Any opinions on the 505?

[dont know nutin]

I just got a new Safari and along with that they sold me a new 505 anyone use a 505? are they any good? I just couldn't pass it up for $1.00 more. I guess if its not a good unit I could always sell it. But if its a OK unit I could use it for a back up. Any opinions out there? THANKS!

 

[jimjimmyjames]

I don't own or use one, but if you decide to sell it, let me know. I need an upgrade from my QD2 and can't aford an MXT yet. Thank you. Jimmy

 

[dont know nutin]

I haven't had a chance to use the Safari or the 505 yet as its winter here! For all I know the 505 will be a better quality detector then my Safari is. I am new to MDing. I know the Safari is a different type of detector then the 505 but that's about all I know. I am just trying to get some user feedback!

 

[Oakman404]

I got a 505 in a Kellyco BOGO sale with another detector. I have read a lot on it and went through the old threads on this site. I have taken it out and tried it a little in the back yard (the weather here has been to cold and snowy). It seems like a real good unit. My daughter is going to use it when we go tectin this year! The depth and target ID seem to be right on, I haven't played with it much but it seems to have a pretty good rep.

 

[salmonriverhotrock]

Last year, I bought what was listed as new, a Pioneer 505 off EBay. It turned out it was not new and had two cracks in the plastic. One crack was in the plastic around the plug connection for the coil in the back of the electronics housing. The other crack was in the twist-lock collar for the search coil stem. The seller offered to take it back and was very sorry. Here is why I kept it.

Everything else was in nice shape and by the time I were to ship it back, with my additional time, gas, (last year was just over $4 a gallon) to take it back to the Post Office, I was going to have more into this machine than I had wanted to spend. After I had removed it from the box, I immediately put in two fresh 9 Volts and put this machine to work in the yard. While I had been waiting for it in the mail, I had downloaded the manual and read up on it. Right away, I began finding coins. The crack in the plastic by the coil wire connection has not been any problem at all to me. I tightly wrapped the lock collar with an elastic black colored self adhesive rubber electrical insulation tape to keep the crack from spreading apart when the collar is twisted to tighten and is also has not been a problem to me when used in the field.

My experience goes back to about 1982, the first time I ever used a detector, and found a mans gold ring and a Wheat back penny (was a Garrett Master Hunter machine) in the mountains of Idaho within an hour. I had no previous experience, was cold turkey turn on the machine and learn it on the spot.

This Pioneer 505 was going over ground right out of the box I had worked over with a Garrett Freedom II Coin Master which has always been a very reliable coin machine for me. Because of this, I kept the Bounty Hunter 505. The Bounty Hunter may in some part seem a more cheaply made unit but it has survived so far, the very rocky and rugged terrain we have here down along the Salmon River. The standard search coil also took a hit last year from a Rattle Snake and survived This machine exceeded my expectations so much, I bought a 4" gold nugget coil to go with it and do not regret that either.

My Pioneer 505 is always used with headphones in very trashed out locations. The typical camp locations along the river that every fire pit ends up used for disposing of aluminum cans and other metals. Outside of metal detecting shooting ranges with all the spent cartridges and bullets, there is never an end to all the melted aluminum that ends up scattered all over these camp sites, developed or not and even finding this junk in the river bottom. With the standard coil or the 4" in these trashed out and highly mineralized places, this 505 has noticeably found me more Nickles than my Garrett Freedom II. Being a Garrett man all these years, this was hard to take.

The settings I somehow naturally end up using on the 505 are just past power turned ON at Low sensitivity and Low discrimination while hunting in All metal combined with Ground Trac use and then discriminate in the Discriminate mode. Maybe one day I will play more with the Knobs but it works for me. I grew up on SOUND and not the Bells and Whistles telling me what I found so it's extremely rare I look at the Depth because most coins are often 4 or less inches deep and most times only look at the Target I.D. when getting a Tone for Nickles. Large steel or iron objects it will find deep but I've had them also show high or more valuable on the possible target I.D. and any of those target contraptions can be fooled by odd metal contents not normally encountered.

The Pioneer 505 is very easy to handle, never wears my arm out, and I believe the machine to be very easy to learn and operate while providing performance thought to only be found in Big Boy Toys. I have read many reviews that run the Bounty Hunter machines right into the ground but I'm convinced it is because these guys spent a fortune on their units to find a nice Bounty Hunter nipping at their heels. There are so many makes and models for all kinds of uses but much about metal detecting has more to do with the User than the price of the machine. Just an example of this is, I'm playing around trying to see if this 505 will discriminate by a method used long ago just by using All Metal/Pin Point mode and then applying Ground Trac to ground balance. It was a method that some called 12/21, a discriminating technique that today would be seen as taking to much time and effort. Yes, the 505 has Discriminate but I want to see if it will do it the old Timers way. Can not say for any certainty right now but it seems to work when mineralization is not so heavy.

Enjoy your 505. For the Dollar extra, your not out anything to keep it.

 

[roddrus]

n/t

 

[Suninyourhand]

Bounty Hunter should have provided warranty sevice for your detector free of charge. I went through a similar problem with a 505 purchased from Ebay and the manufacture made it right. Also, a 4 inch coil was included free with my Pioneer 505 and should have been included with your detector as far as I know. If you ask them, I am sure they will fix or replace your unit even if it is out of warranty as long as the damage did not happen during shipping. The problems you describe with your detector are ridicules....no one should have to duct tape a brand new metal detector together so they can use it. I would jump all over it and see what can be done about it. In my case they sent me free parts with pre-paid shipping. I also called a few months later about the adjustment knob that secures the coil to the stem and they sent me out 2 sets of them free with pre-paid shipping even though I had called to buy them as it was not a warranty issue. Thats about as good as it gets man. http://www.findmall.com/read.php?60,809994,809994#msg-809994

 

[Ed in SoDak]

The coil connector that's on the brainbox is a 3-piece assembly. There's the center part with the wires and the two outer halves which have the screw holes. This allows the connector's wires to be soldered on to the board while it's easy to get to and no soldering is needed later on when the detector is assembled. You can see the gaps between the halves, they can be aligned better if off kilter. If they spread too far because of a loose screw, the socket part could slide between them and play hide and seek inside the case. Anyway, I hope you're not confusing this connector style with a cracked or broken part. If the actual case is cracked here, perhaps one of these screws was over tightened.

The stem collar is very easy to overtighten. If the button is latched into one of the holes, the collar isn't needed for much, but might help stop some stem wobble. My Time Ranger doesn't have a collar. On my T2, I barely snug it. I'm sure if you write, they'll send out a new one.

-Ed

 

[Vess1]

I got a 505 for Christmas and so far I'm very satisfied with it. I've only went out a couple times. I don't care for the all metals mode because it just picks up everything. Might be useful further away from civilization but then, what's the chance of running across anything out there?

The first time I used it, I followed the directions to set it up to descriminate. I then took it out around my house (built 1899). First thing that registered, said pull tab on the screen. So I dug it. Sure enough it was an old pull tab. Got out to the front and ended up finding a couple modern quarters by the sidewalk about 4" deep. Both gave off very strong signals and the display flashed back and forth between 25 cents and 50 cents.

I took it out to my mom's house and I have a coin located, but last time I was there, the ground was still frozen solid. You'll find that in descriminate mode, you'll often get a random beep and then go over the same area several times and not pick up anything. Then it might go off again. I've learned to ignore these signals as it has not been worth trying to find what it's picking up.

When you find a coin you will definitely know it. They give off a strong, repeatable every pass, signal. Same with a ring. I've tried going over my wedding ring with it and it gives a strong, signal that repeats equally every pass. The junk won't.

 

[GoGoGopher]

You would be surprised what you might find out in the boonies, off the beaten track...I have found many old foundations or well holes out in the woods that have produced some interesting finds...from old coins to iron relics and tools...If man walked there, there is something to find.
The 505 was my second machine, and I was quite fond of it. (wish I still had it). The circuitry is much the same as the Land Star, minus the manual ground balance...What most folks do not know is that almost every detector made has the possibility to have a manual ground balance on it...there usually IS a pot on the board, but no knob on the faceplate...I did this with my White's Classic II-SL...there were 2 pots on the board, that I replaced with wires and pots on the faceplate so that I could manually adjust my Threshold and Ground Balance...Unlike my Land Star, the White's ground balance works in ALL modes. A correctly adjusted ground balance can add many inches to your depth, but a poorly adjusted ground balance can take away just as many inches...This project is not for everyone, it takes a great understanding on how to properly adjust the ground balance...
the 505 is a great little machine, and not something to thumb your nose at...it may be cheap, but it will hold it's own with many other mid-priced machines from other manufacturers...Give it a go...you will NOT be disappointed.

HH,

 

[salmonriverhotrock]

Actually, you would be surprised at what you find out here in the sticks of Idaho. Every one of my Silver coins, Buffalo and V-nickles, and Wheaties to include one copper Military Uniform button and two Oxen shoes have all been found in off of the road mountain locations. My first gold ring was also in the mountains. Some mountain locations had no visual evidence there had been anything there but it was out of a gut feeling that I detected and found old coins and other items. I have always been amazed that any place I have put a coil to the ground, I have found something. One day, I drove out into our high desert in South East Idaho to confirm and prove this to myself. You know how it is, there has to be some place still virgin. Miles from town and any farms or fences, I just stopped, got out, walked a ways out into the sage brush, put the coil down, and in short order found a .50 Caliber machine gun belt link. There was nothing visible of man having been there but my footprints in the volcanic soil and my pickup way off in the distance.

Back in WW-II, the Army Air Corps had the air field outside of Pocatello Idaho. They often flew over our desert with Drones in tow so that fighter pilots could learn to shoot another plane down. Many belt links, bullets, and shell casings rained down onto the desert. I have walked the Lava Fields and have visually found shell casings before. This is also why I must laugh at all those who seek to lock up all of our public lands. The areas designated Primitive or protected areas are a joke. There is nothing primitive or prestine about them. People in this country are led to think these areas are presitine when in fact they are not and man had been there mining or doing other things before the tree huggers came along. Craters of the Moon National Monument used to be a ranch and an alternate route of the Oregon Trail passes through part of it and there are old mines very nearby.

Here in Idaho, one has to remember that back in the old days, most transactions were done with I.O.U.'s or out of bartering. I suspect it was extremely rare that Grandpa tossed silver dollars out onto the lawn to watch grandkids try to find them in tall grass. Historicly, very little coin was exchanged here in Idaho but I would suspect in places like Boise, Pocatello, Lewiston, and Idaho Falls around what were way back when, the homes of the more wealthy, one may find things in a city setting like the fellows back east. Idaho City at one time in it's day was one of the largest cities in the West. To see it now you would not have known.

The oldest coin I ever found in a city setting was in Blackfoot Idaho. I was trying to locate a Black Hills Gold ring in a friends yard. His daughter claimed she lost her girlfriends ring in the yard. I detected and pin pointed and he dug. On one pin point, Jack stood up after finding a round flat dirty metallic like washer and got ready to throw it when I yelled don't! Jack went on to tell me it was just a washer off the lawn mower. I told Jack to push the dirt out of the center and he did. It was an old Chinese coin with a crack in one corner of the square hole. We did some research and found his home had been built near where the Chinese Rail Road Camp was located back in the late 1800's. We had a Professor at Idaho State University try to put a date, region, and Emperor to it but he said he had never seen one such as this so was unable to date it. As for the ring, my friends daughter fessed up that she had sold it.

My hope one day is to find just one $20 gold piece or one of the Lewis and Clark Medals they brought with them west up the Missouri to give out to the American Indians. I may be wrong but I think only about 4 are known to exist out of the many they gave out and I live in Nez Perce Indian/Lewis and Clark country.

 

[salmonriverhotrock]

If I had bought this unit direct from Bounty Hunter or a Dealer at new price, I would have certainly returned it for replacement. The seller on EBay was not a Bounty Hunter dealer and knew little about MD's. The EBay ad said it was new, I thought I was getting new for cheap, and it turned out it was not.

The Seller offered to take it back and apologized but I was going to have to pay freight back and by the time I jumped through all the hoops to get it on it's way, I was going to have more into it than I had wanted to spend and in used condition keeping it, I was not hurt on the price. More importantly though, the two cracks have no effect on the Pioneer 505's performance or do they effect it's use in the field. If all the paint fell of it right now, I would still think very well of this machine and continue to use and enjoy it.

I've read where some guys bought new 505's and never got the 4" coil and others claimed they did. The 505 I bought had no 4" coil with it or any operating instructions. I did however make a call to Bounty Hunter and they sent me the free DVD Instructions. Before the machine arrived, I had downloaded the operating instructions. Because I'm in an area where there are possibilities of prospecting, I'm anxious to see what it will do though it's 6.8 kHz frequency will not help it with small or fine gold. So far, I have not found any reviews on the 505 being used to find gold nuggets and pickers and such. It sure is a coin machine though and finds iron or steel deep.

 

[ROADKING]

Hi I have one and have had it a lone time .I got it from a pawn shop for like 50.00 it has done a great job I now own a M6 and a couple other machine it has found many good find and the family has had many good times with it .Don't think I will ever part with it .Does not have to cost allot of money to enjoy this hobby and to find great treasures Hang on to it wont let you down once you learn to use it .keep on diggin ROADKING

 

[Suninyourhand]

You mentioned gold nuggets. If you use the 4 inch coil it should reduce the detection cones beamwdth by about 50% which is basically the same thing as doubling the units frequency and this would give you the sensitivity of a detector operating at 13.118khz which is close to the Groundhog circuit. I know there are people in Austrailia that have used Tracker 4's to find gold nuggets but they were bb sized or larger I think. Using one of these 505's as a gold machine is an interesting idea im going to have to try one of these days as im on the edge of the mother lode country in central california. Probably better left to a Whites Goldmaster 4 though.

 

[salmonriverhotrock]

The in effect doubling of the frequency by going with a smaller coil was something I had thought a time or two about and is interesting you bring that up. I'm no Radio Tech. but I have played around with antennas before and know you can do some tricks with radiator spacing and reflection to manipulate shape and amplification of radio waves.

I have not been able to get away from work obligations yet to do much detecting but have been playing around with the BH standard and 4 inch coils by doing some air tests with small pieces of Lead. By no means is my testing precise or scientific but I have gotten down to as small a piece of Lead about the shape and size of a grain of uncooked Rice. My Garrett Master Hunter ADS Groundhog (15 kHz) with a 4.5 coil for example will hit on this 1 inch away in air. The BH standard coil don't even know it's there but the 4 inch operated in all metal and or ground tracked mode will sound on it about 1/2 to maybe 3/4 inch away moving and about an inch motionless and without head phones. Even when the 505 is switched over to discriminate, It hits on it at about the same distance in air. I'm certain adding some dirt to this along with minerals and hot rocks would have lesser than encouraging results but I think the 505 has potential for electronic prospecting as it will with a standard coil hit on a .22 caliber Lead bullet in the ground at a couple inches for sure.
I was reading the other day how one Prospector with a high dollar metal detector carries a .22 Lead bullet with him and uses it in the field to make comparisons of sounds involving mineralized ground and indicated the bullet would produce a good sound about equal to a nugget almost the same size. I may be wrong but I think a Lead .22 bullet is about 40 grains in weight. The 505 with a 4 inch coil may not be a Scorpion, Gold Bug, or Whites GMT, but if Lead represents Gold in some part (density, weight, conductivity), I'm impressed. I know my vials of fine flour gold I have panned will ever so very minutely sound (with head phones) when held against the 4 inch coil. I mean you got to get it just right.

 

[roddrus]

if u got a 505 in u got a steal of a deal i own a 505 i made 4,000 to date found 50silver rings 10 gold rings this detector doesn't miss it better then whites or fisher yea its heavy but built to last except battery's thermals mine broke from every day use but i used it every day for 5 years and a nickel is a nickel on this machine and pull tab is a pull tab no need to dig it saves u lots of time not digging unwanted trash and u can even use it for gold panning in streams it does find gold flakes and nuggets .

 

[Suninyourhand]

Your post reminded me of something, there was an individual on a non detecting forum who mentioned that while working as an engineer on a project they got to playing around with trying to detect gold by swamping gold items in various frequencies of radio waves. Seems they discovered by accident that gold can be made to resonate at certain frequencies and when " Illuminated " properly you can detect gold as a result of a strange interference it causes in an am radio tuned to a harmonic of the illumination signal. This is a different principle than a metal detector operates on as it does not respond to other metals only to gold if the proper frequencies are used.