If your TDR indicates a distance of 500 feet to a fault, but you notice that a new fence post happens to be at 490 feet, there is a pretty good chance that the fault was caused by the fence post. If your TDR indicates a minor fault far away, make some adjustments. Adjusting the vertical gain control to enhance the fault, testing using a larger pulse width, testing from the other end of the cable, or moving to a breakout point closer to the cable will all help. When using a digital numeric TDR, it is even more important to use common sense. Many digital TDRs can be interfaced with an oscilloscope which makes the instrument more versatile.
Familiarity develops versatility.
The more you use a TDR, the more confident and comfortable you will become, and the more applications you will find for it. Whether using a digital or waveform type, you soon discover that the TDR is one of the best tools available for locating cable faults fast and accurately.