Anyone still using a CZ-20 who can give me tips? Or a CZ-21? Thanks!

[newbieshooter]

I recently picked up at a bargain price a like new 10 year old CZ-20. I have read a little bit about this machine and the one I have looks brand new...previous owner said he used it twice...once for water hunting a nearby swimming area on a lake and then his son used it to find roofing nails in the yard at their new home.

I bought a book off ebay by Andy Sabisch titled: Advanced Treasure Hunting with the Fisher Quicksilver Series Metal Detectors...It contains some good info and tips, but since I am just about to get started with this machine, I really would appreciate any advice and tips from other experienced users. This is my first Fisher Machine.

I understand this machine is really good and primarily for salt water, but would like to know what its capabilities are for fresh water swimming beaches, etc since I live a long days drive from the Gulf but only an hour away from several major freshwater lake swimming sites!

Thanks ahead of time for your efforts to assist me!

 

[therover]

One question though...what size coil does it have ? The 8 inch coil will work better for land hunting and in trash, while the 10.5 inch is better for wet sanding and field hunting.

First, learn to ground balance the unit. Read the manual. It is not hard. Set the unit in auto tune, volume at 10, sensitivity at 9-10 where you can hear the threshold warble. Bob the coil up and down from 2 inches off the ground to 10 inches and listen to the threshold. It will either rise or fall when bobbing the coil. The key is to adjust the ground balance knob CCW or CW while bobbing, and have the threshold sound become stable, where there isn't any rise or fall in it. When that happens, you are ground balanced.

You can then hunt in that mode, which is a true all metal mode. You will hear EVERY target...iron, lead, silver, etc. since you are not in a discriminating, tone ID mode.

If you want to hunt in discriminate mode after gorund balancing, switch the discriminate mode to 0, and TURN DOWN THE SENSITIVITY. Make it in the 2-3 range to start. Keep the unit in discriminate mode 0 so you can hear all targets and you will not be fooled as much on iron that may wrap into the high tone. A lot of newbies using the CZ hunt in mode1 or higher, and when you do that, you lose the low tone of iron, yet if there is a big iron target that will wrap into the high tone, you will only hear the high tone and think it is a good target. Keeping the unit in the 0 setting will allow you to hear the low tones of iron. When you get that low tone high tone hit, you can make the determination via using the pin point button how big or small the target is a make a decision to dig.

The CZ 20 is one of best waterproof all around units. Learn to ground balance, don't run the sensitivity too high to start, and hunt in 0 discrimination setting so you can hear all targets. If you do get into an area loaded with iron nails and other small pieces of iron, you can then switch to setting 1, but you may get fooled a lot more on deep iron that may wrap into the high tone.

JC

 

[newbieshooter]

Thanks, therover! Some good advice there...anyone else have any tips, suggestions, or recommendations for me? I will measure the coil tonite when I get home and post you an answer on that.

 

[newbieshooter]

Is there a way to unlock the CZ-20 from the saltwater mode so that I can use it on land and fresh water to full advantage? Or is the CZ-20 designed for salt water with little overall useability on dirt and fresh water? ....Just how much difference does this make? Sorry my mind is so enquiring!

 

[mudpuppy]

Hey Newbieshooter, I got a used CZ 20 this winter in just about the same way you did. This site helped me out, its written by a man named Norm Garnush, now deceased, there is a section in there about his CZ 20 and how he ran it. I'll be using mine in fresh water this summer (Lake Michigan) stay in touch, read all the posts you can, and apply that knowledge out in the real world often! HH
Mud
http://www.nmhra.netfirms.com/pulltab/

 

[therover]

Unfortunately the CZ20 is locked in salt mode, which makes it a bit less sensitive to smaller gold. Fortunately, that does not effect it's ability to get deep silver.

If you have the 8 inch coil, pin pointing is easier and that coil is a bit more sensitive to smaller targets. Still gets great depth...just a little less than the 10.5 and the coverage is less as well.

Just so you are aware, the 8 inch coil is concentric...the 10.5 elliptical.

 

[newbieshooter]

Thanks, mudpuppy! I have set that website as one of my favs and will spend some pleasant time reading in there!

And therover, when I bought the CZ-20, I tried it out and then put it in its carrying case and when I got home, I hid it downstairs in my closet! so my wife couldn't see it right away! otherwise.... I will sneak it out tonite and see if the coil is circular or eliptical!

 

[newbieshooter]

I checked this morning before coming to work and the CZ-20s coil is a round 10.5 coil, so I judge from what was stated above that it will hunt deeper but not find smaller objects. It appears that coils are not interchangeable for this unit. When purchased new, you had your choice, buy one with a 10.5 or an 8 inch coil. Are the electronics at the factory set up to run only the coil it was bought with? or are there other coils I can run on it...either Fisher coils or other brand coils?

I know with my BH Tracker IV I can order a 5 inch coil that is readily swappable for hunting in trashy areas. Just wondering if I might have this option with this Fisher....? Any advice appreciated!

 

[tvr]

The electronics will work with any of the coils that work with a CZ series detector. That would be the 5 inch, 8 inch 10.5 inch and if you happen to run into one, the 12.5 inch Sun Ray FZ-12 . Don't know if the factory will change coils, you would have to call. The coils are hard wired in and the entire unit is pressure checked.

Only thing I would add to therover's tips is to use sweep speed to help you identify iron. If you get high tone or a break between low tone and high tone, slow the sweep speed down, way down. If the tone moves to low tone and stays low tone with a slow sweep, it's iron. if it still breaks between low and high tone with a real slow sweep it could be a good target like deep silver.

 

[therover]

Forgot to add about the sweep speed. That is key to a CZ's performance.

 

[f75usr]

I've used the CZ20 for 11 years in fresh water lakes. I run it on disc 0. It works great for gold rings. I don't find as many gold rings
as I used to. The days of 20 gold rings in a day are probably gone. Not as many people swim here as they use to.

 

[newbieshooter]

Thank you all so very much!