F75 LDT and the summer Heat

[grumpy]

I have a question and figured here was a good place to ask.
I use a Fisher F75 LTD and Whites MXT so i always carry them both in the car or truck with us in case you never can be sure you wont need to md a spot on short notice;
So since we have moved to the Pheonix area to retire I started wondering about the heat on the machines in the summer????? I checked on the White machine but I cant find out on the Fisher ; Is it ok to be in the Heat in the summer?????? We do get unusually warm here in the summer and if i go early to MD a park then have to go to another apt for several hours before i can go home and unload what is the problem??? or is there one???? I sure dont want to have to miss metal detecting and dont want to brake the machine either????
Anyone ever ask this and gt a solid answer????? I was told on the white it is best not to if not necessary but it wont hurt the machine.

Thanks much
Grumpy

 

[jim tn]

The manual says (operating) temp up to 122 degrees f. I'm not sure I have ever seen a solid answer to your question. Personally I have never felt comfortable leaving my detector(s) in my vehicle for more then 4 or 5 hours in our summertime 100 degree temps. Sorry I can't give you anything more specific. HH jim tn

 

[pan4au]

Excessive heat kills electronic components.. be careful out there. I've been guily of keeping a detector in my car or truck. I need to be more selective when I do so and how long I leave it there

 

[Coilfisher]

I have read on another forum that leaving a detector in the back of a hot car trunk is a sure way to scramble the components and the battery system can be damaged as well if I am not mistaken.
I just would not do it.
Pretty much any electronic component (ex. car GPS systems) states this in one way or the other. I think they state 122 F is the max operating and thus storing temp. in alot of the manuals.
I park mine in the shade if it cannot be helped and have left mine in the back seat with it half covered (not the control box) with the windows cracked on all 4 sides and have not had problems for SHORT periods--like going and getting lunch.

Heck, I often just have lunch with the unit.

 

[grumpy]

That is about what i thought; It should survive if required but not a good thing to do if un necessary

We do a lot of md in the early early hours and then have to go to other chores before we get back home and the detectors sit in the hot car or trunk til they can be unloaded or at least put in the garage. Could forgo the detecting when it is going to get hot, but then could take up golf too and ant about to do that either; Thanks for all the help and suggestions; appreciated
Grumpy

 

[rick in mi]

Yep be careful Grumpy,I know of a guy who fried his f75 leaving it in the trunk of his car,very expensive mistake.....hh rick in mi.

 

[Dave J.]

Worst thing you can do is leave it laying the car where the sun will hit it.

Back at the Old Fisher in Los Banos, as an experiment I put a 1212X under a big hatchback window with window facing south. Air temp only about 95 degrees F. Plastic housing warped all to heck but the electronics survived.

A black surface in direct sun, no wind, in 100 F heat, can reach about 180 F. The interior of a closed car in 100 F can get many degrees hotter than outside, cars are greenhouses so I would suppose a good 40 F rise would not be an uncommon event. Therefore in Phoenix an object sitting inside the car but with sun shining through the window on it could probably exceed the boiling point.

--Dave J.

 

[grumpy]

So Dave; Would it be better to put the detecter in the trunk without a window or in the passenger compartment with some sort of protective reflective cover over it?
I have been thinking of using a thermometer in the trunk and doing a test when the temp is about a 106 and see what the actual temp is in both places?
Thanks for the as always great information.
Grumpy

 

[Dave J.]

I'm pretty sure that the trunk is better than in the interior of the car in direct sun. Interior on the floor or in the trunk, probably "all depends".

In the trunk, I like your idea of putting a cover (preferably metallized reflective) over the beeper. A lot of the transfer of heat to the beeper will be radiative transfer from the hot trunk lid, and the cover will block most of that.

Many ears ago I did a lot of research on solar and thermal radiation and micrometeorogical radiative and convective heat transfer, including designing and building measurement instruments. Worked for the Arizona State Climatologist (then Dr. Durrenberger) at ASU Tempe during 1977. In 1979, self-published on behalf of the AZ TClimatology Lab "Environmental thermal radiation in the Intermountain Southwest", to my knowledge the only regional thermal radiation climatology ever published anywhere. ASU may still have copies.

And, I know about Phoenix heat: the summer of '77 was then the hottest summer on record. And although in Phoenix high heat usually goes with low humidity, that summer also had high dewpoints.

Made the mistake one time of leaving a can of Pepsi on the seat of my truck. When I came back later it had exploded and the resulting mist had coated the entire interior of the truck with sticky residue.

Another time I made the mistake of leaving a 6-pack of beer in the truck. When I got back, I saw it there and said "I ain't getting in that truck with that beer in there!" Opened the passenger side door very carefully, and even more carefully picked up the 6-pack and tossed it about 8 feet onto the pavement. When it hit all 6 cans exploded.

--Dave J.

 

[osgood]

yikes Im always leaving mine in the car rear and or trunk.! Lucky so far I guess. CO

 

[pan4au]

If anyone leaves their detector(s) in the trunk(I'm guilty too) they should wrap them up in a heavy blanket or quilt for protection from the heat... also protects from bumps in the road..HH

 

[FisherKing]

Get a box that is the length of your detector. Put four of the 8" x 8" x 2" gel cooler packs on the bottom, cover them with a towel, set detector on towel, close box, cover the top of the box with another towel, and put in trunk. It should be good for a few hours.

.02