The cable fault locator uses the principles of vibration pickup and electromagnetic induction to determine the specific location of the cable fault point. A high-voltage pulse generator is used to cause flash over discharge at the fault point. Physical phenomena such as vibration waves, sound waves, and electromagnetic waves generated by the flash over discharge at the fault point are picked up by a special probe of the pointing instrument, amplified, processed, displayed, and output by the cable fault pointing instrument. The precise location of the fault point is determined by the tester's hearing and vision. That is, the task of accurately locating the cable fault point "directly above the cable and within the range of rough measurement" is completed.