First Day with the Fisher Impulse AQ

[jeffc]

First day with a new machine after a ten-year break for me. Not sure what I was thinking, but it is certainly great to be back.

I am one of those guys who decided to take a chance on the AQ Limited. Not many positive things out there but, at this point, I think I have acquired enough patience to give this machine a chance.

Spent about two hours on the waterline following the ebb tide. Set the detector to the factory recommended settings and off I went. Low and slow...low and slow...repeat. Two things made the machine behave badly: swinging quickly and the boulders near the jetty. Otherwise, I had no issues. I was hoping that someone else might be out detecting to see if I would experience interference.

Found about 30 targets in two hours. Lots of junk, but I dug every signal. Found the watch and earring at about 10-12" in about a foot of water.I did find my share of bobby pins. Discrimination (when I remembered to use it) didn't eliminate them. Not a deal breaker...just part of the learning curve.

It's amazing how tired one gets after being out of the game for so long, but half a sandwich is better than none at all. HH.

JC

 

[brianatsea]

Great update JC! I liked how you explained the challenges near the jetty and about swinging quickly. I do notice when detecting that even rocks alone will give dime signal. If there is a pipe or other large iron object under the jetty I will also get signals.

 

[jeffc]

Appreciate the comment. Initially, I wanted to blame the unit. Guess I have read too many posts bashing this thing. I even brought a couple extra detectors in the event things didn't go well. They never made it out of the truck.

JC

 

[jim tn]

I'm not close to salt water, but have been following the AQ and know there have been some good successes with it as well as negatives. Nice post and I firmly believe you will be successful with the device as you have a great attitude. Good luck and hope your next hunt is golden. HH Jim Tn

 

[jeffc]

Thanks for the kind words, Jim. I'm very excited about the next hunt. This thing they call work is really getting in the way! But all fun and no work a broke man makes.

HH

JC

 

[tvr]

Welcome to the small world of AQ users.
Hair pins in the water are tough to eliminate when you can't sweep them from different directions. On the wet sand, walk around them and they almost always give a big double beep from one or two directions. They don't discriminate out well as you note. The discriminator on the AQ can be set to eliminate small iron screws that I find a lot of on the beaches I'm hunting most. At the settings that get rid of the small screws, most tent stakes go low tone too, although some that are straight up and down in the sand and with heavy plating on them will fool it. Unfortunately with those settings, quarters, dimes and copper pennies go low tone while zinc pennies modulate between low and high tone. I think running tone mode that way is a good way to go look for gold during heavy people traffic times of year and I focus on just digging high tones and let the quarters and dimes go. I normally run all metal with a lower ATS setting than where it gets set for running in tone mode. The key is listening to the shape of the tone. Narrow, smooth edged tones when over the target are likely better targets than rough, modulated edges and wide tones are; and those double beeps are nearly always iron. Took me longer than I though it would to get my head around the AQ tone edges since I could call iron correctly nearly every time with the Headhunter Pulse I had. When I hunt tone mode, if the signal is narrow with smooth edges but low tone I can choose to dig it anyway ... gets me the quarters and dimes that way.
When in interference, I've found all metal much better than any other mode; increase the pulse delay and decrease the sensitivity to see if you can work in it. I have found a few places where interference makes using the AQ LTD not worth it so I pack a back up with me; normally an Excal.
Enjoy your AQ!

 

[Ozleif]

The beach I frequent with the AQ Limited here in Oz is large and flat at low tide.
If using "Disc" then our $1 and $2 coins together with silver rings are low tone, so that is not an option as the $$ are paying for the fuel.
Gold is far between so even a bottle cap get dug, just to break the monotony.
When water hunting I use CZ-20s, have done so for 20+ years.
Early Fisher Impulse is also good for water hunting as it is a no motion PI detector.

 

[jeffc]

Thank you both for the replies. Just got back from a late-afternoon hunt. Note to self: charge the battery before heading out. For the hour I was able to use the AQ, I had some difficulty. Hunting the shoreline on the incoming tide, I experienced the swooshing sound every time I swung towards the water. The only thing that seemed to alleviate this was maxing out the ATS. From what I have read though, this causes a loss in depth.

I header down the road to another beach and hunted the shoreline again. This time I brought the ATS back down and slowed my swing. It seemed to help, but the battery died after a few minutes. Brought along my CTX and finished the hunt with some clad and a few pieces of iron from earlier.

I am looking forward to getting back out there, collecting some more iron, discerning what the machine is saying, reading the manual a few more times, and gleaning info from those that offer it. Thanks again for posting.

JC

 

[tvr]

Thank you both for the replies. Just got back from a late-afternoon hunt. Note to self: charge the battery before heading out. For the hour I was able to use the AQ, I had some difficulty. Hunting the shoreline on the incoming tide, I experienced the swooshing sound every time I swung towards the water. The only thing that seemed to alleviate this was maxing out the ATS. From what I have read though, this causes a loss in depth.

I header down the road to another beach and hunted the shoreline again. This time I brought the ATS back down and slowed my swing. It seemed to help, but the battery died after a few minutes. Brought along my CTX and finished the hunt with some clad and a few pieces of iron from earlier.

I am looking forward to getting back out there, collecting some more iron, discerning what the machine is saying, reading the manual a few more times, and gleaning info from those that offer it. Thanks again for posting.

JC

The stock battery is not the best. I was fortunate to get OldBeechnut's battery pack that lasts a lot longer; back when he was building them. Do you only have one battery pack?
Try hunting a pattern of water to shore and then back shore to water rather than parallel to shore to reduce the "swishing". Increasing the pulse delay also quiets it. It is not a fast swing detector. Like the CZ's, better with a relaxed sweep rate.

 

[jeffc]

Just the stock battery, yes. I contacted Fisher to see if they have any available and they do not. Advised me to contact KellyCo, but they aren't listed on their site.

Thanks for the tip on the pulse delay. I did adjust it, but believe I reduced it.

JC

 

[OldBeechnut]

Good to see another AQ out and about! I think you did great first trip out! As you get more time in it does get easier, what helped me TONS was testing at home and at the beach. Settings, different targets.. surroundings, on the beach, air testing..anytime spent testing is time learning

Also wish I could help on the battery, things start getting hard to find and prices jumped with Covid so I stopped making them. Anyone want info on parts or how to, just let me know. More than happy to share.

Not to be nosey but where are you hunting, location places a big part.. Looks like a fresh drop beach? If so... I would try tones mode . The ATS adjustment from 7 ... just into 8 can be drastic on how the machine works, play with that and some targets. There is a borderline where it knocks out stuff. See if I can find the video I did on that..

As far as a PI, I still say it is the best out there.. Not for every beach but when in the right location, it does very Good.

Good Luck!

 

[OldBeechnut]

Video on settings for hunting a fresh drop beach. Mute mod... Blocking out silver, clad coins. (It still hits bottle caps).. Gold hunting.... See how a small adjustment can make all the difference.

 

[jeffc]

OBN

Thanks for the posts. I took the Impulse out on Fri for a couple hours. About a dollar in clad, a toy car, junker chain, and a dozen or so iron targets. I was at the Cocoa Beach pier hunting the outgoing. Other than being in close proximity to the pier, the machine was very stable with a slow and relaxed swing. Targets were sparse. I switched over to Tone and Mute for nearly every target. Was still able to pick up most (if not all) of the iron targets and others as well. Swept the coil from multiple directions as well. Good depth with a lack of discrimination, though. With the lack of targets on the two beaches I have hunted thus far, it is still fun finding targets and, at a minimum, cleaning the beach. I can see where this would be a turnoff for some. I am not of the opinion that this machine is for fresh drops, but of course it will play the part. I will continue using it if only for the depth. Eventually, I will reach a point where digging deep holes for iron becomes tiresome, or begin finding some elusive goodies. I am a firm believer the bounty is still there.
I will be working in south FL for the next two weeks and will attempt to get a daily hunt in, each day. More to follow on that.
If you have reached this point in my lengthy post, I would certainly appreciate the parts list for the battery build.
Again, thanks for sharing.

HH

JC

 

[jeffc]

Hunt/Day 3

 

[jeffc]

I wanted to mention that I have found two chains (hunts one and three). Both are junk, but it certainly is a positive aspect of the machine's ability.

 

[OldBeechnut]

A parts list for the battery I make..someone asked...I think this is complete but I may add to it from time to time...

PARTS LIST FOR THE AQ BATTERY PACK........4CELLS............8CELLS

HEYCO FITTINGS 3237 .......MOUSER ELECTRONICS

PXPPVCO8RAFO4ACLO010 BULGIN 90 DEGREE POWER/AUDIO CORD..MOUSER ELECTRONICS

SAMSUNG 35E 3500mAh BATTERIES...18650 BATTERY STORE

M-12 A-08PFFS-SF800 AMPHENOL LTW .FEMALE HEAD PHONES CTX 8 PIN..ON THE BATTERY....MOUSER ELECTRONIC

STOCK HEADPHONE FITTING ON BATTERY..BULGIN....M-8 5 PIN PXMBN108FPM05BFL001 MOUSER

T4011008041 1-000 TE CONNECTIVITY AMP ..FOR BATTERY CHARGER TO BATTERY..MOUSER..fitting

POLYCARBONATE TUBE 1 7/8 ID X 2 ID X 1/16 ...MCMASTER CARR....tube for battery

SILICONE WIRE 16 GAUGE .....AA PORTBLE POWER CORP.. any 16 ga will work, this one is very flexible

BMS 4 CELL BATTERY MANGEMENT SYSTEM..AA PORTABLE POWER CORP or BMS can be purchased on Amazon / 4C 16.8 volt

14.8 VOLT CHARGER...CH-L 14815SM (LI-ION BATTERY PACK ONLY) AA PORTABLE POWER CORP...Same Amazon has these.

ACRYLIC CAST ROD...1 7/8 MCMASTER CARR..for plugging the ends....cut 1/4 in piece for each end

POLYSWITCH 4.2A SRP420F ..AA PORTABLE POWER CORP..safety cut out to prevent shorts

KAPTON TAPE...AA PORTABLEPOWER CORP..,. for holding multiple batteries together

FISH PAPER.......AA PORTABLE POWER CORP.... cut in to 1 inch square to protect ends so nothing can short out

PVC HEAT SHRINK WRAP...70MM X0.1MM....AA PORTABLE POWER CORP........seals battery and holds together, when finished

PURE LEAD NICKEL STRIP TAB 0.2MM X8MM 18650...EBAY connect batteries

JB WELD CLEAR EPOXY...LOWES HARDWARE STORES...used to seal battery

FORGOT THIS ONE..1/4 PLASTIC 12 X 12 INCH ..TO CUT 21.6MM WIDE STRIP THAT IS USED AS MOUNT.. this is the mount that slides into the battery mounts on the AQ shaft

TAKE NOTE SOME OF THE ABOVE PART NUMBERS WHICH HAS A O OR 0 COULD BE REVERSED..SO IF YOU SEE A (O) IT COULD BE A (0) ZERO OR THE OTHER WAY AROUND..

I Think that is all...Joe

 

[tvr]

Hunt/Day 3

The links on the chain shown are fairly small and a good find. Small links are hard to find it it doesn't have a good sized clasp or pendent attached too. Nice digs!

 

[Harold in NC]

A parts list for the battery I make..someone asked...I think this is complete but I may add to it from time to time...

PARTS LIST FOR THE AQ BATTERY PACK........4CELLS............8CELLS

HEYCO FITTINGS 3237 .......MOUSER ELECTRONICS

PXPPVCO8RAFO4ACLO010 BULGIN 90 DEGREE POWER/AUDIO CORD..MOUSER ELECTRONICS

SAMSUNG 35E 3500mAh BATTERIES...18650 BATTERY STORE

M-12 A-08PFFS-SF800 AMPHENOL LTW .FEMALE HEAD PHONES CTX 8 PIN..ON THE BATTERY....MOUSER ELECTRONIC

STOCK HEADPHONE FITTING ON BATTERY..BULGIN....M-8 5 PIN PXMBN108FPM05BFL001 MOUSER

T4011008041 1-000 TE CONNECTIVITY AMP ..FOR BATTERY CHARGER TO BATTERY..MOUSER..fitting

POLYCARBONATE TUBE 1 7/8 ID X 2 ID X 1/16 ...MCMASTER CARR....tube for battery

SILICONE WIRE 16 GAUGE .....AA PORTBLE POWER CORP.. any 16 ga will work, this one is very flexible

BMS 4 CELL BATTERY MANGEMENT SYSTEM..AA PORTABLE POWER CORP or BMS can be purchased on Amazon / 4C 16.8 volt

14.8 VOLT CHARGER...CH-L 14815SM (LI-ION BATTERY PACK ONLY) AA PORTABLE POWER CORP...Same Amazon has these.

ACRYLIC CAST ROD...1 7/8 MCMASTER CARR..for plugging the ends....cut 1/4 in piece for each end

POLYSWITCH 4.2A SRP420F ..AA PORTABLE POWER CORP..safety cut out to prevent shorts

KAPTON TAPE...AA PORTABLEPOWER CORP..,. for holding multiple batteries together

FISH PAPER.......AA PORTABLE POWER CORP.... cut in to 1 inch square to protect ends so nothing can short out

PVC HEAT SHRINK WRAP...70MM X0.1MM....AA PORTABLE POWER CORP........seals battery and holds together, when finished

PURE LEAD NICKEL STRIP TAB 0.2MM X8MM 18650...EBAY connect batteries

JB WELD CLEAR EPOXY...LOWES HARDWARE STORES...used to seal battery

FORGOT THIS ONE..1/4 PLASTIC 12 X 12 INCH ..TO CUT 21.6MM WIDE STRIP THAT IS USED AS MOUNT.. this is the mount that slides into the battery mounts on the AQ shaft

TAKE NOTE SOME OF THE ABOVE PART NUMBERS WHICH HAS A O OR 0 COULD BE REVERSED..SO IF YOU SEE A (O) IT COULD BE A (0) ZERO OR THE OTHER WAY AROUND..

I Think that is all...Joe

View attachment 40823View attachment 40824View attachment 40827View attachment 40828View attachment 40831View attachment 40832,

Hi Joe, Harold i lost your email address i wanted to send you a picture of a battery holder i got from a friend and i use the lithium battery in it, can you send me your email Harold dralph3@twc.com

 

[OldBeechnut]

Hi Joe, Harold i lost your email address i wanted to send you a picture of a battery holder i got from a friend and i use the lithium battery in it, can you send me your email Harold dralph3@twc.com

Oldebeechnut@yahoo.com

 

[vlad]

Welcome to the small world of AQ users.
Hair pins in the water are tough to eliminate when you can't sweep them from different directions. On the wet sand, walk around them and they almost always give a big double beep from one or two directions. They don't discriminate out well as you note. The discriminator on the AQ can be set to eliminate small iron screws that I find a lot of on the beaches I'm hunting most. At the settings that get rid of the small screws, most tent stakes go low tone too, although some that are straight up and down in the sand and with heavy plating on them will fool it. Unfortunately with those settings, quarters, dimes and copper pennies go low tone while zinc pennies modulate between low and high tone. I think running tone mode that way is a good way to go look for gold during heavy people traffic times of year and I focus on just digging high tones and let the quarters and dimes go. I normally run all metal with a lower ATS setting than where it gets set for running in tone mode. The key is listening to the shape of the tone. Narrow, smooth edged tones when over the target are likely better targets than rough, modulated edges and wide tones are; and those double beeps are nearly always iron. Took me longer than I though it would to get my head around the AQ tone edges since I could call iron correctly nearly every time with the Headhunter Pulse I had. When I hunt tone mode, if the signal is narrow with smooth edges but low tone I can choose to dig it anyway ... gets me the quarters and dimes that way.
When in interference, I've found all metal much better than any other mode; increase the pulse delay and decrease the sensitivity to see if you can work in it. I have found a few places where interference makes using the AQ LTD not worth it so I pack a back up with me; normally an Excal.
Enjoy your AQ!

How does fish hooks and stainless hooks read? (And nothing is more tiresome than trying to hunt and fight waves that come rolling in.)
Adding a ground helps on discing out the small iron in low conductors too.