F5 user thoughts?

[marcomo]

I noticed there haven't been any posts lately on the F5.

For those of you who are spending time with it, what do you think?

Is the shallow target overload problem a big issue for you? Can you get around it by lifting the coil, or not?

Obviously it's a well designed interface, and Bill's video makes it look really good.

What are your opinions on target separation, recovery response and depth?

Thanks in advance for the input.

 

[AndyNM]

The F5 is unique in many ways:

1. It has the true ground phase reading always on the display that informs about changing ground conditions and that you need to re-ground balance.
2. It has gain and threshold instead of one sensitivity control. These controls let you control the power like never before, because depending on conditions (ground, EMI) you can set he gain low and threshold high in disc mode or the other way around to get the best depth. Once you find out how to balance gain and threshold in disc mode the F5 can be pushed to the limit.
I bet many have not unleashed the full potential of the F5 because they think gain is the same as sensitivity which is wrong for the disc mode.

3. It has VDI numbers in the very deep auto tune all metal mode. Even in mineralised soil it is very deep in that mode !!!
4. Battery life of over 40 hours on just 2 9 volt batteries is outstanding.
5. Notch is so easy to use ..just press Notch until you have that bar under the categorie and wait until it stops flashing.
6. Ground balancing the high tech detector is done by the push of the button and pumping the coil...thats it.

I tested the F5 vs the Minelab X-Terra 70 (standard coil 7.5 KHz). After that test I sold the Minelab because it could't handle the bad ground here as well as the F5.

Target separation for a detector with that coil size is great because of the oval shape of the coil.
Summary: The F5 has many fresh ideas build in and these new features can make the F5 a very powerful detector in many different environments.

The look of the detector is the best in years. It can impress your friends even in the off position......

Andy

 

[morelic55]

The F5 is unique in many ways:

1. It has the true ground phase reading always on the display that informs about changing ground conditions and that you need to re-ground balance.
2. It has gain and threshold instead of one sensitivity control. These controls let you control the power like never before, because depending on conditions (ground, EMI) you can set he gain low and threshold high in disc mode or the other way around to get the best depth. Once you find out how to balance gain and threshold in disc mode the F5 can be pushed to the limit.
I bet many have not unleashed the full potential of the F5 because they think gain is the same as sensitivity which is wrong for the disc mode.

3. It has VDI numbers in the very deep auto tune all metal mode. Even in mineralised soil it is very deep in that mode !!!
4. Battery life of over 40 hours on just 2 9 volt batteries is outstanding.
5. Notch is so easy to use ..just press Notch until you have that bar under the categorie and wait until it stops flashing.
6. Ground balancing the high tech detector is done by the push of the button and pumping the coil...thats it.

I tested the F5 vs the Minelab X-Terra 70 (standard coil 7.5 KHz). After that test I sold the Minelab because it could't handle the bad ground here as well as the F5.

Target separation for a detector with that coil size is great because of the oval shape of the coil.
Summary: The F5 has many fresh ideas build in and these new features can make the F5 a very powerful detector in many different environments.

The look of the detector is the best in years. It can impress your friends even in the off position......

Andy

Andy, have you noticed if the F70 has the give & take of the sensitivity and threashold like the F5? MO

 

[marcomo]

Andy - Thanks for the informative post.

The one question I would still ask you is: has the shallow target overload problem been an issue for you? Can you get around it by lifting the coil, or not?

 

[AndyNM]

What I know is that the Threshold on the F70 affects the "power" of the detector in disc Mode. I don't know if the relationship of sensitivity and threshold on the F70 is the same as gain and threshold on the F5. I have to call, David Johnson or John Gardiner about it . The Masters know....but will they tell ?

Andy

 

[AndyNM]

I don't have problems with overload....maybe because I don't run gain very high.
OK..... I just overloeaded my F5 by holding the coil to large Iron. Like machine gun sound....... just lift the coil or reduce gain to control it.

Andy

 

[Low-Boy/LCPM]

I took the F75 and F5 and did a head to head hunt in Calif Soil that is not the best soil. I live up in the gold country! The F5 is fast! It does a great job in iron and trash. It found every target the F75 found. It is great at parks and schools and better at trash at parks and schools then the F75. Pull tabs and pop tops ring out as a mid tone if you find a dime or higher in the scale it gives you the high tone so I can pull it out of the trash. It is a back up for me to my F75 but I do use the F5 more at parks and schools. Give it a DD and this machine would be on fire. It is light and I have no problems on overloads. I have not really dug any deep targets yet so I may have to turn up the threshold a bit more and see what it can do.

Bang for the buck is great and I love it as a back up I sold all of my other detectors to have one back up that was a mini F75. The F5 does the job! I am waiting to see what Fisher comes out with in the future as far as the next step up from the F75. I think the F75 is the best detector to come out on the market in the last ten years. It seems as new units come out they give you stuff like you can plug it into your computer but who needs that. Give me power more ways to unmask targets, give me more depth and a good reading to go with that depth. Maybe a way to tell the mass of the target when hunting for gold rings so you can bypass the trash foil and such.

The technology is out there is just cost a lot of money for a company to spend to incorprate it in a new machine and get their money back. And that is why I think our hobby has not made leaps and bounds in giving us more of what we want. But the F75 has been a big step forward. I have found targets I would have never found with another machine. And the F5 is a great little brother to the F75