All about the Ace 250 for newbies.

The Ace 250 is an ideal beginner’s machine especially if you know absolutely nothing about metal detecting. (Just like me when I first started)

I had read on many MD forums about what a fabulous machine it was and
the price was right.

Believe me, you will find stuff first time out.
For me it was a first class coin hunter.
Read the manual that comes with it several times before using it,
I know it’s hard to do that with a shiny new machine just out of the box. But, just do it.

The first mistake any learner will do is to set the sensitivity (sens) too high,
There are 8 bars of sens and the Ace is a very sensitive machine.
Tip No.1. Don’t set the sens any more than 4 bars until you’ve used the machine a lot over a period of at least a month.

You will also have the choice of 4 factory preset hunting modes,
and one custom mode (that is saved when you switch off so the custom mode is the way it was set before you switched off the last time) you can set how you want it once you’ve built up a bit of experience.

Tip No.2. Jewelry mode is a good mode to start with, (only discs out the iron)
and you will not miss any coins in that mode.

Tip No.3. Don’t be impatient to match other detectorists who’ve had
their machines for years. (They have had years of the 3 Ps.)

Tip No.4. Remember the 3 Ps.
Patience, Practice, and Persistence.
Also remember detectors all have their own language and it will take a very good deal of time to get to know and understand what your machine is telling you.

Be prepared to dig a lot of trash such as – bottle caps, pulltabs, and rusty nails.
Bits of foil such as gum wrappers etc.
Tip No. 5. If you find it’s too noisy for you in a high trash area, you can quieten
it down by using coin mode. That will notch out most of the trash for you.
Many of these items can fool a detector into thinking it’s a coin.
Try to concentrate on the sounds and ignore the screen as much as possible until you are more familiar with your machine.
Then only use the screen as a backup to the sounds you are hearing.

You will find with practice the Ace is simple to operate,
but is a first class machine and very easy to use for the price.

Tip No. 6. Listen for the bell tone, it sounds kind of like a
d ding d ding d ding in rapid succession. That is the sound of money.
Always remember any sounds or reading on the screen is only the machines best guess.
The 250 is sensitive to small objects and gold and you will find it performs like detectors costing three times as much – the reason for its popularity.
There are many thousands of experienced detectorists who are very happy and successful still using the 250.
The 9 x 12-inch coil will get you another 2-3 inches in depth and works the same as the stock coil. (6.5 x 9) inches.
Having never used the Sniper coil I can’t comment on it.

Pinpointing needs a bit of practice to get good at it, but once you’ve got it,
it will be spot on every time.
When using pinpoint remember it’s a press and hold button.
Just scan side to side to centre the target then drag the coil straight back towards you until the instant the signal stops and your target will be at the front inner coil tip.
Note if it’s a coin you won’t have to pull the coil back very far,
This can be used to size the target too, and that will come with experience.

De tuning in PP mode can be used to shrink the target for a more accurate Pin Point.
Once you have centred the target move your coil 5-6 inches
to the right of the target (if your right handed) then press PP button twice rapidly and hold it down on the second press while centreing and dragging back towards you.

Tip No.7. A deep coke tin will read as a coin, to check this –
While pinpointing if you raise the coil 6-7 inches off the ground and still get a strong signal 99% of the time it’s a tin.
If the target doesn’t sound after 3 or 4 inches it’s obviously a smaller target.

I feel I must warn you this machine beeps loudly and there is no volume control,
(I believe it could pull a crowd round you in the middle of a desert.) LOL.
So, if your going to use earphones to avoid the crowds,
make sure they have a volume control or you will have sore ears.

Enjoy and have lots of fun with your new 250 Ace.

Ian Pettigrew.

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-Mark

Now when you break this thing out of it’s box… It looks impressive! Nice green colour, big display heavy and steadily built coils.

Everything looks good and so, now taking it into the field will tell if it’s good or not.

Out in the field:

Starting with normal coin shooting it soon started to show it’s good feature of the “sizing feature” which really describes it better then any other name.

It made me skip dozens of cans! (note: exact pinpointing is critical for correct info)

However I found out quite soon that the notch system of discrimination was not to my liking, it was way to limited but also very jumpy readings.

Other wise it did ok.

Summary:

It did ok, the sizing feature was a great idea however it way badly limited by the notch system which quite frankly is better suited for America in my opinion.

I could hardly tell if I had iron or coin under the coil.

The Beach:

Moving on to do some beach hunting I soon learned the true all metall the detector offered another 4″ (approx) in depth.

Trying to use it was again a pain due to the notch system, so I went back to the disc mode and enjoyed the trip a bit more.

It soon came apparent that the depth was up to approx 6″ in the disc mode, under the beach conditions. (which is good)

Summary:

I came home with a bit more iron then usual however the all metal can offer a good extra in hunted out conditions.

Other wise it did good and found me a few coins and other weird things.

Relic Hunting:

Well I moved on and tried it in a small iron plauged area. Quite suprisingly it was quite stable as soon as the sensitivity was lowered and much small iron was ignored.

I dug everything that wasn’t iron (or so I thought wasn’t iron) and well I got a lot of trash but a few coins, I wasn’t really impressed.

I then got a tip; dig all none jumping readings… Well Ok it might be worth a shot. I soon came to realize there where hardly any such targets.

Summary:

It did ok, but well when I’m not even able to tell iron from none ferrous at least 1/3 of the targets.. It just wears you out.

If you got the physical and mental strength to endure it for 3+ hours.. I salute you!

Since then I haven’t owned one notch based detector.

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Well when you take it out of the box… It looks plain weird, not really impressive at first. After a while I did get used to the looks of it.

You’ll note it’s easy to put together. And will need adjusting to your length, otherwise it’s going to feel real heavy. (i.e. arm cup, lower rod need adjustments)

It’s not to bad when you’ve done that.

Ok when skimming through the manual you’ll note there aren’t many adjustments, just more or less weird names for them.

Just learn them. Oh and it is a bit noes heavy, if to heavy opt for another coil.

In the field:

Park:

Well I start out at the park and play around a bit and soon I noted.. “I need a smaller coil!”

The trash was to much with a 10″ DD coil. So after getting the little Joey coil the hunt could begin!

Started him up and noise cancelled. Adjusted Auto Sens to 32 and gain to 8. And then slowly creeping around with the coil.

Started pretty quick to pick out much coinage, both deep and shallow. I was surprised what the little coil could give in depth!

After a while silver started jumping up around me, pretty much everywhere I went, boy I was excited!

This was thanks to a elderly gentleman who told us where they used to play poker back in the days. ~Hint~

Summary:

Ok well I finished our day in the park with 5 silver coins most from the 1930′s, a few early 1900′s copper coins and a 1889 copper coin.

It performed very well in the park.

Relic Hunting:

Moving to a older place of the park we went relic hunting.

Remembering the manual I turned on Ferrous sounds and began to dig like crazy!

I found to lower sensitivity among the iron and lowering disc helped significantly to find none ferrous objects among the iron.

Summary:

Some modern trash came through but a few buttons, coins and other strange things where found.

It did ignore the iron just by sound, I loved it! Very easy to operate.

Beach Hunting:

The park also has a small beach and a camping site near by, there we moved next.

Well I noticed a absence of targets so it was ok to put on a bigger coil.

Ok well targets where quite few, as expected on a inland beach.

Luckily I did get deep with the 10″ DD coil and got some coins none the less, and also my first gold ring was found then. (7.9 Grams)

The only thing I really noticed was.. The semi auto sensitivity is nice if your having a lazy day and the lack of tiny targets like foil.

Summary:

It works well on the beach to but lacks sensitivity on small targets, this might be changed by increasing gain.( I used 7-8)

Or do the opposite if much small foil is plaguing you, lower gain.

So all in all it’s a great detector, with minor flaws in balance which tends to make it feel more on the heavy side.

Some scream over slow recovery speed, don’t worry learn the sounds and slowly open the disc (iron mask) and voila! the masking problem is mostly gone.

Oh and a tip, dig ALL deep iffy signals. It might hand you a surprise.Wink

Also watch their behaviour sometimes they just jump in a general area, mostly in a sort of pattern. If you remember them it can help you dig less iron sometimes.

But sound is key, also if it sounds good which you’ll learn after a while dig it none the less. It’s still just a detector that can be fooled but it’s the operators call to dig or not.

You can learn the sounds quicker by looking at the display and associate a sound with a position on the display.Laugh

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So where shall we begin with this beast?

When you take it out of the box, it doesn’t really look much. But as soon as you turn it on and want to adjust things.. Whoaa!

Lot’s of adjustments, you could ruin a whole weeks worth of detecting if you’d start out right away and try to adjust everything.

In the beginning I really suggest you keep to factory programs and the manual.

Ok out in the field:

Park:

I start out my field test in a simple good old park.

First thing I notice, the adjustments are a blessing if you have the guts to stick with it. (but a PITA if you just wanna detect)

I of course find lot’s of targets, living in Sweden most parks have never seen a metal detector.

Much trash to comes out, I soon learn the so called “DC Phase” feature can help ID some coinage. (especially small coins)

The cans soon started to turn out to be a problem, scattered around the place both whole and cut pieces they where hard to seperate from coins.

I soon noted using VCO and doing a “+” sign over the target helped to ID some of them to my relief.

I did well with 2 hours and got well over 15 coins, inluding a few silvers and early 1900′s copper coins.

Summary:

Ok well it does very well in the park to say the least. Found several coins and various bobs and ends.

I think this is where it’s at it’s best.

Relic Hunting:

Now I bring it to a older part of the park where relic hunting is possible but much small iron plagues the ground.

Because of constant silence and a few broken signals (discrimination kicking in) I decide to lower disc so I get better tones on the none ferrous stuff. (stuff that isn’t iron)

Also recalling from the manual that Correlate frequency might help I changed it and re-ground balanced.

It was better now, the none ferrous tones where more crisp and not so broken.

Still it was beeping every second or so, so I slowed down and lowered volume which made it much more tolerable.

Summary:

It found very little but it did ok, just barely though. A smaller coil would have been prefered but none was available at that time. (forgot at home)

The heavy iron was a plague and that she was constantly chattering didn’t make it more enjoyable really.

Now I moved on to the beach at the camping grounds of the park.

Beach Hunting:

Re-ground balanced, switched to Best Data freq and made a few other adjustments then I felt ready to go.

I quickly learn much foil was at the beach but it was easy to tell by using the VCO pinpoint function as they had irregular shapes.Cool

The method was the same used on the cans in the park.

Not expecting much due to it being hit with my Explorer II I slowly remembered I hadn’t searched it all!

Now after I found the unsearched spot a while I started picking up some coins, I found one tiny child’s toy ring (which often the dentist gave kids back in the days) it was very small with a small green glass piece in.

Now I went to the hunted part of the beach and didn’t really find anything there, a few small pieces of scrap metal my Explorer missed was all.

That was quite expected.

Summary:

It works very well for beach hunting especially with a larger coil.

Note! It was written to make it stand out where the DFX excells, i.e. in which hunting styles it works best.

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Part 1 of however many it takes!

To say there are a LOT of features and options on White’s newest flagship, the Spectra V3, is an enormous understatement!    I’ve spent weeks deliberating on the best way to present a review of the Spectra…and I finally decided to break it into phases.  If I tried to put everything into one story, I think it would almost be overwhelming! (to me too…trying to write it!)  There will no doubt be some outstanding books and tutorials written on this machine.  I would strongly suggest buying one of those when they become available (Jeff Foster or Andy Sabisch?).

This first “phase” report is about the packaging, contents and overall new user impressions.  As the chapters continue, I will branch out into other aspects such as assembly, air-testing, interface and “real-world” usage.

So here we go!…

White’s Spectra V3 Review, part 1

Arrival and unpacking:

Shipping box

Is there any better feeling than to arrive home and find a new metal detector on your porch?  Nope!  The distinctive White’s logo meant one thing and one thing only…the new Vision had arrived (name later changed to Spectra V3…more on that later).  Now, there are those who carefully open the packaging…and there are those who tear into ‘em with kid-at-Christmas enthusiasm.  I started out “careful”, but due to the hefty staples holding the outer box, I said “The heck with it!” and starting yanking and pulling!

Spectra inner box

My enthusiastic box pulling yielded another pleasant surprise…double boxing!  I like it when dual boxes are used.  The inner box is the one with all the cool artwork and product information.

packed as shipped

Call me weird, but I love to see stuff securely packed from the factory…as the Spectra V3 was!  Each item has its place..and is protected by a separate clear plastic bag (I had already pulled it off the display section).  Nice and snug…as it should be!

All the goodies

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Fisher F5 Field Test

Mark Ellington

Fisher F5 Face

I was given the wonderful opportunity to do some field testing with Fisher’s amazing new F5. The F5 is one of the most unique detectors I’ve put my hands on in a very long time! The perfect blend of cutting edge, software driven power meshed with the feel of good old fashioned knobs. I find it very interesting that the “oldest name in metal detecting” is utilizing the newest technology! The F5 is the result of Fisher’s self proclaimed “war on bad user interfaces”. The lead Engineer on the F5 was Jorge A. Saad.

Since Fisher Laboratories came under new management, the Company has not been resting on their laurels! First out of the gate came the incredible F75, followed by the mid-range F4. Next up was the affordable F2, then recently the incredibly deep F70. That leads us up to the innovative F5!

The F5 is situated in the familiar F2/F4 housing, but the electronics are entirely different. This platform was designed by Engineers Jorge Saad and Dave Johnson (with John Gardiner and Mark Krieger additionally lending their talents) to offer outstanding discrimination, depth and ID capabilities. You’ll find the F5 mounted on the familiar gold and black “S” rod which has proven its ergonomics and durability throughout the years.

*Click below to see the rest of the review*

FEATURES:

PHASE LOCK- This outstanding idea allows the user to quickly grab the current PHASE reading on the F5 LCD while metal detecting. A few quick “bobs” of the coil, and you’ll get a consistent PHASE which will lock with a 1 second depression of the button. The process is quick, easy and accurate. During normal hunting, the F5 is displaying the current “ground phase” or ground setting in the SETTING window. By viewing the live phase reading as you hunt, and comparing it to the “locked” phase, you’ll always know if you’re adjusted correctly for currently ground conditions!

TONES - The tones button allows the user to choose between 1 tone, 2 tones (Iron low tone, foil and above high tone), 3 tones and 4 tones. I also discovered while testing the F5 another cool “tones” feature. When hunting in “autotune” all-metal mode, the button will change the pitch of the audio to suit the users’ preference.

PINPOINT-The F5 uses a nice VCO style pinpoint which varies the audio pitch and volume based on the strength of the target signal. The ID window also switches over to an “inches” of depth reading.
FREQ. – Frequency allows you to slightly alter the F5’s transmit/receive frequency when facing interference from various sources including other detectors, power lines, etc.

NOTCH- Notching works great on the F5! On quite a few detectors, I’ve found myself fumbling through layers of menus trying to find the segment I wanted to discriminate out (or in). With the F5, each press of the NOTCH button advances a line that strikes through the target designation in the top ID arc. When you get to the target you want removed (foil, for example) you simply quit pressing the button. After a brief pause, the target is “notched out”. That simple! Notching a target “in” is just as easy. Rotate the DISC knob the desired amount (through ZINC for example), then advance the strike through line to the 5 cent icon. Release the NOTCH button and VOILA! The target (nickels in this case…) will now be detected.

F5 closeup

KNOBS:

My favorite aspect of the F5 has to be the brilliant use of knobs! They are strategically positioned for “thumbing” the controls that you use the most. I feel a user “connection” with the F5 that I haven’t felt with any other detector. With the fine tuning capabilities offered by the high resolution ground balance, gain, threshold and discrimination knobs, I always feel liked I have “tweaked” the F5 for its maximum potential at any given site.

GND BAL- Although the F5 has the option to “GRAB” the phase reading for quick and efficient ground balancing, it still provides an very high resolution manual balancing feature. Another interesting aspect of the manual ground balance is a speed proportional piece of software (written by Mark Krieger) that will “accelerate” the numbers much more quickly depending upon how fast you turn the knob. Turn it slowly for very exact settings, spin it fast for jumping quickly up or down the scale!

GAIN- The “GAIN” control is the front-end transmit power of the F5. It is also the ON/OFF control for the Detector.

THRESH- By making THRESHOLD an easily accessed control, you can fine tune and tweak all you want! There’s a synergetic relationship between the GAIN and THRESHOLD controls that has been made much, much more dynamic and accessible due to the knob controls being right there in front of you. The THRESHOLD control gave me the ability to hunt sites that normally were “huntable”, but offered a great deal of frustration. One of these is located in an area that is surrounded by an electric cattle fence. This particular spot has driven me crazy in the past with various detectors due to the “pulse” of electrical interference transmitted. The F5 was able to handle the spot incredibly by turning the THRESHOLD into the slight negative numbers. (-2 to -3 for this location).
If you’ve ever hunted places that are littered with tiny bits of metal (foil or rusty bits of tin roofs, for example) , then you know that it can be a challenge due to constant chatter on every swing. Quite often, these nuisances can be too small to dig and remove. The THRESHOLD control does a great job of “quieting” down sites like this by make the F5 less sensitive to smaller targets. I was initially concerned I would be losing a lot of depth by turning the threshold into the negative, but on coin sized conductors, I haven’t found a great deal of difference. Most of these sites are already limited due to these small surface targets creating a shield that masks the deeper goodies.

DISCRIM- By giving the F5 a knob dedicated to DISCRIMINATION, the user can easily change settings “on-the-fly” with instantaneous feedback from the detector as to where you have it set. The F5 operator has three methods to visually verify where they are situated in regard to discrimination.
1. Target Identification Arc- The F5 offers a very nice visual quick reference along the top of the LCD screen. A clock-wise rotation will advance lines that strike out each target group you desire.
2. Setting window- When any changes are being performed, the SETTING windows reflects that change in detail. When using DISCRIM, a fine tuning number as to the amount of discrimination dialed into the knob is shown. For example, if you want to eliminate the lower range of “FOIL”, yet keep the upper range, no problem! Discrimination resolution is down to the single digit of the “1” to “65” range scale.
3. Physical knob- Like with most analog detectors, the physical location of the knob indicator is scaled to the DISCRIM range. I may be starting my hunt and getting set up. I know from using the F5, the “M” in DISCRIM is approximately just below the 5¢ (nickel) designation. I nice little quick reference!
LCD Screen information: The F5 gives the user a wealth of valuable information that is always right there in front of you.
• Target ID arc- The F5 gives you a quick visual reference on detected targets along the top. Each of the 8 segments has a common target designation (Fe, FOIL, 5¢, TAB, ZINC, DIME, QTR and 50+) as well as the top of each segments conductivity range (15 for Fe, 25 for FOIL, etc.)
• STATUS- The left side on the F5 screen gives you the “status” of your batteries (2 nine volt “transistor” batteries) and the SETTINGS portion at the bottom keeps you informed on what changes you are making while adjusting knobs and buttons. For example, when I adjust “GAIN”, my adjustments are reflected in real-time here. The same goes for PHASE LOCK, GND BAL, TONES, THRESH, DISCRIM and FREQ! Whew! That’s a lot of useful information the F5 feeds the user!

• TARGET ID- in the center of the screen is a nice, large, 2 digit target identification. Visibility has been excellent, regardless of whether hunting in bright sunlight or in overcast conditions. Along the bottom of the screen is a CONFIDENCE bar. The F5 has processing software that evaluates the target on each swing, determining how “sure” the detector is that the target indeed matches the designation in the ID arc. For example, while hunting, I hear and see a buried target that’s identified as a “dime”. I will subsequently continue swinging ,shoulder width, over the target and watch the CONFIDENCE bar. If the ID remains steady, and the bar is full on most swings, there’s a much higher probability that it will indeed be a dime! Nothing is perfect, and really deep targets may not always consistently hit as high “confidence”. When in doubt, DIG! The TARGET ID also switches over to a DEPTH reading when the pinpoint button is depressed.

• GND DATA- On the right side of the screen, the F5 gives you great, “live” information about the site you are hunting! The Fe³O 4 graph informs you of the magnetic susceptibility of the ground you’re currently hunting. When the reading is high, accurate identification of deep targets can be altered a bit. In real life use, if you’re hunting a site that has the potential for deep, old coins and you notice the Fe meter is “high”, dig the questionable deep targets!
The real attention grabber here is the “phase” reading. One aspect I love about all the new Fisher detectors is the implementation of “useful” features…PHASE is basically a real-time, live ground reading. In my area, I can watch the phase change itself…varying several numbers as I wander about a typical field or old Church Yard. When I see a drastic change, a quick press of the PHASE LOCK button, and I’m accurately balanced for my spot! Pretty cool stuff!

F5 coil

Hunting with the F5:
As I mentioned earlier, I feel a connection when using the F5 I have not experienced with all my other detectors. The combination of real-time digital information and the tactile feedback of knobs work together beautifully while searching my favorite sites. Recently I was hunting an old school yard. This particular site, being located in the center of town, has been hunted for many years. Old coin finds are very rare these days, and are always deep. With the instant access to controls and information offered by the F5, I was up and hunting in seconds. The elliptical concentric coil seems to be the perfect size for getting great depth while still allowing for excellent target separation that the new F series Fishers are renowned for. Another great feature common in the F series of Fisher’s is also in the F5. That is incredible processor speed! The detector resets itself so quickly that good targets buried beside of rejected targets still sing out loud and clear. One of the first targets I retrieved on this old school yard hunt was a silver dime less than an inch away from an old rusty chunk of iron. The target ID of the F5 was dead on the “money” and the confidence bar was high for “dime” although it was retrieved at more than 6 inches.
In my North Carolina soil, it’s not uncommon for older copper coins to deteriorate quite a bit. This generally means to get Wheat Pennies and Indian Head Cents you need to dig targets that ID in the “ZINC” and “TAB” range. On this hunt, I got a nice soft high tone while searching the middle of the yard. The target pinpointed small (a GREAT sign!) and deep. After quite a bit of digging, I retrieved a nice 1919 Wheat Cent at a measured 8 inches…and it ID’ed in “DIME” range (genuine copper pennies and dimes both ID at this icon, but with different TID’s)…very uncommon occurrence for this soil! The penny was as corroded as most I dig, and it was deep for this soil. I have found the F5 to regularly surprise me with its depth and accurate identification.
I ended the hunt this day with an apron full of coins and a very, very satisfied feeling that the F5 is an EXCELLENT detector! There is no doubt in my mind that there has been a lot very careful design work to get it “just right!”. This is a detector that perfectly blends the world of analog knobs and digital circuitry in such a way that you always feel in total control…and have confidence that you have the settings just right for the conditions!

F5 autograph Jorge Saad

Authors note: I had such a BLAST testing the F5, I asked the lead Engineer Jorge Saad to autograph it for me…and he did! Thanks again Mr. Saad!

* 7.8 kHz frequency – good for coin shooting,
relic hunting, and casual gold prospecting.
* Frequency shift for eliminating electrical interference and crosstalk.
* Advanced software-based motion discrimination with notch for searching
trashy areas.
* All metal autotune mode for deep-searching
in non-trashy areas.
* Visual target ID by category & 0-99 indication, both discrimination & autotune modes.
* Target ID confidence bargraph.
* High-resolution manual ground balance with continuous ground readout.
* Ground balance range goes all the way to salt.
* Continuous display of ground mineral concentration and phase.
* Push-button static pinpoint with variable audio pitch and visual depth reading.
* Independent gain and threshold knobs provide complete control over sensitivity.
* Standard 10″ elliptical concentric open center searchcoil.
* Two 9-volt alkaline batteries last approximately 40 hours.

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Fisher’s World Treasure News 2009! 

Fisher was kind enough to send it our way for distribution…if our servers can take the downloads!  By the way, overlook the mediocre writer in there named “mark”

*Update* WTN is now posted for download on Fisher Labs Website…get it HERE!

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This desire by our members to have the ability to post reviews, tips, etc. was one of my motivating factors for moving to this new style site software….So, let’s do it!

Member Reviews!

Rules:

• You MUST have owned and used the metal detector or accessory you’re writing about for at least 1 year.
• Pointing out flaws is okay, but this is not a “bash-fest” (I’m sure y’all have seen what I’m talking about)
• Write your review with the idea of “How can I describe this machine/accessory to someone who has never owned one”
• Think of “helpful tips” that you’ve heard, learned or been taught by others.

You can submit your review/tutorial/tip list to me in two ways…

1. Email it in any document format to:  detectorstuff@gmail.com
2. Post it in the “Users Submitted Reviews and Articles Discussion” forum.

I will take your work and post it on the front page under “Member Reviews” with credit going to you…it will always be here!  Archived forever (or until I’m too broke to pay the site host!) for thousands to read and learn from.  Remember, my goal with DetectorStuff.com is to provide tons of cool information that is easy to find, helpful and good for the hobby.

One thing that may help you get started:  Pretend you are taking someone metal detecting with you who is using your same make/model metal detector.  Imagine it’s the first time they’ve ever used it and have a ton of questions for you since you’ve owned and used one for a long time…

Thanks!  I’m looking forward to posting your work and learning from all your experiences!

Mark

*DetectorStuff.com reserves the right to NOT post inflammatory reviews that help no one*

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Nowadays, the metal detectorist has a wide array of headphone choices available with fancy names and price ranges that can go over $140.00….or close to the cost of a back-up detector! Thus the casual coinshooter may get along fine and enjoy a low priced pair, and this is great. But, someone like a relic or nugget hunter using headphones usually “thrown in” with a new detector purchase will be disappointed as these headsets rarely survive getting pushed and pulled in the field.

Being fortunate enough to have been chosen to do several advertisements, field tests, as well as help with research and development on many detector products, I get to try many of the “top end” headphones offered today. Many became eternal back-ups; others were given away to other detectorists if they didn’t have exactly what I look for in a headset.

What is it that’s so important? Well, I would have to say there are two main aspects I look for in a set of headphones now. They are being built rugged and also being loud.

Being serious about doing lots of legwork to get to early relic sites and ghost towns deep into forests, really being built to last is a must. Often my headphones bounce around in a backpack alongside the rest of my gear while hiking hard. Plus, once you get to a site that’s often heavily wooded, it’s easy to catch headphone wires onto branches. Believe me I have learned the hard way breaking headphones 3 miles from the car with no spare pair. A fully loaded backpack can’t hold spare headphones, so we venture off and need to have trust in 1 very durable pair.

When Sun Ray called to ask if I would like to try their new “Sun Ray Pro” headphones, I said sure. But, I also stated that I already had a couple sets I was pretty happy with. Yet, when Sun Ray ran down the list of several impressive features, hearing “toggle switch boots” perked my ears up. What may sound very minor is actually very important to the type of rugged hunting I mentioned. Many top shelf headphones have the basic chrome toggle switch. The pair I was using passed the test for clear/loud volume, but on a rainy, muddy trip to England the switch got stuck and broke in the middle of a field rendering them useless. I was forced to hunt half the day without headphones, and found very little. In disgust those headphones got punted back toward the bus when we were picked up. It was later found that dirt and moisture got inside the open toggle switch. This is why Sun Ray’s switch boots sounded awful intriguing. Still, I was skeptical it would have everything else I needed, especially good volume.

When I got the Sun Ray pro’s I looked over an obviously well built product. I immediately inspected the all important cable design, as I have ripped out, or severed many different headset cables in the woods. I spied a very durable looking coiled cable, that featured a right angle gold plated plug for top sound quality. But, even better is an external strain relief that appeared strong enough to break branches rather than vice versa. So far, so good.

I also have to mention that they came folded up or curled inward thanks to the duel swivel point ear cups. This is perfect for packing into my backpack- another plus in my book. The Sun Ray Pro headphones also feature 2 toggle switches on 1 side (as mentioned, covered with black rubber boots to keep dirt/moisture at bay). One switch is called a “limiter”. This on/off toggle switch is a circuit that can be activated to reduce those surface blasts from large, shallow targets such as a can or plow part. This is very welcome for someone like myself who enjoys running the detector and phones almost on max. But, perhaps the best part is that putting the limiter on will not diminish those faint whispers from being heard. Some may assume this would not be possible, but it is on the Pro’s. The other switch is the “mode selector” which will make the new Sun Ray Pro’s compatible with most every detector out there. I tried mine on every unit that I own, and also several other brands at my local dealers and they sounded great and compatible with every one.

Speaking of sound, all the “extras” I’ve already mentioned are great so far, but again I really desire good, loud volume. Why? Well, with the type of detecting that I do, and the type of units I use to get to deep relics, I need to hear everything clearly. Most of the Fisher units I use have 4 tones and also I often run them on “all metal” as well. Though some would prefer to “silent search” or turn their headphone “chatter” down, I like to hear every single change. Often I can pick out a small object like a coin or a button that lay “masked” amid a bed of iron trash. I like to hear all the blips, or iron “grunts” as often a weak target others missed can be in there too. So, in short, many brands just plain didn’t seem loud to me, even with their volume all the way up.

Well, the Sun Ray Pro’s were a different story. If fact, they are currently the loudest detector headphones I own at the moment. Beneficial here is that the ear cups really fit fully over the ears and totally block out all background noises. They are comfy to boot, with an adjustable ribbed headband. Looking inside the ear cups, one can see that the high output 150-ohm nominal impedance speakers are aluminum case construction with polymer cones. This means they can handle the moisture and sweat protection that comes with the hobby. I found the different tones were crisp and easy to distinguish, and even faint signals were clear and they are hearing aid compatible too. Again, so far so good.

The Sun Ray Pro’s also feature dual volume controls on each ear cup. I owned a pair of headphones once that only had one dial, and many others had “free turning” dials, meaning volume often got bumped down easily. Well, another fine feature of the Pro’s are the volume knobs themselves. What’s so special about a knob? Well, these knobs are “segmented”. This means they are detent controls that offer an amazing 32 different volume positions. In other words, they don’t get bumped out of position, they click and hold right where the user chooses, even when I pack them. Again, some will only choose to put their headset volume half way up, while others like myself will be up near the loudest point. So, there’s a lot of flexibility to go up or down with the Sun Ray Pro’s, and I now have a set with volume to spare even. Another trick to achieving the perfect pair of headphones is having a happy medium between lightweight YET still durable. I owned a pair that were durable, but to be this way were very heavy, awkward, and didn’t fold up at all. I have been field-testing the Sun Ray Pro’s for a few months now and they have been with me week after week, on many different adventures and on many different detectors. They have seen lots of activity, and I have scratched them, pulled them, etc, and they now look well used. Mine have been out in the rain with no worries at all. The Sun Ray Pro’s have passed the test for a durable headphone, and for additional piece of mind they also have a limited lifetime warranty. With all the added features and for under $100.00, the Sun Ray Pro’s outperform many other “top end” headphones that can cost $50.00 more. For more information about the Sun Ray Pro headphones you may visit the Sun Ray website at

www.sunraydetector.com

or e-mail:

sunrayd@iowatelecom.net

or call Ralph at Sun Ray at (319) 636-2244.

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*Reprinted from NASA Toms site site link

To purchase NASA Tom’s outstanding metal detecting DVD, click HERE

ABOVE ALL OTHERS

Thomas J. Dankowski
Drafted…. mid-year 1998
Unedited version
Portions used by KellyCo

Many professional treasure hunters have requested that I field test the Minelab ‘SD’ series detectors on the beach. Conclusive results are far greater than ever expected. It is difficult for me to genuinely convey this nearly inconceivable performance of these detectors to gain the respect and appreciation they deserve. Head-to-head comparison by request is, by far the most understood universal language among detectorists. Minelab Excalibur and Fisher ‘CZ’ series owners, this is your wake-up call.

The SD2100 and SD2200d provides a minimum of 30% greater depth and a minimum of 85% greater sensitivity to smaller objects in wet or dry sand (Atlantic ocean testing). Please understand the word “minimum”. Deliberately under varying conditions and different days, thousands of objects on the wet beach were detected with the SD detector and their pinpoint location marked. Over 85% of the objects were completely undetectable to the Excalibur and CZ with their settings adjusted for maximum stable performance utilizing comparable size coils, no handicaps given. And the SD has greater stability over the very stable Excalibur and CZ. The SD series detectors utilize a form of pulse induction for operation. Comparing to other P.I. detectors, the SD takes an even greater lead in performance. Furthermore, the SD has an affinity for gold, nickels and iron.

Operating procedures requires the absolute minimum; turn the unit on. That is it. There is no volume or sensitivity control and the dual ground balance controls are unaffected by wet or dry sand. Bring the coil to the ground and the SD will chirp once. Commence hunting. The factory preset tone control (headphone audio sound) and tune control (for electrical interference) never required adjusting.

Equipment and accessories are readily available for the SD series detectors, however, very little is needed. The optimum beach coil is the 11” monoloop. The 18” coil has too much feedback on wet sand creating instability, however, on dry sand the performance can be measured in feet, yards, and meters. With the 18” coil you cannot carry a shovel unless it is nonmetallic. The performance of the SD 2100 and SD2200d is nearly identical although the SD2200d has SURFACE discrimination capabilities and tone ID, nicely added features. Only a little bit of practice is required to learn these added features. Understandably, the price differential between the SD series detectors and other units is not comparable and furthermore, it may appear to be unjustifiable for a depth gain of only 30 plus %. Please understand this; a heavily hunted beach will appear to be undetected when operating a SD detector on the same beach. A noteworthy personal experience I had during field tests. I hunted a certain segment of wet beach for 90 minutes utilizing an Excalibur 1000. I recovered 4 items. With no room for error I retraced my exact footprints, this time using the SD unit. I recovered 37 more items (two of them gold). The quiet beach came to life in the SD’s headphones. Ironically, the SD2100 and SD2200d perform poorly with air tests, only average performance in a professional test garden, and will not function indoors. On the beach, performance is above all others – genuinely untouchable. The SD is not a toy. Also, keep in mind,,,, with virtually no discrimination– many, many iron items will be recovered.

Out of my own curiosity, I also had the opportunity and the time to properly field test the SD2200d in an entirely different environment – relic hunting. Deliberately choosing severe soil conditions, I hunted an old home site in North Georgia where the ground consists of dark red clay. Almost all other detectors fail to operate with this type of soil because of its iron oxide content. The SD2200d with the 11” DD coil is the first metal detector that I have ever used that depth was completely unaffected by these paralyzing soil conditions. Tiny objects at extreme depths were commonplace, however, I did find a failure point of the SD2200d. All objects would ID as iron, even with the detector in Disc+ID mode. A silver dime and a brass bullet casing would “silence” the threshold audio (surface discriminate). No adjustments seemed to help the ID circuitry. Depth capabilities (performance) in the all-metal or Disc+ID mode were identical. The 11” monoloop consistently provided a depth increase of 4% over the 11” DD coil, no matter what the soil conditions consisted of. If the all-metal mode is the preferred choice for relic hunting, the SD series detectors once again is above all others.

Thomas J. Dankowski
Drafted…. mid-year 1998
Unedited version
Portions used by KellyCo

My personal opinion on the downside of the SD:

1. The SD is not rainproof.
2. Limited iron surface discrimination is insufficient and difficult to audibly understand.
3. The battery backpack is cumbersome.
4. The power cable interferes frequently.
5. The pie pan style coil sticks to wet sand like glue.
6. The detector stand is insufficient.
7. The 18” coil is extremely brittle and not waterproof.
8. Volume is insufficient on the SD2200d.

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