CZ7a Pro help

[Flintstone]

Hi all, I have a very nice CZ7a pro that I have never used. I got it last year and haven,t tried it yet. Some one said that they will get a quarter at 10" to 12 ". If you have one or have had a CZ7a could you give me some pointers. I think I am not to set over 6 or something. And will these go that deep ? Thanks for any help, I am going to try this week when it cools down a little to use it on a open field where a lot of kids play. Thanks flintstone

 

[trojdor]

Flintstone,
I've got a CZ7a, and depending on ground conditions and your unit...yes, you could get a quarter that deep. I highly recommend downloading and reading the manual.
It's got lots of good info.

The critical part of the setup will be ground balancing. If GB is off, depth is off. And unlike some modern digital detectors, it doesn't ground track. So, ever so often, you'll want to check to be sure the ground hasn't changed GB too much.

As far as sensitivity goes, it's the same for all CZ's...crank it up till it chatters (on location), then back it down till it fits your idea of 'quiet enough'. Some guys like 'noisy', others like quieter.
Don't just blindly set the sens to some arbitrary number from some forum. It won't be optimum for either your machine, or your location.

Then just dig the high tones. I like the CZ's because they do all the decision making in the audio. You don't have to decode a TDI number and then decide.

Make passes on a possibly good signal from different angles. If it breaks up badly from one direction, and/or the ID tone changes drastically, it's probably iron.
I personally like to turn off the iron discrimination notch so I can hear it low tone along side the good signals. Helps me hear when iron is trying to fake me out.

Listen for short, repeatable faint blips if you want the deep stuff. Also the CZ has a great nickel window, so you'll probably find more nickels than you're used to.

As far as any CZ-7a quirks, it's got a slight delay when responding to button pushes, including pinpoint. That's normal. Anticipate.
(Speaking of pinpoint, since the PP button is in an awkward spot, a lot of guys stick on a little clear vinyl 'foot'/'bumper' onto the PP button. Makes it easier to feel.)

If you take it to where "a lot of kids play" and dig the high tones, you'll find coins. Good luck, and have fun.


mike

 

[vito]

p.m. sent

 

[Flintstone]

n/t

 

[tvr]

Don't just blindly set the sens to some arbitrary number from some forum. It won't be optimum for either your machine, or your location.

True!

As far as sensitivity goes, it's the same for all CZ's...crank it up till it chatters (on location), then back it down till it fits your idea of 'quiet enough'. Some guys like 'noisy', others like quieter.

Well ... not exactly what I've found with CZ's. There are other detectors that I can run noisy and tell a good target from a bad; but not a CZ. With the CZ, when sensitivity is too high; or rather just barely too high, it will false and be somewhat repeatable until the ground has been dug and there is no target to be found. Take the sensitivity down just a little and it is not falsing on ground irregularities. That said, a good double check is with pinpoint. I have not used a CZ7a Pro, but the CZ20 and both CZ6a's that I have behave the same. I believe the entire series is based on the same basic processing circuit design and should behave very similarly.
Cheers,
tvr

 

[trojdor]

tvr,
I think we're saying the same thing...thus the statements "back it down till it fits your idea of 'quiet enough'" and "Some guys like 'noisy', others like quieter."
The idea is to find a sens setting that works for you, personally.

I myself prefer to run sens on my 3 CZ's wide open, and listen to signals through the chatter. And I dig some VERY deep signals that way.
But I've been doing this since 1973, so I've developed an ear for it. I certainly don't expect everyone else to do it that way...It would quickly drive most people crazy!

And yes, you are absolutely correct, the CZ6a does perform pretty much like all the other manual CZ's. There's only a very slight 'personality' difference in the digital CZ series, but not enough to matter too much.

Have a great afternoon, and HH.


mike

 

[Flintstone]

Mike, are you say they all run about the same why dose someone send them to Tom D. What is the starting setting to just get started ? I don,t want it to be to noisy, is there a starting point or just till it gets so bad I can,t stand the beeps ? I think I understand the ground balance, bob it till it gets quite ? If you bob till quite is that where to start detecting at ? OR put gain all the way up and lower it after you ground balance ? I said I need a lot of help, I have never used a CZ before.

 

[tvr]

Mike,
Yes these beasts can find some very deep targets!

Flintstone,

The manual steps through set up. It looks like pressing the preset takes you to the following settings:
VOL = 6
NORM/SALT =NORM
AUTO/I.D. = I.D.
SENS = 4
Notch Discrimination = accepts coins only

That should be a good place to start. Change the notches based on what you want to hunt for. Set Volume to your liking. Step up the sensitivity one step and hunt a while. Step it up one more and hunt a while. If it gets too chatty or you find you are chasing ghosts, turn the sensitivity down a step and hunt some.

My understanding is that Tom D. does not tune the "digital" CZ's. If your CZ7a Pro is operating, finding metal with a tone and ID that represents what the metal is and is being properly controlled by the front panel, then I wouldn't worry about having it checked. Even the "analog" units, after years of use, don't seem to change calibration.

Here is a link to the manual:
http://www.fisherlab.com/hobby/manuals/cz-7apro.pdf

Cheers,
tvr

 

[trojdor]

Mike, are you say they all run about the same why dose someone send them to Tom D. What is the starting setting to just get started ? I don,t want it to be to noisy, is there a starting point or just till it gets so bad I can,t stand the beeps ? I think I understand the ground balance, bob it till it gets quite ? If you bob till quite is that where to start detecting at ? OR put gain all the way up and lower it after you ground balance ? I said I need a lot of help, I have never used a CZ before.

Flintstone,
TVR gave you some excellent advise on starting points, and his info is exact, and from the manual. Which he was also kind enough to include a link to.
You can also set the GB to a starting preset of 5...(That's why the 5 on the detector is Red)...for average soil...and just hunt that way if you want. Or you can use either of the GB methods listed on page 18 and 19 of the manual for a more accurate GB.

When I say all CZs run pretty much the same, I don't mean they all have the same performance. I mean they operate and act pretty much the same. Nothing high performance will ever be exactly the same between units.
Ever have a lemon for a car or appliance? Conversely, did you ever have an especially good one? Same thing.

Tom can fine tune the machine to get the most out of it, but some are duds and some are hot. For instance, right now there's a CZ-3D on ebay certified by Tom to go 8.3" on a dime in inert florida soil. That would be one of the duds.
My CZ-3D has been certified by Tom to go 12.1" on the same dime. It's a hot one. That's almost a 4" difference in depth...from exactly the same model. (If coins sink at the rate of roughly an inch per decade in your ground, you'd be losing 40 years of coins/depth.)

But before you get a negative opinion of Fisher, note that the same thing is basically true of everything you buy. Most ot the time you get an 'average/typical' one. If you're lucky...sometimes a 'hot' one. If you're unlucky...sometimes a 'dud'.

Also, as TVR has implied, there's a lot of really useful info in the manual. You should have one. It's free.

Don't forget to have fun,
mike

 

[skarmajunga]

Those cz7a pros are great machines, I have had one for years. I recently put mine up against a F75 LTD on a newly buried clad quarter at 8 inches and the F75 could not find it. The CZ did but most of the time I only got a solid audio going from right to left, there was some iron nearby that threw it off going left to right but the cz response was definitely saying dig me. Enjoy the CZ and have fun!