Are these Teknetics?

[Hightone]

The Bounty Hunter Pro line. The Gold, Titanium, Platinum are almost the exact same Teknetics counterparts (Alpha, Delta, Gamma) down to the freq.(Platinum doesn't have manual GB)

The Quick Draw Pro is a Eurotek with segments. The Land Ranger Pro does different things with the audio, adds segments and is designed with the same specs as the Eurotek Pro.

Same type of face construction. Does the two rod design and plug in connectors make them Bouunty Hunters? They seem to be more Teknetics than Bounty Hunter, IMO.

 

[SteveP(NH)]

Both Bounty Hunter and Teknetics are owned by the same parent company (they also own Fisher) called First Texas. So there are some similarities between the machines, but there are some differences as well. For example for the three "metal" machines you mentioned (and Dave please correct me if I am wrong) first came out as Bounty Hunter machines. Then they did some more work on them and they got released as Fisher F2, F4 and F5 and then they did further work on them and released them as the Teknetics Greek machines. So the platinum is not exactly the same as a F5 and a F5 isn't the same as a Tek Gamma. The changes they make seem to mostly be in the software used to process the signals from the coil.

 

[Hightone]

I'm familiar with FTP family. It appears that FTP is bringing Bounty Hunter into the same line up as the Teknetics and Fisher . They are all in 13 bit platforms. Different than earlier Fishers and earlier Bounty Hunters. If I'm not mistaken, the Fisher F5 started this newer line. The F2 and F4 are not part of the 13 bit family. The F70/F75/T2 are a different process. It seems the old Bounty Hunter and old Fishers are now foreign, and FTP has recreated a detector line simular that the old GM did with Chevy, Buick, Pontiac. Same thing under the hood, just a different outer experience.

It's actually quite smart. FTP doesn't want to compete with itself (as the three companies did before accumulation).

The idea would be, if you want a better Eurotek Pro, buy a Land Ranger Pro. Not a Gamma. It all goes into the same pocket and names are only............names.

 

[Mike Hillis]

Hightone,
"13 bit platform" is just a reference to the micro processor used in the circuit. All this means is that they are all using the same micro processor. It doesn't mean all the instruments are the same, have the same features, or even have the same performance. Some of the their units even have 2 micro processors in them.

So while most of the new models are all using the same micro processors in the center of the circuits, the way they do what they do changes from unit to unit and from brand to brand and you can see and feel the differences. Its not a cookie cutter under the hood. What is going on under the hood is just as different as what is on the outside.

HH
Mike

 

[lytle78]

It's all anout distribution. Bix Box stores get Bounty Hunters. In Europe, Fisher and Teknetics have different distribution chains- a relic of when they were different companies.

 

[MarkCZ]

I think I'm right in that the Bounty Hunter line uses the push-in type coil connectors, the Teknetics line doesn't.
I do believe the control houses are the same.
If you get the idea that the Bounty Hunter model look alike has the same performance as the Greek counter part your most likely incorrect. That would be a terrible mistake for a company to do, even if they had to go into the program and disable some features. Cost is cut somewhere and it may not be in the components that each is built out of and if not, then the reduced price is in the VERY costly design technology. I'm sure there is detector's on the market that are down line models that is pretty much the same as the top line model but with locked out features, jumpers left out, de-programed, I mean how much money can be in a circuit board, a nice plastic housing, a coil, the aluminum shaft? So, if you want the extra features the company has to make money on the design of that function.

Mark

 

[Mike Hillis]

Hi Mark,

Don't forget the "reason" a particular detector is produced. For example, my personal opinion only, but it seems clear as day to me that the two new Bounty Hunter Pro models were released into the Big Box marketplace in order to make Minelab's introduction into the big box mass market happen on FTP terms. Put another way, to compete against the feature sets of the FTP Bounter Hunter Pro models will require Minelab's offering(s) to compete against Minelab's other existing products lines.

Chess, anyone?

HH
Mike

 

[Hightone]

I know what you are saying. But the LRP and QDP are built on the same process as the Euroteks and share nothing with the former BH line. The "prototype" LRP and QDP had the FeTone Iron Audio (like the ETP) and a lit screen.

Quick Draw Pro-Prototype

When I pointed out this pic showing the "light bulb" and the description of the FeTone in the specs, Jorge said they were expanding on the ETP, but like on the LRP, there were many features already and it began getting too crowded. So management dropped it from final production but marketing had already sent out unchanged info. .

I believe the LRP and QDP are much more matched to Eurotek designs. If FTP had given them a 3 rod system and called them Euro-X1 and Euro-X2, they would have been accepted as Teks, IMO.

I can't help but get the feeling that the featured designs on the LRP will wind up in either the Tek or Fisher lineup, but made to a higher standard. (My bet is replacing the F2 and F4 with Fratbros that utilize 13 bit platform coils).

 

[detectingMO]

the processes of the etp and lrp are definitely different. ETP has faster recovery and much tighter ID.