FTP Head Engineer Dave Johnson

*Posted with permission of Metal Detector Engineer Dave Johnson*

First Texas Head Engineer Dave Johnson has always done an awesome job “educating” the metal detecting masses.  Thanks again for sharing your knowledge Mr. J.!

Time of day influences the amount and type of electrical interference, not just local sources but also longwave radio communications (mostly military) from thousands of miles away.

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Teknetics G2 review

Mark Ellington
www.detectorstuff.com

“In the Spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love”. For the not-so-young man (me), in the Fall my fancy turns to thoughts of metal detecting.  The Teknetics G2 arrived just in time to tickle my fancy!  (read more…)

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Yep…this G2 is a monster!  Review coming very soon!  Follow our forum thread about the Teknetics G2 here: http://detectorstuff.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=832&pid=5465#pid5465

Fisher and Teknetics Chief Designer Dave Johnson has written an AWESOME book on gold prospecting with a VLF metal detector!  Tons of great information for prospectors and potential prospectors…as well as folks who just want to “learn more” about metal detectors!   Special thanks to Dave Johnson and Mike Scott for allowing me to reprint the book in it’s entirety here on www.detectorstuff.com !

VISIT the brand new Teknetics website HERE!  http://www.tekneticst2.com/

*reprinted with permission of First Texas Products*
www.fisherlab.com

Gold Prospecting
with a
VLF Metal Detector

Dave Johnson, Chief Designer
First Texas Products & Fisher Research Labs

This book explains how to use a VLF induction balance metal detector for gold prospecting. The author has nearly 30 years’ metal detector design engineering experience and has designed machines in every major metal detection technology category.

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First Texas Products is letting us give away some goodies in contests over the next few weeks!  Click on the Forum tab at the top of the page and go to “Contests” or click here

First Texas Products is launching 2 hot new versions of their flagships…the T2 ltd and the F75 ltd…limited edition versions with additional modes… Cache and Boost! Read the rest of the story for the full flyer…

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Electrical Interference

First Texas Products & Fisher Labs August 2009

Dave Johnson, Chief Designer @ FTP & Fisher

Because of the high sensitivity of modern metal detectors coupled with the proliferation of sources of electromagnetic interference, you are likely to encounter electrical interference at times during the use of your metal detector. It is important that you recognize electrical interference when present, and take appropriate measures to deal with it. This will prevent you from giving up on a worthwhile site unnecessarily, or from sending in for a repair a machine which is working properly.

Symptoms of electrical interference

Electrical interference can cause a metal detector to “chatter” spontaneously, to lose sensitivity for no apparent reason, or to cause periodic audio “wobble” or slow waves of spontaneous sound. What you’ll hear will depend on what model of metal detector you’re using, what operating mode you’re using it in, how you have the adjustments set, and what the source of the electrical interference is. The most common manifestation is spontaneous chatter.

All metal detectors are susceptible to electrical interference, but they vary in what kinds of electrical interference affect them. In a given environment some metal detectors may be affected by electrical interference whereas others may not.

Two metal detectors of the same model in the same environment may be affected differently, because of minor differences in operating frequency or because the controls have been adjusted differently.

Common sources of electrical interference

Common sources of electrical interference include: overhead electric power lines, underground power lines, other metal detectors, telephone lines carrying electronic data, computer systems, electric fences, old CRT-based televisions, cell phones, thunderstorms, fluorescent lights, metal vapor lamps, military aircraft with electronic warfare countermeasures turned on, electric motors, VLF military communications systems, and automobile ignition systems. It will sometimes be the case at home, in the showroom, or in an urban environment that there are several different sources of electrical interference present simultaneously.

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I knew that Engineers at First Texas Products have been working on several new accessory coils for their Fisher and Teknetics line.  Here’s the list of either what’s “out” or soon will be…

Mark Ellington

Detectorstuff.com

As most of you know, I am a big fan of the Fisher F5! The F5 blew me away with the “control” I had over how I wanted to hunt…and its amazing flexibility to handle various soil and radio noise pollution situations. However, as much as I love the F5 and despite its growing “cult” following, the Engineers at First Texas knew there was even more potential in the basic electronic platform from F5. The always amazing Dave Johnson wanted to create a machine that exceeded the performance of the F5 and simplified the controls. (One thing for which I’m very thankful…. Dave Johnson is NEVER satisfied with status quo!).

When I was given the chance to field test the Teknetics Omega 8000, I jumped all over it! I knew it grew from lessons learned on the F5, so expectations were high. The Omega did not disappoint .

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Thanks to Mike Scott and First Texas Products, you’ll have your choice of:

A Fisher detector bag or a Teknetics detector bag!

Fisher Detector Bag

Teknetics Detector Bag

How to win: Simple!  I’m going to do this the “old-fashioned” way!  Post your name in the “Win a free metal detector bag!” post and I’ll have my 5 year old niece randomly draw one from a hat on June 1st!  I’ll contact the winner via the email in their registration (to keep emails hidden on the forum).  Follow the link below to visit the forum.  You MUST be a detectorstuff member to post.  Have fun, and good luck!