1st Impression of C$

[Anonymous]

Hi Everybody
Just received an excellent condition used C$ from a fellow forum member this afternoon and after playing with it, thought I would post my first impression. This is my first Fisher, I have owned every other brand and found keepers with all of them. One area of my detecting that needed help was picking through sites that had alot of debris, so after alot of reading on the forums decided to give the C$ a shot
The build quality is first rate and well thought out, I like the hip mount option. I have read about everything that I could find on operating the C$, so once I had it put togeather and a few hours of pushing every button, I decided to perform some testing. I started with air test and found the performance to be average, but I never put alot of stock in air test, its a good way to see if your detector is working.
My next test involved ground and that is where I was impressed, using coins and rings on top of the ground, I found that the sweep speed has a great effect on depth. When I used a slow sweep speed I could hit the quarter about 6", if I increased the sweep speed I could hit it at 9", this is using settings of 410.
Next I did a trash test, same settings only I used coins and rigs with nails and other debris close to, beside of, under, and on top of the coins and rings. What really blew me away was that the C$ would id the coins and the rings in every situation if I used the proper sweep speed, which was about the same as if I was using a Whites IDX, if I used a slow sweep speed the id was iffy, but increase the speed and the C$ nailed every time.
I know with a little practice I will be yanking some keepers out of the ground. TB

 

[Anonymous]

you will do just fine with the C$. I like your choice of a 410 setting for those trashy spots, it should get the job done very well for you.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Tom Z

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Tom, reading your post and others here on the C$ forum helps us transplants a great deal. I know the ultimate test is when I hit the old sites here in the Arizona desert, the soil minerialization changes from mild to wild and thats where I feel the auto ground and Fisher Track AFS will come in handy.TB

 

[Anonymous]

Tom B.
I have hunted around Wickenburg, AZ several times with VLF gold detectors and know what you mean about that bad ground. <img src="/metal/html/lol.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":lol"> I have often wondered how the Coinstrike would do in that ground given the lower frequency it uses compared to the high frequency VLF gold detectors.
My last trip out there I tried the Goldstrike and Eric Fosters Goldquest SS neither of which really did all that great in the worst areas. The ML PI's rule for nugget hunting out there.
Tom Z

 

[Anonymous]

Tom
FWIW here's a post I made about the Coinstrike and hot rocks. This beach is where I went to practice with and learn the White's Goldmaster which was my first detector.
Tom

 

[Anonymous]

to succeed with the Coin$trike, like Jackpine said. You already saw several things it takes others hours to figure out. Yes, it does far better with a ground matrix than in the air. Sadly, some people sold the C$ after an indoor airtest <IMG SRC="/metal/html/blink.gif" BORDER=0 width=18 height=18 ALT="b~"> Oh well, their loss <img src="/metal/html/wink.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="">
Also you got to see a glimpse of the C$/Excel strength (& why I like it so much)....hunting in trash. You even hit on sweep speeds too. Usually I swing "normal" or moderate as they call it. But, I have found in heavy, heavy iron that varying sweep speed can help isolate some masked goodies at times....Good luck, Bill

 

[Anonymous]

I can say that you are certainly on the right track.
Treat the CS as a different type of detector than you
have ever used, because it is. You will soon see
how much power it has and it's ability to pull the
good stuff out of the trash. This only gets better
the more hours you use it. Thought of getting rid
of mine a few times when I thought I just was never
going to figure it out. Just about that time my CS
would hit something so solid and so deep that it was
just about unbelievable. Am I thinking about getting
rid of it now ? No way. Once you understand what
it is telling you it's great. Just great.
Good hunting to you Tom. I can see from what you
have discovered about the CS so far you will soon
become very comfortable and successful with your CS.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the in-put Everybody
You are right about Wickenburg, it is the ultimate test for any metal detector. Hot rocks, crazy minerialization, and over one hundred years of debris left by alot of people looking for old yeller.
I plan on going to an old homestead there this weekend and I will let you know how the C$ does. TB

 

[Anonymous]

Good luck this weekend Tom.. Sure wish I was "Out Wickenburg Way"!!
Tom

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Bill
This afernoon is the second day that I have had a chace to play with the C$ and I must say it has one of the fastest id processors that I have seen on any detector, and I have used a few of them.
I have been studing the manual and please correct me if I am wrong, that optimal performance in areas with moderate to high minerialization using the fast auto track mode is DISC 99, SENS 5, THRESH -10, SALT OFF, VOLUME 5+, and NOTCH set to user discreation. After setting selections, ground balance in area free of any targets, then hit the TRACK button, and the C$ can be rebalanced in fast auto track mode by stopping and lifting the coil approx 2-6" until a tone sounds. TB

 

[Anonymous]

with no digital delay like the CZ-7a I also own. You may see Averaging slows this down a bit, so that's why most of us run with averaging off. This super fast response is what "makes" the C$ in trash. I hunt iron infested colonial sites...I never used anything better & my old places became "new" again. Boy, alotta stuff gets masked. (Look at these small silver coins from the last couple years w. the C$/Excel in trash) Many came from so called "worked out" sites.
Those settings are pretty good, but as the guys above were saying, the manual was put together quick, & we have learned so much more now. John's C$ homepage (below) has better info than manual. What I personally don't agree with there is volume on only 5. I run mine @ 10, & if that's too loud, either try 8 or 9 or play with headphone volume. I like everything loud in trash because when you hear that distinctive high tone shoot in between all the other blips, ya stop & take notice. Either way, once you get things where you like, it's cool all that gets saved on shut down.....HH, Bill

 

[Anonymous]

Tom,
Even in your ground you should be able to use a fairly high sensitivity level. If you have problems be sure to try it with auto trac turned off, it could make a difference in keeping it calmed down. Just be sure to recheck the GB once in a while if you run with the tracking off.
Dig'n in Va hunted the worst iron dirt areas in his state where its famous for being really bad (some say its worse than AZ) and he could run max sensitivity with no problems. It was able to ID non-ferrous targets deeper than any other machine he had tried in the iron dirt including the one that gets hyped beyond reality on another forum.
Tom