Radio Fences > Radio Fence Guide > Modifying an Existing
Modifying an Existing Radio Fence
Shifting or Expanding an Existing Fence: If you have an outdoor wireless fence (product 20-16 and the like), you can move the fence around by simply moving the transmitter, which must always remain dry. You can also change the fence’s circular footprint (to any diameter from 60 to 300 feet) by adjusting the transmitter. And you can change the fence’s circular footprint to the shape of a figure 8 or three intersecting rings, or whatever by adding one or more transmitters.
If you have a radio fence with a buried ground wire, you need new wire of sufficient length to make the desired modification (see product 20-06) plus an appropriate number of splices (product 20-11). Find the old wire at the points where you would like to enlarge or otherwise change the fence perimeter. Once you have done that, cut the wire at those points, ignore the section that will be inactive, and splice your new wire onto the remaining active section as needed to get enough length for the modified perimeter. Do not exceed the maximum effective range of your transmitter. (A 5-acre transmitter should support at least a 2,000-foot perimeter, while a 25-acre transmitter should support at least a 4,000-foot perimeter).
To avoid problems locating the ground wire in the future, you may wish to staple the new wire to the ground every 5 feet or so with fence staples (product 20-08) instead of burying it. Be sure to make the wire hug the ground to keep it out of range of lawnmowers and the like, and set things up so that grass can grow over the wire—both to hide it from view and to secure it to the ground.
Protecting gardens and pools: You can keep Rover out of gardens, pools, and other spots inside the perimeter of an existing underground fence. Go to a point on the existing fence perimeter that is closest to the garden or pool you want to protect. Raise the perimeter wire, cut it, and splice both cut ends (using product 20-11) to a carefully measured length of new wire sufficient to reach the chosen garden or pool, go around it, and come back to the outer perimeter. Lay out the new wire in this pattern and then twist the outgoing and return wires together many times (making several twists per foot)–because these twisted wires will cancel each other out and send no radio signal. As a result, Rover will receive no correction when he approaches the twisted wires, but he will receive a correction when he approaches the protected pool or garden.
Adding indoor protection: If you have an Innotek Ultrasmart Contain and Train System (product 20-03) you can protect features inside your house (sofas, rugs, trash cans, etc.) by placing an Innotek Zones indoor transmitter (product 20-12A) at the center of each feature to be protected, because your dog’s collar will respond to the radio output of each indoor transmitter. Otherwise, if you do not have an Innotek Ultrasmart Fence, you can provide indoor protection easily enough by getting a Zones Indoor transmitter plus a Zones indoor receiving collar (product 20-12).