Bill Ladd, on the F-5:fisher:

[vlad]

It really looks super easy to use and I suspect they are flying out the door. I like the knobs for instant access.
It looks to be a great backup detector for my F-75, but I wonder why an auto ground balance was not used. It
would be nice to have a click position on a ground balance for auto with the pot. having just a few turns,
instead of being open ended. Having it balance at the same time you were pumping it to get the ground i.d.
would not only be easier, but one more reason to buy the F-5 as opposed to the competition's detectors.
[Does the ground tracking also adjust the discriminate side, or is it fixed?]

 

[Streak!]

And its easy as pie. Just find a little spot clear of targets.....raise the coil...press and hold the phase lock button and pump the coil a few times......and release the button as your pumping. Takes about three seconds.The F5 doesnt have "tracking", nor is it Fixed in Disc mode, but the Gb setting it settles on if you GB in Disc Or all metal is good across the board for either mode.
The "preferred" Gb method is to do it in AM.as you will have a audio confirmation that it did indeed Gb...................but it will Phase lock Gb just as accurately in Disc as it will in AM mode.
Streak!

 

[wingnut]

Well I got a F5 as a backup to my F75. I like it a lot! Thanks for the GB tip Steak!. Since the F5 is on 7.8Khz it performs differently than the F75. It seems to be a coin magnet for me at the park. The parks I go to have lots of bottlecaps and pull tabs just under the surface. I can pretty easily tell where the coins are despite this interference. I had the Sens up all the way and it was pretty darn quiet too. I still like my F75 the most. But that F5 is a heck of a good detector.

 

[Bill Ladd]

As I have seen several complaints about the many hoops they want you to jump though frustrating new F5 users just to simply ground balance. Being a $400 detector if anything balancing should be made to be easier if anything. Maybe they should have called the phase lock pad "fast grab" or something like the F70 as the wording is getting some confused?......or they need to adjust the manual maybe. One guy put his on classified just 'cause he didn't like the ground balance procedure of the manual which seems silly......
HH,
Bill

 

[wingnut]

It is a typical Fisher manual, not very good. Turn machine on and set your Sens. Press the Phase lock button and pump the detector until GB and Phase numbers match. TaDa it's balanced! It takes less time than my F75 because the two numbers are big and easy to read with my bifocals.