How the Gepard GPR 3D Differs from a Metal Detector
A metal detector reacts to metal. The OKM Gepard GPR 3D is radar (radio detection and ranging): it sends a signal into the ground and waits for the reflection, so it shows where the ground changes, whether that change is a wall, a void, a pipe or a buried object. OKM lists underground walls and basements, cavities, graves, water levels and aquifers, pipelines and cables, backfilled wells and trenches, septic tanks, tunnels and bunkers, and buried chests and caches as detectable. Our metal detector technologies guide explains how VLF and pulse induction detectors work, for comparison.
OKM gives the Gepard two operating modes: 3D Ground Scan, which builds a 3D picture from a series of passes, and 2D Radargram, a cross-section view of the echoes along one line.
Antennas, Frequency and Depth
The Gepard uses two triangular, unshielded antennas, one sending and one receiving, on telescopic shafts. Changing the antenna length sets the transmission frequency between 60 and 300 MHz, and OKM says the unit makes automatic adjustments for specific soil types, so in practice you set the depth resolution and start surveying.
OKM's depth figure for the Gepard GPR 3D is up to 40 m (131 ft), and its page adds that customers have found objects down to that depth. That is a manufacturer claim and a maximum: OKM does not state soil or target conditions for it. In ground-penetrating radar, depth and detail trade against each other, and lower frequencies generally reach deeper with less detail. Our guide to how deep metal detectors go covers why one depth number never fits every site.
Running a Survey with the Android Tablet
The Gepard sends its data over a USB-C cable to the included Android tablet, which displays it on screen as you go. The app can add a GPS position or a map to each scan, filter automatically and store notes, so scan positions are saved with the data. Scans can then be opened, optimized and analyzed in Visualizer 3D Studio; the Gepard kit includes the Professional Edition on a USB flash drive. OKM rates the control unit at about 4 hours of operation; the telescopic shafts have their own internal batteries.
What Comes with the Gepard GPR 3D
As of October 2026, OKM lists the standard Gepard kit as the control unit, an Android tablet, two telescopic shafts, the sending and receiving antennas, Bluetooth headphones, a charger, a travel adapter set, a protective case, a quick start guide and a USB flash drive with Visualizer 3D Studio Professional Edition. A pre-configured Windows notebook is optional, not included. OKM notes the scope can vary by configuration; see the Gepard GPR 3D listing for what we supply.
OKM lists the control unit at about 1.6 kg, each telescopic shaft at 0.8 kg and each antenna at 1.5 kg, with antennas measuring 1010 x 330 x 50 mm (about 40 x 13 x 2 inches). OKM covers the Gepard with a 2-year guarantee. OKM also sells detector training, 3D software training, scan analysis and remote support separately.
When the Gepard Is the Right OKM, and When It Is Not
The Gepard suits work where the question is "what structure is down there": a suspected tunnel or cellar, a backfilled well, a foundation line, a utility run before digging. It is a survey tool, and like any radar it takes practice to read the radargram correctly. We would not sell it to someone who mainly wants to find coins, rings or relics; a conventional metal detector does that faster and for a fraction of the cost.
Two questions settle most Gepard conversations. Is the target metal? Then a metal-based OKM 3D ground scanner gives a clearer answer: the OKM Fusion series, the OKM Rover series, the OKM Evolution NTX or the multi-sensor OKM eXp 5500. Is the target water? Then the OKM GeoSeeker water detectors, which measure soil resistivity, are built for that job.
