A line locator system, comprising a digital signal processor in a housing; a line locator portion mounted in the housing and coupled to the digital signal processor, the line locator portion detecting magnetic fields generated off a target line as a result of a transmitted signal; and an active metal detector mounted in the housing and coupled to the digital signal processor, the active metal detector including: a transmitter antenna; a transmitter coupled to the transmitter antenna, the transmitter receiving a sinusoidal signal from the digital signal processor and providing a driving current to the transmitter antenna, and a first receive antenna mounted in the housing, the line locator system characterised in that the active metal detector further includes a second receive antenna mounted in the housing of the line locator parallel with the first receive antenna and a distance from the first receive antenna along a direction perpendicular to a plane of the first receive antenna, in that said transmitter antenna is mounted between the first receive antenna and the second antenna, which are oriented to provide opposite reactions to the magnetic field which are of substantially equal strength but opposite directions at the first receive antenna and the second receive antenna; and in that the transmitter further includes: a zero crossing detector that receives the sinusoidal signal and produces a square wave of the same phase, a divide-by-2 that produces a first square wave having a frequency half that of the square wave and a complement square wave complementary to the first square wave, and a switching bridge (406, 408, 410, 420) driven by the first square wave and the complement square wave, the switching bridge coupled to the transmitter antenna. a digital signal processor in a housing; a line locator portion mounted in the housing and coupled to the digital signal processor, the line locator portion detecting magnetic fields generated off a target line as a result of a transmitted signal; and an active metal detector mounted in the housing and coupled to the digital signal processor, the active metal detector including: a transmitter antenna; a transmitter coupled to the transmitter antenna, the transmitter receiving a sinusoidal signal from the digital signal processor and providing a driving current to the transmitter antenna, and a first receive antenna mounted in the housing, the line locator system characterised in that the active metal detector further includes a second receive antenna mounted in the housing of the line locator parallel with the first receive antenna and a distance from the first receive antenna along a direction perpendicular to a plane of the first receive antenna, in that said transmitter antenna is mounted between the first receive antenna and the second antenna, which are oriented to provide opposite reactions to the magnetic field which are of substantially equal strength but opposite directions at the first receive antenna and the second receive antenna; and in that the transmitter further includes: a zero crossing detector that receives the sinusoidal signal and produces a square wave of the same phase, a divide-by-2 that produces a first square wave having a frequency half that of the square wave and a complement square wave complementary to the first square wave, and a switching bridge (406, 408, 410, 420) driven by the first square wave and the complement square wave, the switching bridge coupled to the transmitter antenna. a transmitter antenna; a transmitter coupled to the transmitter antenna, the transmitter receiving a sinusoidal signal from the digital signal processor and providing a driving current to the transmitter antenna, and a first receive antenna mounted in the housing, the line locator system characterised in that the active metal detector further includes a second receive antenna mounted in the housing of the line locator parallel with the first receive antenna and a distance from the first receive antenna along a direction perpendicular to a plane of the first receive antenna, in that said transmitter antenna is mounted between the first receive antenna and the second antenna, which are oriented to provide opposite reactions to the magnetic field which are of substantially equal strength but opposite directions at the first receive antenna and the second receive antenna; and in that the transmitter further includes: a zero crossing detector that receives the sinusoidal signal and produces a square wave of the same phase, a divide-by-2 that produces a first square wave having a frequency half that of the square wave and a complement square wave complementary to the first square wave, and a switching bridge (406, 408, 410, 420) driven by the first square wave and the complement square wave, the switching bridge coupled to the transmitter antenna. a zero crossing detector that receives the sinusoidal signal and produces a square wave of the same phase, a divide-by-2 that produces a first square wave having a frequency half that of the square wave and a complement square wave complementary to the first square wave, and a switching bridge (406, 408, 410, 420) driven by the first square wave and the complement square wave, the switching bridge coupled to the transmitter antenna.