Thermol I.R. Cameras for cache hunting?

[drewan29]

I'm watching Brad Meltzer's Decoded they are trying to crack the case of D.B. Cooper. I know that cache hunters use metal detectors,metal probes and some time use two box unites and other tools but has any one used I.R. thermol image cameras? I'm not a cache hunter not because I don't want too but because I wouldn't even know where to start lol. I was just wondering if any one has ever tried the I R before for houses,barns or sheds? I know some small fire departments have them and some might let the fire fighters use them but thats a big maybe. I was just wondering.

 

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[Frankn]

D.B. cooper has been cracked ! Bundles or $20's have been found in a stream in the area of the jump. The serial # matched the money given Cooper. End of story.
As far as thermal imaging . There is little use for it in TH. Thermal readings are basicly surface readings. The only exception is the extremely expensive unit available to police departments that is used to see people thru walls, but this only works with sources that produce heat like people or surfaces that reflect heat. It does not work on non heat producing items that are buried.

 

[CWnut]

thermal image units detect heat, or more precisely, differences in heat. They do not have the ability to "see" through walls. However they can distinguish the difference between heated and unheated rooms by heat escaping through the cracks and temperature of the window panes. Some manufacturers claim their instruments can detect the subtle differences in ground cover where a mine shaft is covered over.The air trapped inside the mine shaft filters through and raises the temperature of the soil a slight amount on cold, windless nights. Just the opposite on hot summer nights, the soil over the closed mine shaft will be a degree or so cooler.

Never tried it!!!! Has anyone?

 

[drewan29]

The reason why I asked is because in this episode they used one and found a wood compartment with an I.R. cam in the attic it was because it showed a difference in heat .

 

[Gaijun1]

I Belive What They Found Was A Door To the Attic Ive Seen Them That Small In Motel Attics
So Its Not Uncommon To Find One That Small Many Attics Are Warm Enough To Give Off Heat Too IR If They Are Sealed Off

 

[photo-master]

Pretty much 100% what Frankn said...

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Good afternoon my Friends: It was asked about the possibilities of IR cameras being of use in THng. Go to -->

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,247873.msg2716966/boardseen.html#new

Have fun and put in your own thoughts.

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[S.S.Tupperware]

Wont work... I do IR for building envelopes, looking for either water intrusion, or energy audits, and electrical inspections. I am a certified thermographer from FLIR. IR only shows the temp differences on the surface... It does NOT look thru walls. My cam will show a difference of .01 of a degree, which is very sensitive, and can reveal a lot of info if interpreted correctly. I sure wish I could use it to find something, that would be cool.

The basics are the denser the object and its ability to conduct thermally the more distinct the images. As you can see this was a scan for water intrusion in a boat hull. You need to do these types of inspections after thermal loading has occurred and when the temp drops and the water logged foam flotation has gathered more energy than the lesser dense dry foam...

 

[ToyMan]

Re: Thermal I.R. Cameras for cache hunting?

I used to own one back in the eighties. I could see sheetrock nails in a wall. I could also see wall studs when the sun was shining on my outer wall.

I had a ditch in my front yard created when they laid a gas line to my house. After the sun went down the loose dirt in the ditch revealed a cooler temperature than the hard packed dirt around it.

I also used it successfully to find caves from a distance.

 

[golddigger65]

Isn't there a machine that will detect ground disturbance, the difference between undisturbed earth and earth that has been dug up or otherwise disturbed as in graves or other burial sites? It measures the difference in compaction of the soil.
I seem to recall reading something along those lines some time back when I was thinking of going to Missouri and digging up a known family treasure.

This could be helpful for in the ground cache hunting. Scrolling will show the use for ground disturbance ie: graves or other types of burial site.
http://www.malags.com/Resources/Applications

 

[GrayCloud]

Interesting link Golddigger, those units may be of value.
As for ground disturbance. Ground that has a void in it, such as a shallow buried casket or chest, will have a different temperature reading than the adjoining ground. This is due to both ground thermal heat in the Winter and ground thermal cooling in the summer. I know this from first hand experience and yes I have had more than one laser thermometer. I do not know if it would work on deeper buried objects or voids in the ground. Good Luck and Good Hunting.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Good morning tupperware. You are correct, however the specific / localized surface temp will often be influenced by the materiel lying deeper inside /below, hence ---"si senor" the possibility exists, if properly used and interpreted.

Also different ranges of the IR spectrum have different characteristics.

Jose de La Mancha

 

[Frankn]

I read some where a couple of years back that one of our many government agencies has a plane equipped with very sensitive I.R. equippment that was used to locate a mission foundation in the SW. Can't remember the details.
Frank

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Good morning Frankn: I used aerial photographs to locate old trails and buildings here in Mexico. This was standard B & W film. Today our abilities are far more sophisticated and efficient.

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[Frankn]

yea, the GPR sats can find anything but I think the GOV. has a lock on that. Frank

 

[S.S.Tupperware]

There are a couple 12 MP IRs on planes that fly the coast before hurricanes and document houses for the insurance co.s so after a strorm they can have a handle on fraud. I bet you could really see a lot with that, but it's kinda hush hush.

 

[drewan29]

very interesting posts I know that when are fire department got theirs I was looking at the ceiling of our fire hall and could see the trusses and where they didn't insulate well so I thought that if used in a house or barn/out building it might work I know it wouldn't for the ground maybe at night but not during the day.

 

[Frankn]

Here in MD. the State Police have IR cameras on the nose of their helicopters to track people at night.

 

[Connecticut Sam]

Did any of you found bury treasures?

 

[thermal]

Thermal Conductivity
Material Thermal conductivity
(cal/sec)/(cm2 C/cm) Thermal conductivity
(W/m K)*
Diamond ... 1000
Silver 1.01 406.0
Copper 0.99 385.0
Gold ... 314
Brass ... 109.0
Aluminum 0.50 205.0
Iron 0.163 79.5
Steel ... 50.2
Lead 0.083 34.7
Mercury ... 8.3
Ice 0.005 1.6
Glass,ordinary 0.0025 0.8
Concrete 0.002 0.8
Water at 20° C 0.0014 0.6
Asbestos 0.0004 0.08
Snow (dry) 0.00026 ...
Fiberglass 0.00015 0.04
Brick,insulating ... 0.15
Brick, red ... 0.6
Cork board 0.00011 0.04
Wool felt 0.0001 0.04
Rock wool ... 0.04
Polystyrene (styrofoam) ... 0.033
Polyurethane ... 0.02
Wood 0.0001 0.12-0.04
Air at 0° C 0.000057 0.024
Helium (20°C) ... 0.138
Hydrogen(20°C) ... 0.172
Nitrogen(20°C) ... 0.0234
Oxygen(20°C) ... 0.0238
Silica aerogel ... 0.003

*Most from Young, Hugh D., University Physics, 7th Ed. Table 15-5. Values for diamond and silica aerogel from CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics.

Note that 1 (cal/sec)/(cm2 C/cm) = 419 W/m K. With this in mind, the two columns above are not always consistent. All values are from published tables, but can't be taken as authoritative.

The value of 0.02 W/mK for polyurethane can be taken as a nominal figure which establishes polyurethane foam as one of the best insulators. NIST published a numerical approximation routine for calculating the thermal conductivity of polyurethane at http://cryogenics.nist.gov/NewFiles/Polyurethane.html . Their calculation for freon filled polyurethane of density 1.99 lb/ft3 at 20°C gives a thermal conductivity of 0.022 W/mK. The calculation for CO2 filled polyurethane of density 2.00 lb/ft3 gives 0.035 W/mK .

Thermal Conductivity