Update: Picked up ground-penetrating radar basics. Scanned my backyard. Got weird readings. What next?

That must be driving you crazy with curiosity... part of me wants to say just start digging, but the other part knows benb62 isn't totally wrong. Maybe do a little more homework first so you don't hit a water line.

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barbarac957mo ago

Check with your local utility company first to rule out pipes or cables. If that's clear, your town hall might have old property maps showing forgotten structures like a well or root cellar. The shape and depth of the anomaly on the scanner could tell you a lot, was it a large, deep object or something shallow and spread out. Have you looked into whether your area has any known history of old farmsteads or similar activity. What did the weird readings look like on the display?

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benb627mo ago

Calling the utility company is a good safety step, but honestly that feels like waiting in line at the DMV. If it were my yard and the scanner lit up, I'd be marking the spot and getting a shovel. Sometimes you just have to see what's down there. Barbara's point about old maps is smart for context, but the scanner already gave you the context. Those weird blobs could be a rusted-out toolbox or a piece of farm equipment, not always a pipe. Metal gives a much sharper hit than a buried cable.

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