Commercial reflectometers are very expensive. However, the MFJ-259 Antenna
analyzer can be used to find the location of a short in a coax cable quite
accurately assuming you know the velocity factor for the cable. The
procedure is described in my article in the October 1999 issue of QST
Magazine. There is an error in the article - the units for the result
should be FEET, not inches.    The MFJ-259 sells for around $ 200 (US) -
spendy, but cheap compared with the commercial reflectometers.   Emerson
Hoyt, WX7E, Hoyt Instrument Laboratory