I’ve had a lot of questions about the innovative F5 over the past few months.  This is a feature break down I did that was posted on Kellyco’s site.  Hopefully you’ll find it useful

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*

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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!

“The Heat!”

To put it bluntly, the Fisher F70 is THE HEAT! As a proud and happy owner of an F75, I caught myself thinking…”I bet the F70 will be a scaled down F75”. In some ways, I was right. A few less features than the F75, (and I LOVE the F75 trigger!…it should be illegal to build a metal detector without a trigger!) However, Fisher retained the most useful functions and made them very accessible to the user. There’s also a little something extra under the hood… more depth than the F75! Yep, you read that right! In my soil, coil-for-coil, the F70 is slightly deeper than the F75.

Speaking of coil-for-coil, if you already have an F75 you can swap coils back and forth. The new elliptical concentric coil for the F70 is great! Excellent design, construction and balance. However, slap the big F75 11” DD coil on the F70 and hang on! I’m talking SERIOUS depth here! Select the “slow” option in areas that will allow it (lengthens the sampling time on the target…if I understand it correctly) and you will be getting way, way down in the ground! (I picture moles, grubs and earthworms packing their bags and fleeing the radio waves in utter terror!) However, due to the lengthened response time, the odds of masking due to nearby trash are increased…but I love having the option to pick which way I want to hunt, depending upon site conditions.

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Teknetics Delta 4000 Review

Mark Ellington

www.detectorstuff.com

*Review based on prototype version…subject to change!*

(click on images to zoom)

The Teknetics T2 has developed quite a cult-like following since its release! With good reason…It is powerful, lightweight and innovative. It is chock full of useful features that appeal to advanced users in this wonderful hobby.

The Teknetics name has long been synonymous with performance…and that legacy is continued with the launch of the new Teknetics Delta 4000. Lead Engineer on the Delta is John Gardiner. He has had a hand in many recent metal detector releases, including the Fisher F75 and F70. He was backed up by Jorge A. Saad (see my Fisher F5 review for more on him) who wrote the core software code. The legendary Dave Johnson designed the hardware and is overall Lead Engineer for the Teknetics line of metal detectors.

Teknetics Delta 4000 Face

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That’s a goooood question! There are lots of people who have been in the hobby for many years who still try different machines on a steady basis. (I’m one of them ) There are others who have found a detector they are comfortable with, and have stuck with it, having no desire to change. That’s fine too!

If you’re a person considering getting into this great hobby, I suggest finding someone who already has a metal detector and asking them if you can try it. If they will let you, spend some time throwing coins on the ground, listening to the sounds the detector makes. If the person is REALLY generous maybe they’ll let you borrow it for a few days to make sure this hobby is really one you would like.

Now, you’ve taken the above suggestion and tried out metal detecting, and you think “This is a hobby for me!”… What next?

Well, it’s time for you to buy your own. There are lots of good metal detectors out there. The huge variety is due to different preferences and needs. Generally, there are three “financial” categories of metal detectors.

• First is the “bargain” or entry level machines. They are the least expensive, and generally offer the least number of options, or somewhat subdued performance. These usually run in the $100 to $300 range.

• Second is the “mid-level” detector. These are a middle of the road machine, usually offering higher performance or more features than the entry level, but not quite as much as the next category, the high end detector. Here you’re looking at the $350 to $600 dollar range (give or take). For the most part, these detectors have very respectable performance and offer enough to satisfy even the avid hunters.

• Last, is the “high end” detector. These are the pinnacle of current hobby detectors. They usually offer the best a company has in performance and user options. Now, I know you’re thinking “THAT’S WHAT I WANT!”, please consider that a lot of new users have bought this type right from the beginning and felt frustration when trying to learn so much at one time. Other new users have bought these and been just fine… Here you’re looking at the $700 to $1200 dollar range. That’s a lot of cash!

Ultimately the choice is yours, but my suggestion is either the mid level detector or certain entry level machines for first time hunters. Why? Well, the first thing that causes new detectorists to “fall out” of the hobby is frustration. Frustration of not understanding what the detector is “telling” you, frustration of not finding good stuff every time you dig, frustration from the weight or ergonomics of your detector.

A good entry level machine will let you do what you want….find cool stuff! The definition of “good machine” in this context is one that comes from a reputable company. (Fisher, Bounty Hunter, Garrett, White’s, Minelab, Tesoro, etc.) I, of course, have my “favorite” companies for my own detectors, but I’m not going to suggest them, because I feel that would be unfair to you as a new person to the hobby.

There are many good metal detecting sites where people in this hobby talk about their detectors…here are a few.. this one of course www.detectorstuff.com , www.findmall.com, www.thetreasuredepot.com, www.detectorx.com . Most people on these sites are polite and friendly and will be more than willing to offer suggestions and advice to new users. However, be aware, just like some folks like Chevy more than Ford (or vice-versa) there are some who will swear by a certain brand of detector. Take it all with a grain of salt, accumulate all the info. you can, and visit a local detector dealer to check out what they have. DO NOT succumb to strong sales tactics (ie: “Oh, you don’t want that cheap detector! Buy this one *they point at the most expensive one in the store* You’ll like it MUCH better!” ) You will also find detector website “sponsors” to be a good moral choice. By “moral” I mean they are the one’s who pay the websites for advertising. As such, the sites are available for reading and information due to their contributions. Without them, little to no info.

Buying used is another option. The sites I listed above will usually have a buy/trade/sell forum where hobbyists swap around detectors. Caution, of course, is advised, and be aware most companies do not allow transferable warranties.

Once you’ve found a good general purpose metal detector, and not paid a fortune for it after a while, you may think “Hmmmm, I really like this hobby! I think I’m gonna stick with it!” At this point you’re ready to “consider” buying that “high end” machine you’ve been lusting over You should know enough about the hobby by this point to understand what it is you want out of a detector. Who knows? You may find enough with that entry/mid level detector to PAY FOR that top end machine!

Welcome to one of the greatest hobbies in the world!

Mark

Okay…are you ready for this? I’m going to open this F5 review with a very bold statement. The new Fisher F5 has the BEST user interface of ANY metal detector I’ve ever used!..and I’ve used a bunch!

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I’ve always heard “The older you get, the faster time passes.” Now that I’m in my mid 40’s I’ve found that statement to be all too true. However, there are exceptions to this rule…. Christmas, payday and waiting for a metal detector to arrive in the mail! I’m the first to admit, I become very “kid like” when I have a new machine on the way to my house. My wife is very “understanding” of this affliction of mine, only succumbing to the occasional “eye roll” when I constantly babble on about treasure hunting, old sites, coins and metal detectors.

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Regardless if you’re new to the hobby, or an old pro, FILL YOUR HOLES! One of the fastest ways to generate some negative PR is to leave unfilled pits in school yards, parks and home yards. I even kick the sand back in when digging at the beach!

Imagine for a moment you know very little about metal detecting. Someone… (friend or otherwise) comes up to you and says “you live in one of the oldest houses in town! can I metal detect your yard?”. You think a moment, then say “well, sure…I guess” (not really sure what that means)… The next weekend that person shows up, grabs this strange looking device out of his pickup truck, and hangs shovels and other digging implements from his belt! You’re thinking “what’s up with the digging stuff?” Next, you see this person swinging this silent weedeater around the yard, then stop, stoop over and start DIGGING! You’re thinking.. “I hope he doesn’t kill the grass!”. In a moment, the fellow stands up, rubs the dirt off his hands and starts doing a jig in the yard. You’re thinking “he must have found something good! Maybe he’ll come show it to me!”… next the fella looks cautiously over each shoulder, then subtly slides the mystery find into his pocket. You’re thinking “well, maybe he’s too busy having fun.. he’ll show it to me before he leaves”. Next the detector guy picks up his stuff, and uses his foot to sort of push the dirt he dug up in the general direction of the huge hole he made. He then stomps on the hole, and starts swinging again. You grab your binoculars, and peering out of the window see that there’s this ugly brown dirty patch where there used to be gorgeous grass! You think, “well, it’s too late now…but I’ll know better NEXT time!….there won’t be a NEXT time!” Needless to say, when the detector dude gets ready to leave, you, the homeowner, asks “Did you find anything good?” Your friend the detectorist says.. “Naw, not much. Just mainly old pieces of junk!” He volunteers to show you what is in his apron, which is pulltabs and rusty nails. However, he neglects to show what got “slid” into his pocket.

Your metal detecting friend drives off into the sunset and you look over your once lush and beautiful yard… it now looks like someone has been lobbing mortars over enemy lines. The holes that did get “filled” are just dirt depressions… You think “never again!”

Here’s an excellent how-to video by SouthCarolinaTeacher.

Now do you see why I say it’s important to fill your holes? ….And fill them properly? We’ll have another article soon for proper recovery techniques that don’t “burn your bridges” when it comes to having hunting privileges.

Any other tips or pointers (or gripes ) on digging? Post them below in the “comments” box!