F2 Depth ?'s

[aldo_45030]

Purchased and F2 just before Xmas. I have been using it as weather permits and have never owned a detector before. My question is when detecting i will occasionally get a signal which is very difficult to repeat, the depth scale is maxed out, the pin point feature is not very helpful in locating it. Is this and object that is just out of reach of this detector? Is there a technique's to finding this signal? I have found things 4-5" but nothing really beyond. Some of the places i have been are early 1800 farm houses so i know there somethings there.

 

[Dan-Pa.]

I think inexperience is the culprit here, however you have an entry level unit and can't expect the depth of their top of the line models but experienced operators do get adequate depth with the F-2...

 

[KurtB]

When you get a signal like that, try using no discrimination. Sometimes an iron object will give a low-high tone. If your discriminating iron out you won't hear that low tone. Also, on an object like a nail, you may get a signal off of the end of it. Try searching the area around it with no disc. and many times you will find whats giving you the signal. Hope this helps.

 

[aldo_45030]

yea my luck it would be a 15- 20 search for 150 yr old nail! I will try it with out disc. , i have had some experience with real rusty stuff giving off a tone when iron is disc. notched out. How deep has anyone been able to detect with the F2?


THX TO ALL

 

[bill(de)]

Sounds like your hunting an iron infested area and would suggest lowering the sensitivity to 3 bars or less and try that with almost 0 discrimination .Try using the 4" coil close to the house . Any strong hightone response should be swept at a 90% angle to see if reverts to a low tone iron. Found the F2 to be very sensitive to lower conductive small targets such as foil and itty bits of canslaw. Sometimes less is best. Just a thought .HH Bill

 

[aldo_45030]

I will be sure to give it a try once the thaw occurs....i hate cold.

 

[beebiz]

[quote aldo_45030]yea my luck it would be a 15- 20 search for 150 yr old nail! I will try it with out disc. , i have had some experience with real rusty stuff giving off a tone when iron is disc. notched out. How deep has anyone been able to detect with the F2?


THX TO ALL[/quote]

Hey aldo,

I've had an F2 since just before Christmas. I love this little machine; as it seems to be extremely sensitive for the money. As for the problem that you mention, I have found that if I reduce the sens., the signals that are not repeatable (I considered them to be ghost signals) were gone!

As for how deep the F2 can go, I can't give you a definitive answer to your question. There are just too many variables to consider. I can only share what my air tests showed and what happened to me in a tot lot that was covered with chips. I posted this in another forum and have just copied and pasted it here. Here it is:

Hey, coyoteslayer!

Mike Hills (member on another forum) did an air test with his F2 when he first got it. He said that the results made him want to take it and put it up for sale without ever trying it out on the ground. But, after trying it out on the ground, he said he was impressed with it.

After I got my F2, I did some air tests with coins as well as mine and my wife's 10K, plain wedding bands. I put the F2 in all metal mode and the ran the sen. at 100%. The tests were done with the stock 8" coil. All coins were turned with the flat side facing the coil. The rings were turned flat toward the coil (in other words with the hole in the ring facing the coil). Here are the results that I got:

Quarter: 9 1/2 to 10 inches
Dime: 8 to 8 1/2 inches
Silver dime: 9 inches
Nickel: 9 inches
Penny: 9 1/2 to 10 inches
Wheat penny: 9 inches
My wife's size 10, 10k gold wedding band: 10 1/2 inches
My size 11, 10k gold wedding band: 10 1/2 inches

But, yesterday I had something happen that took me aback! I was hunting a chip lot at a local school. The particular area where this happened had chips pilled around 18 to 20 inches deep. I had notched out iron, foil, and tabs. The sens. was set as low as it would go. I was using the stock 8" coil. And, I was using a set of 8 ohm, Calrad stereo headphones.

As I swept the coil, I got a soft/faint, high-pitched tone, a "Dime" ID, and a solid 70 VDI. From what I had read, I didn't think the F2 was capable of giving a "loud" or "soft/faint" sound. I thought it was either a tone or nothing. So, I thought something was wrong.

I chescked the coil's cable connection, the headphone's connection, and the volume controls (on the headphones). Everything was alright. I turned the F2 off, back on, and reset everthing. Then, I swept the area again. Again, I got the soft/faint high tone, a "Dime" ID, and a solid 70 VDI. I swept it several times and got the same results. I even turned 90 degrees to the target, swept it several times, and got the same results. Each and every time a solid 70 VDI.

I decided to pinpoint the target. When I pressed the pinpoint button and got directly over the target, it showed the target to be 14 inches deep. I thought, "No way!!" I released the pinpoint button, raised the coil about 2 feet off the ground, pressed pinpoint again, lowered the coil over the target, and got the same results. Then, I released the pinpoint button and swept the area several more times. Each time, the "on the fly" depth indicator showed a very deep target, and the VDI was a solid 70... it never changed. I decided I was going to find out what the target really was!

As I would scratch a handfull of chips loose, I would wave them over the coil to see if I had located the target. After digging down about 6 inches without finding the target, I re-pinpointed the target to make sure it was still in the hole and that I was still in the right place. It was, and I was! I continued to dig until I found the dime. I didn't have a tape measure or ruler with me. But, I know how deep my arm was in the hole. When I got home, I measured from my closed fist (as it would be as I brought out the dime) up to the area on my arm that marked the top of the hole. It was approximately 12 inches!! I was shocked and impressed!

I can't explain the soft/faint tone that I got. I didn't know the F2 would do that. I also can't explain how the F2 could be set at minimum sens. and still detect the dime in 12 inches of wood chips... but, it did!! Maybe it had something to do with the fact that the chips were rain soaked... I don't know. I just know that I have been very pleased with my new F2!!!

I know that there are those out there who will find this hard to believe. And, there are even some who would be so bold as to call me a liar. But, I am not a dealer and I have no reason to lie about this. Besides, God, the F2, and I know it to be fact... just as I told it!!

Good luck to you,
Robert


I hope this information helps you out!

Good luck,
Robert

 

[aldo_45030]

So far i have had only 4-6" stuff I am a newbie to detecting and still have a lot to learn. Dang cold weather really hampering my fun. thanks for all

 

[hsjrev]

[quote beebiz]
After I got my F2, I did some air tests with coins as well as mine and my wife's 10K, plain wedding bands. I put the F2 in all metal mode and the ran the sen. at 100%. The tests were done with the stock 8" coil. All coins were turned with the flat side facing the coil. The rings were turned flat toward the coil (in other words with the hole in the ring facing the coil). Here are the results that I got:

Quarter: 9 1/2 to 10 inches
Dime: 8 to 8 1/2 inches
Silver dime: 9 inches
Nickel: 9 inches
Penny: 9 1/2 to 10 inches
Wheat penny: 9 inches
My wife's size 10, 10k gold wedding band: 10 1/2 inches
My size 11, 10k gold wedding band: 10 1/2 inches

[/quote]

I got pretty similar depths in air test but I also wrote down some TID readings. My heavy gold wedding band did make a noise at 10.5" but it registered as iron 05. At 9" it still read as iron. At 8" it correctly read as nickel 27.

My silver dime wouldn't pick up at all at 9" but it did at 8" as a zinc 59-62. At 7" it was zinc 65 and at 6" dime 68.

In soil tests on a silver dime buried at 5" the ID numbers bounced around from iron to tab but never as a dime. My Ace 250 ID'd the buried silver dime as dime or quarter every time.

 

[jerry-oh]

I used my F2 for about 4 hrs and then it quit working.
called El Paso and sent it in for repair.
me and my buddy went to a fresh water beach they lower in the winter and when we got there i layed a small 10k childs ring on the ground to test the detector with.
moving the coil real slow over it i didn't get a signal.
moved it faster and got a foil reading.
could get it at about 5 in with the 41/4 coil
my buddy was using a cz6 and 10 in coil and couldn't get it much higher
so this is one fisher you have to move fast
my buddy hunted around a large rock that was probably about 5 foot under water in the summer time and found nothing. i rechecked it with the small coil and found the smallest sterling silver childs ring i had ever found. the junk must have masked it out for him using the 10 in coil.
while he hunted the deeper sand i checked a area of small rocks with clay under them so nothing would be deep.
before the detector quit working i found 6 nickels with the oldest 2 being a 1937 buffalo and a 1940.
found a lot of foil and fishing sinkers so the F2 should be hot on 14k rings.
also the usual clad.
i bought my first detector in the early 60s a Fisher BFO M-Scope
since then i've had 3 other fishers the last one being the cz5
the big bud pro which is almost as good as the cz5 believe it or not
and treasure baron with the pro hunter module.
if the F2 doesn't break down again i think its going to be the one i use from now on until they come out with a lighter and deeper one LOL

 

[robert roy]

I don't have an F2, but I understand the cable doesn't have a lock. Could it have come loose? I guess you checked that anyway before you sent it in.
Did the Company tell you what was wrong with the F2 when they returned it to you?
Robert R

 

[jerry-oh]

the cable was the first thing i checked.
from reading the forums i knew it could come loose so when i put the small coil on i put a little upwards pressure on the connection and used electrical tape around the rod to keep it secure.
what happened was it had got quiet and when that happens i have a habit of waving my scoop over the coil to make sure it was still working. i got that habit from using the cz5. i noticed a long time ago that after retrieving a coin or something that the detector was quiet sometimes for a few seconds but waving the scoop over the coil got it ready to hunt right now.
all the icons on the screen were still lit up but the batterys showed 3/4 full which is odd for only 4 hrs of use.
so i hit the off button and it would not turn off. i hit the plus and minus on the discriminate and it wouldn't change. hit the minus on the sensitivity and it would come down but not back up when i hit the plus.
took out the batterys and put in new ones and then it would not turn back on.
i sent it back last wed. and the guy in the repair lab didn't give me any ideas of what it could be

 

[robert roy]

Sounds to me like they should just replace the machine outright! You might call
them back and tell them you want a brand new machine! See what they say.
Too bad they were in a hurry to get the F2 out there (At leat I am assuming that). They
could have had a GOOD machine if they had taken their time and really tested it
before putting it out on the market. Of course it could also be they were not really
watching quality control in the assembling of the machine before it went out the door.

Good Luck
Robert R

 

[jmaryt]

it appears there is a presumption that first texas doesn't build a quality detector for whatever the reason!..let's just say that hypothetically that is the truth!..,well what does it matter?..they HAVE to back it for a full 5 years..if you get a"lemon".send it in,and tell 'em to fix it!..if they value their reputation in the marketplace,they'll fix it don't worry!..if they decide they don't want to fix it right,or satisfy the cosumer,then they will be in a "bread" line,and won't have to worry about making 'em any more!

 

[beebiz]

Go J.T...... Go!!!!

 

[robert roy]

Just wondering what you all think about the quality/workmanship of the machine.
From the photos I have seen the F2 doesn't look all that well made. The Coil looks
a bit....I don't know how to discribe it....doesn't look like theres much too it. Has anyone
had any problems with the cord coming undone since there is no screw lock to keep
it from pulling out? I guess as long as the machine works thats what counts.

I read some complaints about the debth not being what it's cracked up to be, while others
have said it has excellent debth. I wonder if this is just oprator error or if some coils that were
put on the F2's were out of calibration?

I understand that there was/is ocassionally a problem with the Tesoro in that respect though
not all that frequent. Some people claimed their Tesoros got HOT debth whiles others claimed
they couldn't get the machine to pick up past a few inches. Turned out to be a clibration
problem that was remedied by returning the machine. The problems were eaisly fixed.

Soooo would appreciate your feedback.

Regards
Robert R

 

[jerry-oh]

from air tests inside the house when i got it the depth seem pretty good.
if someone was used to using a fisher they would lose some depth because the faster you move the coil the deeper it goes unlike any fisher i've had before

 

[beebiz]

[quote robert roy]Just wondering what you all think about the quality/workmanship of the machine.[/quote]

From what I have experienced with mine so far, I am very well pleased. My brother who owns a Whites MXT has looked at it and said that it appeared to be well made too. The rod has locking cams that hold the rods rock solid. There's no "play" or "slop" in it at all.

These are the only areas where I really feel FT could have done better on the F2:

1: The hand grip seems to be just a bit big. It allows it to turn too easily. Some have even said that as they hunt, it slides up the handle toward the control unit. If I start having this problem, I'll put a few drops of glue on it. I figure that will solve the problem.

2. The coil's coax could have used a locking ring. The one time that mine has come unplugged, it was more my fault than fault of the F2. It was in the way I was resting the F2 on my leg as I dug. Since then, I have learned to unwrap one wrap around the rod, make a short lope in the coax that goes slightly above the plug, then wrap a strip of Velcro around the rod and coax to hold the coax in place. It helps take the strain from handling off the plug and keeps it from unplugging.

3. The F2's stand needs improving. I don't know if it is too narrow or what. But, when you sit the F2 down on its stand on the ground, it is way too easy to turn over. If you are not careful, the pull from the cord of your headphones will cause it to turn over. But, since I am aware of this I simply exercise more caution about sitting it down.

Though these improvements would be wonderful, they might add expense to the machine. For $199... I can easily learn to live with them!!

[quote robert roy]From the photos I have seen the F2 doesn't look all that well made. The Coil looks
a bit....I don't know how to describe it....doesn't look like theres much too it.[/quote]

That was my first impression when I took the coil out of the box. But, after having used it quite a bit, I've changed my mind! I am embarrassed to admit this, but I'm not very steady on my feet. Some days are worse than others. So far, I have stepped on the coil (8") 4 times. Each time, I cringed as I waited to hear "POP," telling me that the coil was broken. But, it hasn't happened yet... and I may know why. The coil on my brother's MXT seems to be rather rigid. I figure if I stepped on his coil, the rigidity might allow it to crack or break. But, the F2's coil seems to have some flexibility to it. At first, I thought the flexibility to be a bad thing. But, think about it... when put under stress, which is more apt to break.... a flexible item or a rigid item? Or, when bumped against something hard, which is more apt to have a chip broken out of it... a flexible item or a rigid item? So, I figure the flexibility is a plus!!

[quote robert roy] Has anyone
had any problems with the cord coming undone since there is no screw lock to keep
it from pulling out?[/quote]

Already addressed this.

[quote robert roy]I guess as long as the machine works thats what counts.[/quote]

I agree with you; but only to a point. While it is important that a machine works well, it is also important that it be constructed well enough to last! I don't want to pay $199 (or more) for a machine that works well, yet is shoddy made!! I want something that will work well and last! To me, the F2 seems to be the latter.

[quote robert roy]I read some complaints about the debth not being what it's cracked up to be, while others
have said it has excellent debth. I wonder if this is just oprator error or if some coils that were
put on the F2's were out of calibration?

I understand that there was/is ocassionally a problem with the Tesoro in that respect though
not all that frequent. Some people claimed their Tesoros got HOT debth whiles others claimed
they couldn't get the machine to pick up past a few inches. Turned out to be a clibration
problem that was remedied by returning the machine. The problems were eaisly fixed.[/quote]

I don't know if this is a problem with the F2 or not. If it is, it certainly needs to be addressed by FT. I do know this.... Many times I have read (and been told) that air tests don't mean a whole lot. But, how it performs in the soil does!! I've been told by one owner of an F2 that after doing air tests he was ready to sell it without trying it out in soil. But, after he tried it he was impressed with the F2's performance in the soil. This, in addition to having already seen about 6 F2's offered for sale as "air tested" only machines, leads me to wonder if the F2 has gotten a bad rap in this area. If it was something as simple as coil calibration and could be easily fixed... these poor souls are the ones who lost out (IMHO)!

[quote robert roy]Soooo would appreciate your feedback.

Regards
Robert R[/quote]

You are quite welcome!!

Robert

 

[jmaryt]

thanks for the comprehensive info!..i finally took mine out of the box,and i am happy to report that i think it's well made!..i agree with having some stress relief on the coil cable where it attaches to the coil.if it's too tight at the coil,could cause the cable to break!..for $200.00.and including a 4' coil with lower rod,the detector shouts value,and i am anxious for spring to arrive!

(h.h!)
j.t.