By using more than a shovel, a California State University, Monterey Bay, professor hopes to find a long-lost wine cellar beneath the Carmel mission.

Aided by ground-penetrating radar, professor Ruben Mendoza is seeking the cellar at the San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo Mission. The radar detects objects buried underground, so archaeologists know where to dig.

Similar to a metal detector, the radar is swept over an area where archaeologists intend to dig. The image is uploaded to a computer, where it displays in X-ray form what is underground.

"It doesn't take the excitement away because I want to excavate in the right place," Mendoza said Friday.

The radar also prevents archaeologists from disrupting religious services and other activity at the mission. It was paid for with a $48,000 federal grant that lets teachers employ wireless technology.

Mendoza and his colleagues also have set up wireless laptops and personal digital assistants throughout the mission, making notes about the mission and its setting. As they type their entries, the material is uploaded to the World Wide Web.

The wine cellar is believed to be near the mission chapel, and Mendoza said he'll know as soon as Monday, when he uses the radar.

"If we can find what we're looking for, it's an important discovery for the Central Coast," said Christian Graves, 19, a student volunteer for the archaeological dig. "Hopefully, we may see some bottles of wine. You don't now what will be there."

The cellar was believed to have been in use in the 1840s. Seventy years later, Sir Harry Downey, a restoration carpenter in the early 1900s, discovered a stone staircase leading to an underground building. Downey found a skeleton, but nothing that led to a wine cellar. Sir Richard Menn, a mission curator, asked Mendoza to investigate.

The cellar is likely made partly of marble, Mendoza said.

"It will likely have trash, soil and a marble vault," he said. "It could be a very elaborate wine cellar."

In addition, Mendoza said there are likely four chapels underneath the mission, and the radar will likely determine if they exist as well.

The Carmel mission was the second of California's 21 missions. It was founded in 1770 by Father Junipero Serra, who is buried there.

Mendoza is one of four CSUMB professors who received a $230,000 grant from Hewlett-Packard in March. The other three received funding to start projects that integrate wireless technology with global-positioning systems, aerial photos and meteorological information.