Just got my F70 -- on my first hunt, here's the good and the "bad..."

[sgoss66]

The good? A quick, non-scientifically-performed air test has me shocked! Inside my house, detector sitting on a box, in disc. mode with the sens. and thresh. cranked up pretty good, I got over 14" on a quarter, around 13" on a nickel, and between 11" and 12" on a dime. Wow! VERY impressive, to me...

The bad? Took it out for a short hunt today to get the feel for it. It quickly became clear that it will take much, much more than one hunt to get the feel for it!! No surprise there, but I was NOT prepared for the "machine gun fire" I would hear in my ears on every sweep of the coil! I didn't even know where to start, in terms of adjustments. Totally different than the older BH machines I have gotten used to. Now, this WAS at a very trashy 100-year old park, and I really do think these tones were actual targets in the ground. I was able to calm it down just a bit by really jacking up the disc., lowering sens., and really lowering the thresh. (well into the negative values) -- but still...this seems to be one HOT machine! My brain was simply overloaded with all the info pouring into my head! I finally worked to concentrate REALLY hard on ignoring ALL but the better, repeatable, high-confidence-meter signals, just for the sake of learning; and doing this I was able to pick out some good targets. I took 2 quarters, and dime, and a pre-82 penny in about 20 minutes, from a place I hunted pretty hard with my prior BH machines. But, I was only able to hunt a VERY small area due to all the target hits I was hearing and trying to decipher all of it. Even in this small area I hunted, I KNOW I left alot there; I'm sure some of the higher-tone, less-repeatable, lower-confidence targets were likely either deeper, or masked, coins. I clearly see I'm gonna have to put in big-time hours on this thing, at a multitude of different sites, just to learn what's going on. A trashy park, in retrospect, was NOT the place to do a first-time hunt with such a hot, sensitive detector.

I am going to really like this thing, I can tell -- as soon as I learn the proper way to adjust the settings, and which settings to adjust in different scenarios; but MAN! After getting used to relatively infrequent tones on my BH machines, this half dozen to dozen, multiple-pitch tones/bouncy TIDs on EVERY swing is really tough. I will say, though, that all 4 coins were 3-6" deep, and on those, and even at 5-6", the TID was pretty stable once you got the coil over the middle of a good target (and the confidence meter confirmed things as well).

I have read a TON on how to use these detectors, but still am overwhelmed. Any info anyone can offer would be great.

Steve

 

[mudpuppy]

The F-70 is my first detector, and I know what you mean...I just kept swinging and diggin'...I run in Autotune on the beach...wanna hear everything including bobby pins...i set disc at 15 in the trash, but have never taken the time to really learn differrent settings for different situations...I did learn this, the faster you get at retrieval, the more you will find...I didn't find this forum before I bought the thing, and as you can see from how long I've been on here, I coulda learned a lot, and made a few less mistakes, but I managed to pay for the detector right quick, all the credit being to this awesome tool, and good luck.
This is a good post Goss, somebody will show up and clue us in good I hope!

 

[sgoss66]

Thanks for the support, mudpuppy. You had it even tougher in that that is your FIRST machine! This is my third, but even with some experience on those first two, I was just swamped with info coming out of that unit. I can see running autotune at the beach, with less junk. In fact, I was just trying some stuff out today, experimenting, and since I was so overwhelmed with all the different pitch tones coming rapid-fire in 4H mode, I switched to autotune, and quickly hit a nice signal, ID'd as a quarter, and sure enough dug a quarter -- within 2 minutes of switching into aT mode. I will try some more of that next time out, because in the junk, 4H tones (while I thought it would be a good way to hunt) was just simply overwhelming at this site! It sounded like an orchestra!

Steve

 

[mthole]

Hi Steve, glad to hear you got your F70,when I received mine I rushed out to my yard with shovel and dug the place full of holes.There is junk galore in my yard and I too was overloaded by all the tones.Next was the park in town and also full of trash and found my self frustrated.Long story short went to local tot lots and started disc at 10,sens around 65,threshold -3 and DE mode and 2 tones.This is pretty much the default setting.of the unit.Also don't forget to ground balance.At this point learned somewhat machine was telling me,and began to make adjustments from there depending on amount of trash and soil conditions.The two modes come in handy you can have one set up hotter for good sites and one set up for trashy areas.Like I said I have tons to learn and it will take awhile but will enjoy every minute of it.Now really like the 3 h tones and getting good depth in slow mode getting settings to the point unit has some chatter.Hope this helps somewhat it seemed to work for me.
Good Luck ,Dale

 

[sgoss66]

Yes it does help, Dale. It helps that most who I've talked to (you included) have had a very similar experience (brain overload!), and you sharing your settings also helps. Duh, wouldn't you know in trying to be a cool guy and "do it myself," I didn't even think to try what the design engineers put into the machine as a "default!" Your post makes sense, from that perspective, and this is similar to what Tom Dankowski told me in response to this same question. I'll keep at it, and will post some more as I get to know the machine better.

Steve

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

Its a great machine once you swing it for a bit. It will just "click" one day for you!

 

[NE Digger]

All you need is time and experience with the 70.....and one day it will just 'click' for you. Literally. It will happen without you even realizing it. the trick is to spend (and dig) as much time as possible to get the field time you need. This is largely true of most machines..but even more so with one whos language your not familiar with. (or machines that are as sensitive as the F series machines) ya just gotta learn the language!

 

[mudpuppy]

Exactly what setting gives the best depth...like low DISC, high SENS, THRESH? The last silver dime of the year I set the DISC at 60 (yes thats right, in a real trashy boatramp) and hit a rosie at @8" and that was through 3" of snow, and 2 of frost, so now I'll go back to some trashy areas that confounded me this summer...I am pretty sure I ran over some silver quarters deep, but was paying too much attention to the VID, which wasnt locking on a solid number, even though the tone was right...
I've been fooling with the tones, really trying to get used to Delta Pitch...but seem to like 3H the best...

The best thing that happened was I ran into a guy whos been detecting for years, out swinging his coil, and he took pity on me and gave me some pointers, like how to coin pop with a screwdriver, and proper etiquette,...told me to dig every pulltab, and at least 1000 pennys....by dang! I found and returned 2 class rings this summer because of that advice alone!

 

[sgoss66]

NE Digger --

That encouragement and advice is great, and reinforces Bart's comments. I need to go to a less trashy site, set the sens. down until I get it more "quiet," and then "dig everything" to learn the "language" as you say. I got spoiled; with my BH machines I was well past the need to "dig everthing." I had to some degree "learned the language," and learned how to pick most of the good signals (the shallow ones, anyway!) from the bad. In a way, I can see it's gonna be back to square one, digging everthing. Which is fine; I'm gonna enjoy this machine once it "clicks!" And learning is fun; besides, who knows, while I am "digging everthing" during the learning phase, maybe I'll even pull out a gold ring or something that I am sure I have passed on, in prior hunts, as being a "pull tab!" Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!

Steve

 

[osgood]

at an old village green I got a lot of stuff with the f70, towards my last pass there I opened it up to very high sense and low disc, very noisy, but I only dug solid signals 10' or better and got old coins. (like barbers, IHs, large cent and stuff) They have a huge annual arts show there every years so there is a lot of clad on top. Although I have an ace 250 and a f4, the f 70 Im going to keep as a backup to my ltd 75. (See my post on the village green from a year or two ago.) F70 is an alright machine. Good Hunting. CO

 

[sgoss66]

mudpuppy --

That's really cool about the class rings!

You know I know NOTHING about the F70, but, I can tell you a couple of things...

On my air test (as was the case with other machines I owned), the "quality" of signal I'd get, both TID-wise and tone-wise, would diminish as you approach a couple of inches from "fringe depth" range. I could hear nice solid high tones on my quarter to 9 or 10" air test, then started to get mid tones, and then finally as I approached 13 to 14", the tones were short, choppy, and inconsistent. I am SURE we all (us beginners) pass up lots of nice targets that are deep, simply because we think "not repeatable, thus junk." That is true on shallower targets, but I'm sure the deep inconsistent hits sound alot like shallower junk.

As for what gives best depth, in general higher sens., higher thresh., and lower disc gives best depth; all metal autotune is supposed to be even deeper than disc mode, and finally, "slow" process (sl) is deeper than default mode (dE), but being more sensitive, is more chatty. Finally, best depth is achieved by finding the frequency (F1-F7) that gives the least EMI, and being properly ground balanced is also imperative. This is what I have learned from others.

Hope that helps,

Steve

 

[sgoss66]

nice info Osgood, and that's exactly how I felt like I'd be able to utilize my F70 -- after "cleaning out" an area, and reducing the number of targets, then go back with it cranked up "hotter" and see what lies down deeper (where alot of the nice silver should be). Sounds like that's EXACTLY what you did. Really cool.

Can you elaborate on what you mean by an "alright" machine? Next to your F75 LTD, is the F70 your next choice, or do you like the Ace 250 or the F4 better overall?

Steve

 

[mudpuppy]

I hit a sledding hill last weekend looking for a lost wedding ring a lady advertised in the paper. I called her up and she told me where she thought she lost it, but of course she wasn't sure, and they have a big snocat that grooms that hill everyday, a blizzard hit between when she dropped it and before I got there,. I did find 8 nickles and 5 dimes and a quarter and four pennies, a cell phone, a bunch of washers, screws and zippers...there was heavy EMI over by the rope tow, and that HZ change setting on the F70 really came in handy there! I'll find that ring this weekend by dang!
Then, if these storms let up a little, I'll head south into AL, GA, FL and see whats to be found.
HH

 

[sgoss66]

mudpuppy --

Obviously, you already know all the things I mentioned in my post above. I figured I wasn't telling you anything you didn't know!

Cool story about the ski slope, and good luck finding that wedding ring!

Steve

 

[Cache Man]

if you don't have a coin garden, plant one you will learn a lot faster if you have one. to find out how to use on dirt research my posts it will shorten your learning curve, I have had one for over 2 years I have done a lot of testing to keep from getting brain overload don't use head phones until you get use to the fast processor use 3h or 4h TONE only, you can't depend on the TID and you want get much depth with the sens down to 65, I always hunt 3h sens 99 threshold (gain) target size +5 and up depends on conditions 11"DD coil 9" dimes 10-11"
quarters, The confidence meter is also not always right I don't ever look at it. TONE hunt only dig all repeatable high tones. HH

 

[osgood]

Steve yes second to my ltd the f70 is the best machine i have- i am not kidding on the depth. And when I said noisy that was partially that I was ignoring a bunch of the targets that where shallow and almost exclusively clad - I know its smug but I was tired of digging pennies, wouldn't ignore the quarters, and some of the more interesting shallow hits, with high silver jewelry like numbers. When I put the sense very high, i honestly think it was noisy because there was so much trash around. Like it wouldnt do that as much out in the woods etc. I had a lot of first with the F70, so it is very sentimental to me, and I dont know about the standard 75 but it gave me a familiarity with the higher end Fisher machines so I think the adjustment was easier moving up. By the way Im not saying to ignore shallow targets , it was only after familiarizing myself with that green and the id numbers that I made that decision. Less than a mile away was a virgin park where I found a ton of old coins , many one or two inches deep or right on top. If I had followed that philosophy I would of missed a lot- I will be putting up a final post on that site shortly. Good diggin to you CO

 

[mudpuppy]

n/t

 

[Mike Hillis]

Steve,
You have now moved up into the high performance detector bracket. Time to put the coil to the ground and learn to drive it.
Good luck,
Mike

 

[sgoss66]

CacheMan --

Thanks for the info; I will search your posts; given that you have 2 years of experience on this machine, I'm sure it will shorten the learning curve.

mudpuppy/osgood --

What "site" is being referred to where osgood's stuff is?

osgood --

glad to hear you like your F70 so much! And yes, I too think the noise was for the most part "real," i.e. there really were that many small junk targets in the ground. I picked the wrong site for a "first hunt."

Mike --

Yes, I am clearly into "another world" in terms of detector performance brackets. That was immediately apparent, first couple sweeps of the coil! I just need this snow to melt so I can "learn to drive it" as you say. I'm looking forward to it! Thanks for steering me in this direction (the F70). I think it's going to be a perfect fit!

Steve