Patriot First Impression

[RavRad]

Good Morning All,

Yesterday FEDEX dropped off a new Teknetics Patriot, and quickly threw it together and ran out to the test garden. So far as First Texas is concerned, I previously ran an F75 LTD 2 for a season (loved it to death, sold it to help start a business), and currently have an Omega 8000 v4 and Eurotek.

First impression is that either First Texas completely solved their EMI problems, or I have a factory freak detector. I first kicked it on in the house which should have thrown the detector in a schizophrenic fit, but in the default program, it stayed completely quiet wearing the stock coil. Took it out to the test garden and didn't get my first hint of interference until sensitivity crossed over 85 with threshold set at -2, and this with my heat pump chugging away 20 feet away. The F75 with DST would go bananas until sensitivity was dropped down below 30.

Hit everything in the test garden (deepest target is 12") pretty easy and solid. Like all my other First Texas machines, VDI can be jumpy but I've found that to be a bonus of sorts. I second guess less on the VDI and more let the tones do the talking while figuring out the depth and shape of the target. I think that's why my F75 was a gold ring vacuum, easily paying for itself in less than a month.

Will be taking it out today for a thorough workout, using both the stock coil and the Cors Fortune/NEL Sharpshooter. Overall I'm super impressed from the start, even though I plan on picking up an F75+ package (I love the trigger), I think this is definitely a keeper.

 

[RavRad]

Just got back from my first outing. Was pretty windy and cold so only gave it a half hour at the local park 3 blocks away that I've pounded to death.

Managed to pull a Civil War Button, pretty toasted but I'll probably be able to pull the details out once I toss it into the ultrasonic cleaner with sweep. Pulled two wheats, and about $3 in older clad. I was only trying to cherry pick deeper signals so I skipped all the modern stuff. Did also find some costume jewelry about 7 inches down that was all broken up. Will post pics once I thaw out.

I ran it almost the entire time is Discrim at 1, 90 sensitivity, threshold at -1 or 0, 4h tones and some dp tones, with all metal set on the second program to check some targets. It ran completely quiet the entire time. I pushed the threshold to 3 a couple times, but it seemed to be reacting a lot more than I liked on tiny foil and junky stuff.

I'm in love already, it's a keeper. The civil war button surprised me, I've gridded that area about a dozen times between an Etrac, CTX 3030, AT Pro, and F75 (tried once with the Omega 8000 v4 but the EMI was wayyyyyy too much for this park). It rang in loud and clear at 31-33 on the VDI, and was about 5 inches down between some iron. I guess that's why they say no site is ever really cleaned out.

 

[jim tn]

The Patriot sounds interesting. What's the 12" target in your test garden? HH jim tn

 

[RavRad]

The Patriot sounds interesting. What's the 12" target in your test garden? HH jim tn

It’s an almost featureless Standing Liberty quarter, no idea what the date is and it barely has any details on it to make out that it’s a SLQ. The next couple outings I’ll pull the GoPro out and record the digs with the VDI, there aren’t barely any on YouTube and personally those are the type I like to see.

 

[c4teeter]

Congrats on the detector and finds.. I just purchased one also.. They sure run hot... I live out in the woods with nothing around me and have to keep the threshold at around -3 and sens around 75 and it still a little eratic.....

 

[REVIER]

The Patriot sounds interesting. What's the 12" target in your test garden? HH jim tn

It’s an almost featureless Standing Liberty quarter, no idea what the date is and it barely has any details on it to make out that it’s a SLQ. The next couple outings I’ll pull the GoPro out and record the digs with the VDI, there aren’t barely any on YouTube and personally those are the type I like to see.

I have a few vids out there like this.
Mostly boring unless you are a Patriot/F70 owner but I do them as instructional.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=581s&v=sKlxPuaww0U

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HJ8Ez_JP-io


https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=1134s&v=3hd8aNfrnmw

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L_2rYKZVzc4

 

[Tjack]

Ran mine for most of last year and it is a fantastic machine for sure...

 

[dwalker212]

Hi, just a follow up question. How is it at pinpointing? I've heard the DD coils are harder to pinpoint with the a Concentric coil. I just ordered a Patriot today. Thanks

 

[REVIER]

Easy peasy.
Hit the pinpoint t button and listen for the loudest tone and watch the screen for the smallest numbers.
There is a little faint circle on top of the coil just north of where the rod connects and that is the center of the coil and where you dig at that loudest tone.
I do that on really deep targets.
On most others I just do wiggle and pull back method using any detectors and all DD coils.
Get the target in middle of the coil and make some short, quick side to side swipes as you pull back the coil.
Watch the front rim of the coil and notice when the signal drops out.
When it does your target should be just in front of the coil, right under the rim of the coil or just behind the rim of the coil depending on how deep it actually is.
In any case that will narrow the area down to about 2".
This is extremely fast and accurate once you get the hang of it, when I first got a DD coil I was confused at first and couldn't find my targets at all.
If it wasn't for my pinpointer I would have dug nothing but with a little practice it finally clicked and it was never a problem after that.
Got a quite easy actually pretty quickly and I can't believe I had a problem with this technique at first.

 

[dwalker212]

Thank you, that explains it quite well!

 

[dwalker212]

I used your pinpointing method today and it worked very nicely! Thank you REVIER!

 

[REVIER]

I used your pinpointing method today and it worked very nicely! Thank you REVIER!

Not just my method, many use this technique but you are welcome, anyway.
FYI, this same method has another important use...it can tell you when you are swinging over those crimped pop tops about 95-98% of the time.
When you wiggle and pull back that coil as the front rim passes over the target if it is a good one like a coin or ring the tone should stay the same and the numbers on the screen should too from all directions.
The numbers won't change from the time you get the target till it goes away.
Now if you do this same thing over a crown cap the numbers might stay high in the high conductor range as these things tend to do but when that coil rim passes over it right before the signal cuts out there will be a large drop in the numbers sometimes only down to the 30's or so but most times down into iron below 10.
This is called edge pass rejection or another name for it is rimming the coil.
You of course have to have your disc down low to below 7-8 to see this drop but you have a second program you can easily switch to and use as a check if you prefer not to hunt with the disc that low.
I always have my program 1 in some sort of disc set up and program 2 in all metal since day one for this situation and also for other reasons.

On the crushed flat really rusty old steel tops this won't work so well, (that 2-5%), especially if they are laying flat in the ground but for most others this method works more than well.
After learning this and seeing how well it works it changed hunting in pop pop infested parks from total frustration into fun and joy...for me.