Ed in SoDak
Member
A busy day! While the T2 arrived back today, my priorities were upgrading my computer so I could run my new tax software. I did unpack the T2 and buzzed through a quick rundown of the new modes, but then it was back to business.
That done, I checked out the Findmall chatroom, as my computer upgrade finally runs flashchat. Man, text entry took forever to catch up with my typing, but it was fun. It cut into my testing time, but I can't do much more than air tests till Sunday anyway.
So, onto the report, quick and dirty, such as it is.
First off, I got a new coil and calibration. That was my reason for returning the unit. It evidently got to the factory just in time to be one of the first to get the upgrade. Seems all better in the coil department. A nice letter from Tek detailed what all they did and stated my unit was tested successfully several times before packing it up. I'd sent no batteries, but 4 used ones were in the box with it, taped together. It also came with a new warranty sheet. It arrived at Tek last Friday, and was back in my hands today, that's service!! Jeff stood behind me all the way on the decision to upgrade, it's cost me nothing other than shipping it to Tek and that one week wait. Thanks, Jeff!
Every new item stated in the revision list is on my machine. Pinpoint sensitivity is cool, I think that will help a lot in crowded target areas. I did not check it out very much tonight, but saw that it adjusted as advertised.
The new dP tone mode is wild! I can tell it will take a little field time to learn all those signals, but it oughta be great to help nailing specific targets by their audio signature. At first, all those individual tones are gonna confuse you, especially if it's a coin that bounces a point or two. But once you got it, I think you'll like it!
I'd recommend checking a target in the mode you're used to, then switching over to dP to see how they compare.
I swung air tests till my arm cramped. I had a washer, rusty bottlecap, rusty belt buckle, 22 casing, nuggets, pulltab, clad and silver coins, a large cent, a nut, a brass bushing. I can't get too specific on these crude tests, but coins and good targets generally kept a more stable tone while trash really jumped about. Depth and swing all played a part in the air test, as my arm was not staying at all uniform in my swings. That would be more constant in the field. I tested each in 3, 3b, 4 and dP modes in order to hear what differences there were between them.
You will find many detected items shifting in pitch when you move from a lower tone mode to dP, since the dP mode is tied to the actual conductivity/ID, while the other modes "group" targets into fewer specific tones. The signal is also derived a little more like the 1 and 2 modes, described as "continuous sampling."
I think if you do your IDs with short, slow sweeps, keeping the target under the center portion of the coil, you'll see more stable ID on stuff. If you move the coil fast, you'll hear short blips of sound. If you slow way down, you'll catch a longer-holding tone. Things that signal on the edges of the coil as well as center will settle down to a single tone if you can keep the target under the sweet spot in the center. Sweep kinda like warming up for a short golf putt.
3b is definitely different from modes 3 and 4 now. If you like a more consistent tone from things, you may still use these modes more for coinshooting than dP, at least at first.
I found I could play an interesting tune in dP mode by waving my keyrings about under the coil. You'll just have to hear this mode for yourself. I have never run the old Teknetics Mark 1, so can't state how it might compare.
The other tone modes remained exactly as they were. As did the basic shell, it has the same battery compartment, etc., so none of the minor "hardware" issues was changed. Even the trigger switch fastener that I took off from the inside of the case and put onto the outside so it was doubled, was just as I had left it.
I can't really do depth tests right here, since my computer still makes it act up a bit. The room is full of electronics and metal, plus the fusepanel here's too, so I had sensitivity lowered to 40 or so. However, it seemed I was able to quiet it down much more in this location than before, that I was able to do these air tests with no falsing at all. Before, it would have falsed in here with sens at 40.
I don't know if the frequency shift was adjusted or if it's my new coil, or what. Adjusting the freq's, it seemed more "shifty," that is, there is a bigger change in interference rejection between steps than before. Some freq's were much noisier than I recall, while others seemed very quiet. More tests in the field required. So far, looks good.
Another BIG change is the manual. It's two pages longer, but it's not just tacked on the end. The whole thing has been gone through and added onto and wordings changed. All the new features are described, as well as the previously "undocumented" features. It is now also cross-referenced, to help take you to a related topic on another page.
Ground balance instruction is much expanded, a full page on pinpointing, as well as more and better tips, plus of course the new features and several of the previous options are more fully delved into and explained.
Looks like Sunday will be my first chance for a more serious checkout "in the dirt." Maybe I can swing some tomorrow, but it won't be enough to qualify for a report.
It's not a wholly "new" machine, but you'll sure find plenty of additional useful functions. Thus far, I see no losses, only gains.
-Ed
That done, I checked out the Findmall chatroom, as my computer upgrade finally runs flashchat. Man, text entry took forever to catch up with my typing, but it was fun. It cut into my testing time, but I can't do much more than air tests till Sunday anyway.
So, onto the report, quick and dirty, such as it is.
First off, I got a new coil and calibration. That was my reason for returning the unit. It evidently got to the factory just in time to be one of the first to get the upgrade. Seems all better in the coil department. A nice letter from Tek detailed what all they did and stated my unit was tested successfully several times before packing it up. I'd sent no batteries, but 4 used ones were in the box with it, taped together. It also came with a new warranty sheet. It arrived at Tek last Friday, and was back in my hands today, that's service!! Jeff stood behind me all the way on the decision to upgrade, it's cost me nothing other than shipping it to Tek and that one week wait. Thanks, Jeff!
Every new item stated in the revision list is on my machine. Pinpoint sensitivity is cool, I think that will help a lot in crowded target areas. I did not check it out very much tonight, but saw that it adjusted as advertised.
The new dP tone mode is wild! I can tell it will take a little field time to learn all those signals, but it oughta be great to help nailing specific targets by their audio signature. At first, all those individual tones are gonna confuse you, especially if it's a coin that bounces a point or two. But once you got it, I think you'll like it!
I'd recommend checking a target in the mode you're used to, then switching over to dP to see how they compare.
I swung air tests till my arm cramped. I had a washer, rusty bottlecap, rusty belt buckle, 22 casing, nuggets, pulltab, clad and silver coins, a large cent, a nut, a brass bushing. I can't get too specific on these crude tests, but coins and good targets generally kept a more stable tone while trash really jumped about. Depth and swing all played a part in the air test, as my arm was not staying at all uniform in my swings. That would be more constant in the field. I tested each in 3, 3b, 4 and dP modes in order to hear what differences there were between them.
You will find many detected items shifting in pitch when you move from a lower tone mode to dP, since the dP mode is tied to the actual conductivity/ID, while the other modes "group" targets into fewer specific tones. The signal is also derived a little more like the 1 and 2 modes, described as "continuous sampling."
I think if you do your IDs with short, slow sweeps, keeping the target under the center portion of the coil, you'll see more stable ID on stuff. If you move the coil fast, you'll hear short blips of sound. If you slow way down, you'll catch a longer-holding tone. Things that signal on the edges of the coil as well as center will settle down to a single tone if you can keep the target under the sweet spot in the center. Sweep kinda like warming up for a short golf putt.
3b is definitely different from modes 3 and 4 now. If you like a more consistent tone from things, you may still use these modes more for coinshooting than dP, at least at first.
I found I could play an interesting tune in dP mode by waving my keyrings about under the coil. You'll just have to hear this mode for yourself. I have never run the old Teknetics Mark 1, so can't state how it might compare.
The other tone modes remained exactly as they were. As did the basic shell, it has the same battery compartment, etc., so none of the minor "hardware" issues was changed. Even the trigger switch fastener that I took off from the inside of the case and put onto the outside so it was doubled, was just as I had left it.
I can't really do depth tests right here, since my computer still makes it act up a bit. The room is full of electronics and metal, plus the fusepanel here's too, so I had sensitivity lowered to 40 or so. However, it seemed I was able to quiet it down much more in this location than before, that I was able to do these air tests with no falsing at all. Before, it would have falsed in here with sens at 40.
I don't know if the frequency shift was adjusted or if it's my new coil, or what. Adjusting the freq's, it seemed more "shifty," that is, there is a bigger change in interference rejection between steps than before. Some freq's were much noisier than I recall, while others seemed very quiet. More tests in the field required. So far, looks good.
Another BIG change is the manual. It's two pages longer, but it's not just tacked on the end. The whole thing has been gone through and added onto and wordings changed. All the new features are described, as well as the previously "undocumented" features. It is now also cross-referenced, to help take you to a related topic on another page.
Ground balance instruction is much expanded, a full page on pinpointing, as well as more and better tips, plus of course the new features and several of the previous options are more fully delved into and explained.
Looks like Sunday will be my first chance for a more serious checkout "in the dirt." Maybe I can swing some tomorrow, but it won't be enough to qualify for a report.
It's not a wholly "new" machine, but you'll sure find plenty of additional useful functions. Thus far, I see no losses, only gains.
-Ed
