Compact subsurface object locator

A hand held subsurface object locator, comprising:

• a housing;
• circuitry and a power source contained in the housing, wherein said circuitry comprises a timer, a microprocessor circuit and a capacitor plate, said capacitor plate being within the housing adjacent and parallel to a rear wall of the housing, said circuitry being responsive to changes in capacitance of the capacitor plate caused by sliding said housing over a wall surface, with the rear wall of the housing adjacent to the wall surface, said changes in capacitance being caused by the presence of a substratum object which is behind the wall surface, to detect substratum objects hidden behind a surface which is probed with the locator by sliding the locator along the surface,
• wherein said housing and capacitor plate are each less than two inches wide;
• wherein said housing is at least three times as long as it is wide and the capacitor plate is shorter than the housing;
• and
• wherein said housing has a pocket clip on a front side wall of the housing at one end and at least one indicator on the front side wall of the housing at the other end.