GPR frequency selection

One of the most important variables in GPR is selection of the operating frequency. Proper frequency selection can make the difference between survey success or failure. The most important aspect for a user is to understand the basic principles involved so that adequate survey planning can be carried out. Frequency selection depends on clearly defining the survey objective. This requires that the site and the survey conditions be evaluated prior to the survey. If not done, survey failure or success will be impossible to predict. Factors to be considered are site geology, surface obstructions, host geology, electrical properties, target size and depth of exploration. Given the above information, various constraints on frequency can be developed. From these frequency estimates, upper and lower bounds are placed on the frequency likely to be effective for the particular problem. In addition, the expectations of the end user of the survey results can be established thereby avoiding surprises.