Pioneer 505

[Suninyourhand]

I purchased a Bounty Hunter Pioneer 505 detector from Ebay. The detector was described as new in the box and even though there were no photos of the unit itself but only of the outer box the seller had a 100% feedback rating, so I went ahead and bought it. I registered the detector on the Bounty Hunter website on 9/13/08 but have not heard back from them yet. Turns out the seller sold me a defective detector as new. The problem I am having is that the unit does not seem to be made properly, though It does seem to work correctly (5 inch depth on a nickel with 4 inch coil in all metal no motion mode) electronically. It looks to be a factory second and the build on it is inferior, in my opinion. The armrest and especially the inverted " U " bracket are mounted out of alignment in relation to each other and the metal tube to which they are fastened. I purchased this item sight unseen in good faith, but I had no idea that this company ever released items so poorly made to the general public under any circumstances. I am wondering does this sound like something that should be covered under Bounty Hunters 5 year warranty? They sell this part for $30. I had a 202 in 2003 and it was made perfect. I have included a photograph of the problem. Thank you.

 

[GoGoGopher]

Wow!!!...That IS off center...if the warranty card is still in the box, fill it out, send it in, wait 5 days, then call First Texas and ask about it...
My guess is it was NOT First Texas's mistake...looks like someone fell on the detector or something and bent the rivet or whatever rod holds those 2 pieces to the shaft...


HH,

GoGoGopher

 

[Suninyourhand]

It was not been bent after manufacturing....the rivet is straight, so is the metal tube. Instead, the molding of the portion of the plastic brace (saddle) where it conforms around the metal tube when bolted down is itself crooked, causing it to be out of alignment or slanted even though it is secured exactly as it would be if the brace was molded correctly or straight. Discounting lighting effects, look at the gap between the plastic of the brace as it follows the contour of the metal tube it is mounted to, and you can see it. I did register online, but also have a registration card. You think sending in the card would get the wheels turning huh? I will do that. Thanks for the advice.

 

[GoGoGopher]

I see now...looks like the hole in the stand was drilled off center...how this got by QC is beyond me...I would think a defect that drastic would have been noticed straight off...Now If you have not filled out the card and sent it in already, I would go to:

http://www.detecting.com

get the phone number and call First Texas...Ask for Veronica if she is there...tell her your situation, and sens a good photo to her email if you can...I am sure they will offer up a replacement detector, or a new upper rod and cuff and rest....
Unfortunately, I do not think there is any way to get out of the shipping charges to send the machine in to them though...
At least they pay to ship it back...


HH,

GoGoGopher

 

[TABAGO]

Maybe it's suspose to be made that way, I purchased A Quick Draw ll back in may of this year, its is slanted the same way as yours
don't think its a big deal just a design flaw

why not send the picture to First Texas Products
I would like to know ,,what they have to say about it..

 

[Suninyourhand]

I did email Veronica and included the same picture I placed here on the forum. This was done last weekend. I could not bring up my email to check for some reason, but I get the impression they did not reply. I asked them if they could just send the upper stem and I would install it myself. If I receive no reply in the near future I will call them.

I see no reason why something would be made out of alignment or crooked like this, it makes no sense to me. My feeling is that some of these units are factory seconds that did not not pass quality control and were not initially sent out to the large retail chains such as Walmart as a result, but have found their way into retail land somehow on sites such as Ebay.

This thread has about run its course...Ive got the basic scoop now, so thanks to all who offered suggestions, I appreciate it. Thank you.

 

[twalton]

My buddy Terry runs an e-bay store that sells factory seconds and store return merchandise that he buys by the 40' trailer load from wal-fart, dick's, sportmart etc...etc. All stored in a 20,000 sq.ft. warehouse that is packed full! Anything defective that's returned to the retail store is credited by the manufacturer and then loaded onto pallets for wholesale disposal. Ebay power-sellers get most of their stuff this way. He is up-front about this on his store site but many are not and try to pass stuff off as brand new when it's really been returned for some reason or other. Buyer beware as always.

hh, twalton

 

[Suninyourhand]

I knew it!! I knew it!! I thought that damn thing was a second. Had to be. There was another issue with the detector that I did not mention and was not visible in the photo that I placed here. About 3/4's of the edge of the electronics case has a band of about 1 inch or so in width where the plastic has a different texture, and it is somewhat discolored as well.

It almost looks as if it was sanded down a little bit in an attempt to make the normal slightly rough matte finish of the plastic smoother. This also changed the color from flat black to an almost grayish black in this area. The detector was able to sense a quarter at 4 to 5 inches in an air test with the 4 inch coil...and about the same 4 inches or so of depth in a ground test, so it seems to work okay electronically. This was in all-metal no-motion mode. Because this test of the units electronics seemed to check out, I decided to keep it and try to fix the problem with the upper stem/arm rest.

Uh-huh....and I can tell you could smell this was coming next, I got home and there was a box on the porch. Yep, it was from First-Texas. Got it open and it looked somewhat like an anorexic mummy or something with all the foam rapping, but yea they sent me a new arm rest upper stem for the unit. It looks to be scratched slightly here & there, but it does seem to be manufactured to a better standard than the one that came with the detector. I asked for new screws to be included also, but they kinda told me to climb my thumb on that one. Them screws is expensive!

Eyezz happy now! To the poster who mentioned the second-coming-bit, the products you described is about what I encountered on this scam. The Ebay seller who sold this unit to me deliberately sold me a second as a first. I might just have to ring his ding-a-ling-bell and leave the boy a negative feedback. He gonna dig it.

All that aside, I think I have a unit I can feel cool about going out and using now. Now watch the damn thing explode when I fire it up!

Thanks to all who helped.

 

[Suninyourhand]

Does anyone know what the size and length of the screws that secure the control housing to the upper stem/arm rest assembly are? I want to replace them with hex-bolts. Thanks.

 

[twalton]

I swing a Pioneer 505 and love it. The no motion mode is great for pinpointing. My wife swings a Pioneer 202 along with me when we hunt playgrounds and tot lots. Both machines are excellent for coin shooting. I get great depth, 6-8 inches in black soil, finding lost quarters at the local football field. Headphones help me to hear the tones better than listening to the speaker and the batteries definitely last longer. Hope you get lots of enjoyment from yours.

HH, twalton

 

[GoGoGopher]

You can always take one of the bolts out and take it with you to a hardware store, who will have a guage to measure it and match it with the hex bolts you want...
Chances are FT gave you a used upper stem...I would imagine they fix machines and take in old ones and if the aprt is still good, why chuck it...give it away to replace bad parts right...???


HH,

GoGoGopher

 

[Suninyourhand]

You mentioned 6-8 inches of depth. You don't mean with the 4 inch coil do you? I had a Pioneer 202 in 2003 and never really used it, but I did test it a little with some coins I buried. It would pick up a quarter at 13 inches. Of course, I had the quarter buried so it was flat to maximise its surface area, and it would only detect it on about 50% of the sweeps, but still...

I ran the 505 with its 4 inch coil over the same spot in no motion mode and it sounded off, but I just assumed it was detecting something else that was there, even though I had checked the area carefully in 2003 before I placed the quarter to be sure that if I detected something it was in fact the quarter.

I don't think its possible to detect a quarter at a foot of depth or more with a 4 inch coil under any circumstances, but it seemed to. I am going to have to check his out more carefully to see whats up with the depth of this thing with both the 4 & 8 inch coils.

 

[Weekendwarrior]

I appreciate the info about your friend and am glad to see he is legit. I have purchased several electronic items off of eBay including a Cobra Beach Magnet that I have not received yet for $155.00, but the seller stated it was a refurbished factory item. I learned about Square Trade warranties through eBay which can be purchased for 1 or 2 years coverage for next to nothing BOY, WHAT A PEACE OF MIND!!! Yes, I have had to use them once for an iPod that worked for a week and died. Sure enough the warranty company 1st tried to help fix the item and then refunded 100% of my money not only for the pod, but refunded the prorated amount of the warranty that was left within a few days. The short of the story is anytime I purchase an electronic item off of eBay, I ask the seller in advance of bidding on an item if they offer the warranty through Square Trade. Even thought my Cobra Beach Magnet is refurbished, I'm confident the warranty will take care of me for several years considering it is submersible. Hope this helps