole. If the firing pin is stuck, remove the receiver,
remove the firing pin (fig. 5) and eliminate the nature of the failure (it may be dirt or soot).
Insert a blank cartridge in cartridge chamber.
The cartridge chamber is secured by a four-way thread. The cartridge chamber must be screwed in 1.5
turns to be fully engaged. Always tighten the cartridge chamber as far as it will go. Failure to do so may
result in a misfire or the case bottom may burst and cause difficulty in extracting the cartridge case.
During the loading process, tighten the cartridge chamber by hand, without the use of tools. Do not use
any tool to tighten the cartridge chamber with the cartridge loaded. If the cartridge chamber is difficult to
rotate, clean and lubricate the four-way threads.
Protective bracket can be used as a support for tommy bar in case of difficulty in unscrewing the cartridge
chamber and ONLY AFTER THE SHOT.
Shot
Lower the loaded source into a borehole until the bracket stops in the bottom.
Lower the protective disk (3 in Figure 1) onto ground in order to block the top of a borehole.
Place one foot on the protective disc.
Remove a safety-lock.
Hold the handle of the cross-bar with one hand.
Upon the seismograph operator's command, strike the end cap lightly with a hammer (Fig. 4).
Set a safety-lock.
Remove the source from a borehole. When removing PIKE-12 do not rotate it counterclockwise, as this will
lead to unscrewing the cartridge chamber.
Unscrew the cartridge chamber. In case of difficulty, use a tommy bar and pipe wrench.
Push out the used cartridge case with a 250-300 mm long pin.
If necessary, clean the threads of the cartridge chamber with a stiff brush and lubricate it with liquid mineral
oil or silicone grease.
