Bill D. (VA) said:
Thanks for the info Brian. But I'm still a little confused. I found some info on the web yesterday written by Trevor at Coiltek and he's disagreeing with what you're saying about having to turn off the detector prior to switching to the pinpointer. He's also talking about having to dangle the probe by the cable which sounds a little strange. See below for what he had to say. Do you agree or disagree with his comments? Thanks again for your help.
Re: COILTEK 1X8 INCH PINPOINT PROBE
Coiltek Manufacturing on Mon May 30, 2011 10:32 am
Hi All,
Just thought i would chime in to mention a few points about our Pinpointer. So far BeepinPete has described its use well and he knows how to run it well.
Firstly, it is designed as a MONO coil so it will behave like a mono in mineralised ground. Secondly it is ultra-sensitive due to the way it is manufactured. Therefore there are some techniques to using this probe which i hope will help those who have one or are thinking about getting one at some stage: (I plan to have a youtube demo video up very soon on this)
Use the probe like a pendulum: when using the probe, hold it just above the strain relief by the cable and slowly balance the end of the probe to the ground as you would any normal coil. The main detection area is at the end of the probe - the field goes out the end and around the sides of the bottom 2-3 inches of the probe.
To use the probe, slowly lower it into the hole or desired area so it hovers around 1 inch above the ground. It is best to not touch the soil or rocks. This is due to the sensitivity of the unit as it becomes touch sensitive when knocked. The wires and internals are fully sealed with epoxy resin so it is also waterproof but due to the nature of the beast, any knocks can trouble the unit.
Move around the open hole or soil until you get the loudest response, remembering to hover and hold the probe by the cable.
As Pete mentioned, you do need to turn off your detector if using a switch block before you switch between the probe/coil.
It is by far the deepest searching probe on the market but does take a little getting used to. By reducing GAIN on the later model GPX units you can reduce some sensitivity of the probe to ground changes or knocks but moving slowly with the unit helps a lot. Once the technique is mastered or at least understood it will help direct your dig towards the right stuff!
Also, it can be used horizontally to the ground, held at the cable entry point, but you will need to keep the relationship to the ground consistent. By this i mean do not change the angle of the probe to the ground as you will hear a ground noise due to the magnetic field going out of balance. Waving the probe around like a wand will create loads of noise again due to the magnetic field of the probe to the earth. I find the best method the pendulum style.
If you have any questions please contact me for more info. As i mentioned, i intend to have a short demo video uploaded soon to help explain how to use it to its full potential.
Of course this product will not suit every-ones purpose but we are here to help if you do have or get one.
Have fun!
Trevor.