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Ordered a new F2 w/DD coil + 2 round concentric's

:usmc:

I've been detecting since around 1982 and recently had been considering adding a plug in F2/4 DD coil to my BH Pioneer 505 to pick up an added advantage of that kind of coil. Most of my experience is with manual ground balance machines with concentric and or DD coils. My area is full of hot rocks and minerals so I've come to really appreciate the use of DD coils with power I could not use with a concentric coil. After a lot of research of all the pro and con reviews of the F2 and having personally used an Ace 250 a few times, I ordered the F2 today with the 11" DD, 8" and 4" round concentric coils. Though it is said the F2 is pretty sensitive with high recovery, I'm thinking the 11" DD coil will tone down the chatter and allow more use of power if there is an issue with using the concentric coils.

Considering cost of a new F2 11" DD plug in coil for my 505, I figured I was ahead to just go a new F2 machine with the screw in 11" DD and round concentric coils package. I know some out there are furious about Bounty Hunter taking over Fisher and look on Bounty Hunter machines as junk but I personally think the BH machines are quite capable of keeping on the heels of some of the more expensive name brand machines if they are not outdoing them. Though I have never before owned a Pre-BH Fisher machine, from my experience with a BH 505 that has served me well and with an added 4" coil, I believe this F2 is going to be sweet for what is called a beginners machine. A great deal of detecting successes are not so often a result of the cost of the machine as much as they happen because of the operator and the coils used for the conditions. Seldom on my 505, do I look at the digital display but rely more on distance of coil sweep in relation to tone given or pin point sounding. What I believe I will use on the F2 display more than anything is the numerical numbers the machine will assign to different targets. Personally, I could care less about an iron or foil indicator for example because I dig more more targets than I don't but Notching is a good feature and has it's place. My Garrett Freedom II Coin Commander from the 1980's was actually one of the first machines that could have been thought of as a Notch Machine. It has manual dual discrimination settings.

When it gets here and is supposed to be this week, I'll have to give it a run to see what this rascal will do. Last year it got so hot here for so long, I did very little detecting. This summer is not quite as bad yet but it's best to get detecting out of the way before noon. We do reach in the 100 and above temperatures down here on the Salmon River of Idaho.
 
Beginner's detector?
More like a top end detector just missing some whistles and bells.

I bought mine just to use as a take-on-vacation detector/backup and I never planned on using it much for anything else, but those plans changed.
It was so much fun to use and found me so much right out of the gate I ended up using it more than I ever dreamed and it has paid me back with finds that equal somewhere near about 12X's or more than its cost if I cashed them all in, and hours of pleasure and excitement and happiness that is priceless.

I am a Tesoro guy so I never thought much about that screen and only got the F2 in case I lent it to someone because I thought it would be easier to use for a newbie.
I have come to know that screen info, the VDI numbers, the depth bars and the tones and how they act and what they are really saying extremely well in my many hours of using it and I can say that language is something I have become very fluent in...but I am still learning new things on every hunt...or trying to.

A beast on coins, and I have found more than my share of silver, gold and all manner of other great targets in my 1 1/2 years using only the 8" coil, but don't ever discount the value of that sniper coil, especially in trashy sites...my main and preferred areas of hunting.

The DD coil is loved by most that use it, (I have a Vaq with a big DD so I won't need one for my F2), and I hear it goes deep and covers ground very efficiently, but if you do hit some more trashy sites this is a pic to show you what my F2, sniper coil and me have found since only a year ago last June, and the F2 is only one of 3 detectors I use.
There are 8 gold rings in this pic, and this is not all the great stuff it has found because I just didn't have enough room to show it all in this picture.

Use any coil you choose, learn the language well and it will pay for itself over and over starting at day one.
Trust me on this...I know.

If you have any questions on using this great detector feel free to PM and ask me I am always happy to help cut down that learning curve if I can.
 
F2 was my 1st MDer, it's a very good machine, I found a Barber dime at a measured 8" it was after a good rain so the wet ground may have helped get me a bit more depth. The only thing bad I can say about it is that it doesn't like EMI & I don't like the way the coil connector is set into the case it makes it hard to get fingers in there to unscrew the coil connector, other than that its a great machine, you're gonna love it.
 
:usmc:

Well, it has reached a 102 degrees down here on the Salmon River the last three days but my new F2 arrived early yesterday. Today I at last sat down to unpack it from it's box.

My first impression because I have owned a Bounty Hunter Pioneer 505 for some time, is that the Fisher F2 has some Bounty Hunter blood in it but that does not surprise or bother me as First Texas did take over Fisher. The assembly was very straight forward for me until I got to the coil connection and I was already aware of the tight space issue from reading F2 reviews. The push and screw on connector was a poor design choice and it should have been a push in connector like that found on the Pioneer 505. Matter of fact, the two should have been swapped in the design process as the Pioneer 505 has the room for finger tightening a connector like this one. So, I can see swapping between the three coils that came with it may become more difficult than it should have to be. What I also found was, if you are a guy like me with some muscle mass in your forearm, the arm rest is almost but not quite too narrow for a fit. It is about snug for me. My forearm fits my other machines a bit looser.

Of the three coils, the 11"DD coil (separately packaged but enclosed) did not come with the screw and nut like the other two coils but you can only use one coil at a time and so still have a spare set.

It did come with the Fpoint pointer. The instructions do not tell you how to open the battery compartment. I took a guess that you finger squeeze the bottom cap at the grab points and pull like a Mule to open it and it did. I have never owned or operated a Pointer and I personally can live without one but I did think it would be louder than it is and possibly a bit more sensitive. I don't know what to expect of it compared to anything else but will give it a try or trash can it. I did notice the battery kind of rattles around inside so maybe a person needs to add a bit of foam to take up the space.

It also came with a set of Koss stereo portable KPH7 headphones with an included adaptor for the 1/4" plug in. A little Garrett "Lost Treasure" book to get the beginners detecting fever going. A canvas finds pouch and a plastic dig tool. I guess it's standard to get the Lost Treasure Magazine and the Fisher Labs World subscription offers. The F2 operating manual is not very lengthy but at a quick glance, looks like it will get a person started.

The Fisher 4" coil looks just like the Bounty Hunter 4" Gold Nugget coil. Only the connectors are different and the Fisher is plain, no decal markings. The Fisher 8" coil is only slightly different than the 8" Bounty Hunter on my 505, mainly where the stem rod connects. The Fisher 8" coil seems to be a bit more beefed up to the front of the stem rod connection.

I can not think of much else. The batteries are nice and snug. I don't see a problem with the battery door as long as you pull it straight out like the instructions say to. The stem is long enough for my height, the twist locks seem to work and keep the stem tight. I feel the machine was well enough packaged in the box. I do not see any workmanship problems, looks very nice. Just first feel but with the 11" DD coil attached, it felt slightly front heavy but was nothing I did not expect.

The next thing I guess is to take this rascal and give it a try and I think it's going to be a pleasure.
 
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